Critical event analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical event analysis - Essay Example Description of the Event What was the context surrounding the event? The incident I will write about took place during the first week of my placement at a local hospital and involved a patient known as Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith, who lived in an elder’s home nearby, had been rushed to the hospital when he started to experience breathing difficulties. Mr. Smith has in the past experienced a number of strokes that left him partially paralysed. He also has a lot of difficulty in swallowing and cannot speak clearly. At the care-giving home, Mr. Smith is dependent on his care-givers to perform personal duties such as bathing and eating. My mentor, a registered nurse who was given the responsibility of catering to Mr. Smith’s needs, asked me to accompany her to his ward. In the previous week, she had discussed various ways in which a nurse can feed an elderly patient with swallowing difficulties without harming him or her while ensuring that the patient consumes enough food. I was quite eager to start my placement duties and did not imagine that anything would faze me. I followed my mentor, who was carrying a large bowl of pureed carrots, down the quite corridor and into Mr. Smith’s room. There were many things that I had expected, but Mr. Smith’s visage was deeply alarming to me. What were the consequences of the actions taken for the patient and others involved? The patient started to cough loudly, with streams of what seemed to be phlegm issuing from his mouth and nose. At first, I was quite nauseated; and began to try and focus my attention on other things in the room. My mentor spoke sternly to Mr. Smith and informed him that he would eat the food brought to him even if he did not like it. There was not much struggle, but it was obvious that Mr. Smith was not happy about his meal. Reflection How were others feeling, what were the other perceptions involved? My mentor also appeared to be somewhat frustrated. She fed Mr. Smith calmly; but whe n he turned his face and made throaty noises, she put down the bowl and turned his face before feeding him. She did not speak, but I could sense her annoyance. My mentor was not saying anything to me during the episode of forced feeding- causing me to feel uncertain and somewhat flustered. Remaining calm even when operating under pressure is what contributes towards making good will decisions on how best to handle troubled or anxious patients (Chaloner 2007). I loudly observed to my mentor that Mr. Smith appeared to be coughing a lot possibly because of the forced feeding. Without looking up, my mentor mumbled that there was no other way to get food into Mr. Smith’s body and that coughing was a normal thing for him and should not worry me. Why did I and/ or others respond like they did? Critical reflection can help a student nurse to develop listening skills that will help him or her to become a better clinician (Dye 2006). My initial thoughts when my mentor began to feed Mr. Smith were of fear. I thought that I would be forced to watch him choke into unconsciousness; what with the way he was coughing. Also, I had not thought that I would be given responsibility for such an elderly patient. What values or beliefs were important and underpinned actions or ways of thinking by those involved in the event? I wanted to prove to my mentor that I could handle