BSN Competencies
Patient Centered Care
Patient-centered care is the foundation upon which all healthcare must derive from, to be most effective. As a nurse, I understand that every patient has a unique background of their own culture, health beliefs, values, and traditions that may shape their approach to treatment. This is why I take the time to get to know my patient, understand their perspective on healthcare, and collaborate with the health care team using such crucial information to respect their preferences for treatment. Patient-centered care means taking into account how the patient feels best cared for, and knowing what’s culturally and personally appropriate for them. I integrate this into my practice by only using therapeutic touch when appropriate, and catering to their needs by asking them if they need anything else before I leave the room.
Quality Improvement
I am always looking for ways to improve the quality of care provided to our patients. In this ever-changing world of healthcare, I recognize that I have the power to bring certain issues to light, and use my voice to help implement positive changes in the healthcare environment. An example of quality improvement that I helped in was during my Community Health rotation, when I helped my school nurse develop a better system of documenting the immunization records both in the paper and computer system. I also helped her organize the process of vision, dental, and hearing screenings for kids. At the time, there was no set system of carrying out such tasks, so the nurses on different shifts were constantly doing it differently, and as a result, information would be documented late, or never put into the system. Recognizing my responsibility to advocate for patients as a nurse, I helped my preceptor create a more organized system that would prevent any issues from occurring in the future.
Safety
Patient safety is very important, and must be emphasized inpatient and in outpatient care. In the hospital setting, I maintain patient safety by always reviewing the 9 rights of medication administration, the name, birthday, allergies, and MRI number of my patient. I make sure I have a sufficient understanding of the diagnoses and medical treatment being provided for each patient, even if that means I have to spend my break time to do so. In addition, every time I enter a patient’s room, I am constantly assessing if the bed rails are up, if there is clutter on the floor, or any sloppily hanging or tangled IV lines that may pose any risk for harm to the patient. I make sure those things are fixed and taken care of before I leave the room.
Teamwork and Collaboration
In order to most effectively treat patients, many members of the healthcare team must work together. Physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, speech therapists, dietitians, and social workers all must collaborate together to ultimately facilitate holistic care to patients. In order to carry this out, I make sure my documentations are accurate and as detailed as possible. I also report any abnormal findings immediately to the doctors, in addition to making recommendations using the patient’s preference as a reference. In addition to the many group projects within nursing school, I have also had much clinical experience coordinating my activities with the nurses and nursing aides, to make sure I could help them when needed,
Informatics
As improvements continue to be made in technology, the amount of resources for nurses increase as well. There are many apps I now have on my phone, that allow me to look up basic information about medications. There are also effective computer systems such as PeopleSoft, that identify possible interactions between any two medications, which helps determine whether or not they may be given in the same IV line. In my Community Health rotation, I used my Chinese translating app, Pleco, to help Chinese-speaking patients fill out health forms for flu shots. Proper use of resources can maximize the effectiveness of healthcare to each patient.
Evidence-Based Practice
Nursing care is always based on the most up-to-date evidence-based practice. This is important because evidence-based practice incorporates detailed research, clinical trials, and real patient results. Such evidence is what drives my practice, because I know that what I’m practicing will be effective. Effective healthcare is of primary importance to me as a nurse. In nursing school, I studied many nursing theories that continue to shape my practice today. I am also constantly staying up to date with new research on things such as medications, and sterile techniques, so that I may best know how to treat my patients.
Leadership
As a student currently in the BSN program at my university, I have the privilege of learning about leadership as a separate curriculum in itself. I have been learning many practical, useful things, such as how to be a leader, a follower, and what techniques are needed in order to maintain the respect and rapport that a leader needs. I have learned how to effectively communicate with others, manage a team, and how to properly delegate tasks to others. I have also been trained on how to approach conflict resolution, and how to balance the amount of grace given, versus the amount of strict discipline enforced.
Patient-centered care is the foundation upon which all healthcare must derive from, to be most effective. As a nurse, I understand that every patient has a unique background of their own culture, health beliefs, values, and traditions that may shape their approach to treatment. This is why I take the time to get to know my patient, understand their perspective on healthcare, and collaborate with the health care team using such crucial information to respect their preferences for treatment. Patient-centered care means taking into account how the patient feels best cared for, and knowing what’s culturally and personally appropriate for them. I integrate this into my practice by only using therapeutic touch when appropriate, and catering to their needs by asking them if they need anything else before I leave the room.
Quality Improvement
I am always looking for ways to improve the quality of care provided to our patients. In this ever-changing world of healthcare, I recognize that I have the power to bring certain issues to light, and use my voice to help implement positive changes in the healthcare environment. An example of quality improvement that I helped in was during my Community Health rotation, when I helped my school nurse develop a better system of documenting the immunization records both in the paper and computer system. I also helped her organize the process of vision, dental, and hearing screenings for kids. At the time, there was no set system of carrying out such tasks, so the nurses on different shifts were constantly doing it differently, and as a result, information would be documented late, or never put into the system. Recognizing my responsibility to advocate for patients as a nurse, I helped my preceptor create a more organized system that would prevent any issues from occurring in the future.
Safety
Patient safety is very important, and must be emphasized inpatient and in outpatient care. In the hospital setting, I maintain patient safety by always reviewing the 9 rights of medication administration, the name, birthday, allergies, and MRI number of my patient. I make sure I have a sufficient understanding of the diagnoses and medical treatment being provided for each patient, even if that means I have to spend my break time to do so. In addition, every time I enter a patient’s room, I am constantly assessing if the bed rails are up, if there is clutter on the floor, or any sloppily hanging or tangled IV lines that may pose any risk for harm to the patient. I make sure those things are fixed and taken care of before I leave the room.
Teamwork and Collaboration
In order to most effectively treat patients, many members of the healthcare team must work together. Physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, physical therapists, speech therapists, dietitians, and social workers all must collaborate together to ultimately facilitate holistic care to patients. In order to carry this out, I make sure my documentations are accurate and as detailed as possible. I also report any abnormal findings immediately to the doctors, in addition to making recommendations using the patient’s preference as a reference. In addition to the many group projects within nursing school, I have also had much clinical experience coordinating my activities with the nurses and nursing aides, to make sure I could help them when needed,
Informatics
As improvements continue to be made in technology, the amount of resources for nurses increase as well. There are many apps I now have on my phone, that allow me to look up basic information about medications. There are also effective computer systems such as PeopleSoft, that identify possible interactions between any two medications, which helps determine whether or not they may be given in the same IV line. In my Community Health rotation, I used my Chinese translating app, Pleco, to help Chinese-speaking patients fill out health forms for flu shots. Proper use of resources can maximize the effectiveness of healthcare to each patient.
Evidence-Based Practice
Nursing care is always based on the most up-to-date evidence-based practice. This is important because evidence-based practice incorporates detailed research, clinical trials, and real patient results. Such evidence is what drives my practice, because I know that what I’m practicing will be effective. Effective healthcare is of primary importance to me as a nurse. In nursing school, I studied many nursing theories that continue to shape my practice today. I am also constantly staying up to date with new research on things such as medications, and sterile techniques, so that I may best know how to treat my patients.
Leadership
As a student currently in the BSN program at my university, I have the privilege of learning about leadership as a separate curriculum in itself. I have been learning many practical, useful things, such as how to be a leader, a follower, and what techniques are needed in order to maintain the respect and rapport that a leader needs. I have learned how to effectively communicate with others, manage a team, and how to properly delegate tasks to others. I have also been trained on how to approach conflict resolution, and how to balance the amount of grace given, versus the amount of strict discipline enforced.