You are on page 1of 2

NURS 3731 Clinical Journal

Name: Polixeni Chirgott

Date of clinical experience: 9/30/2017

Clinical location/setting/agency: St. Elizabeth Hospital Boardman

Beginning time: 7:00 a.m. End time: 1:00 p.m.

Agency contact/nurse (if community site): N/A

1. Overview of clinical experience:

a. Identify nursing skills and competencies observed/utilized for the day


- Spent my day in the nursery and L&D
- Took vital signs of infants
- Assisted with cleaning, changing, and swaddling infants
- Learned how to perform an infant assessment
- Inserted a catheter for an L&D patient
- Observed a C-section (twins)

b. Identify 2 appropriate nursing diagnoses that were utilized


- Ineffective thermoregulation related to immature adaptation to environmental
temperature (newborn diagnosis).
- Risk for infection related to invasive procedure, tissue trauma, and decreased
hemoglobin (C-section patient).

c. Include Weekly OB Clinical Assessment Form & Medication Sheets

2. Describe the most significant event or learning experience of the day that you either observed or
participated.

The most significant event that I participated in would have to be the insertion of a catheter.
This is a skill that I had yet to practice as a nursing student, and something that I did not feel
confident with. I am glad that with my OB experience so far, I have been able to practice some basic
skills that will be part of my regular routine as a nurse. In addition to this, I was lucky enough to
observe an emergency C-section delivery of twins. This was interesting because the mother had
originally planned on a vaginal delivery, and it showed me just how much the nurses do aside from
providing immediate care to the patient. It was vital that they not only provided emotional support
to the patient, but also made sure that she knew exactly what was going on every step of the way.
NURS 3731 Clinical Journal

3. Identify course and clinical objectives and describe how you met those objectives for the day.
See course packet for specific community site objectives.

One objective that I met today was, “Integrating relevant concepts & theories of nursing & other
disciplines into a plan of care that maintains & promotes the health and well-being of developing
families and women.” I did this by collecting relevant data from newborn infants in the nursery
through proper assessments and checking vital signs. Also, I demonstrated competence of
previously learned skills throughout the day such as using sterile technique when I inserted the
catheter into one of the L&D patients. In addition to this, another objective that I met throughout the
day was, “Demonstrating professional accountability, reliability, and responsibility while
implementing health-focused nursing care that incorporates professional organization’s standards of
care and Patient’s Bill of Rights.” I came prepared to clinical, assumed responsibility for my actions
and nursing care provided for the day, sought out a new learning opportunity, and demonstrated
professional attitude and behaviors.

4. Evaluate your day’s clinical experience

My clinical day was not only very enjoyable, but it also provided me with many
different learning experiences. I started my day in the nursery where I took vital signs of
newborn infants for the nurses, and helped with washing, changing, and swaddling the
babies before returning them to their mothers. This was fun for me because I was able to
spend time with the infants, but I also learned how to do perform a head to toe assessment
and was able to practice on numerous babies and become more comfortable with this
skill. The second half of my day was spent in L&D, where I was able to practice catheter
insertion on a patient and also observe a C-section delivery of twins. I feel like I had an
extremely eventful day and overall had a great experience!

You might also like