Breana Herrera
N342 Behavioral Health & Psychiatric Nursing
February 26, 2016
San Marcos Treatment Center Day 3
During this day in clinical I was able to shadow the Clinical Nurse in Charge on shift. I was able to observe the tasks that were necessary for her to complete on a daily basis, as well as evaluate clinical charts of patients she deemed interesting. After overviewing some of the charts I was able to see the tasks she needed to complete for her patients in the unit regarding medication clarification, administration, and evaluation. I was even able to observe the tentative discharge process of one of the patients. Afterwards I was able to go down to the cafeteria and interact with the group of young boys in the New Horizons 1 group, as well as attend their group therapy session at the end of their day. I was also able to observe the “Ropes Therapy” session for the younger girls and middle aged developmentally delayed boys, which was an interesting form of therapy to say the least.
Analyzing the charts of some of the residents allowed me to experience the situations of some of the residents and the circumstances under which they were admitted. Some of them have come from towns and cities miles away, they are far from their families and everything that they know which can be a good or not so good thing. One patient in particular had mentioned in his therapy session that he believed his lack of communication with his family hindered his progress in the recovery process, and was hoping to reconnect with them once he was finally able to complete his GED and get discharged from the facility. Engaging in therapeutic communication with the young man I spoke with was interesting to say the least. He spoke of the tragedy he experienced very calmly with a nonchalant attitude and maintained eye contact throughout the disclosure of his tragic incident. However after attending group therapy you could very easily identify the effect of his past experience and the toll it took on his lack of social skills. At the time I was focused on evaluating the successfulness of the therapy he had been receiving while actively engaging in conversation with his to establish a trust and learn more about his current situation and how he felt about being housed in the facility. Even though his tragic story brought about numerous emotions I made sure I contained and masked my own reactions and emotions regarding his experiences so that I would not make him uncomfortable or feel uneasy about his life changing incidents. After engaging in therapeutic communication with this young man I learned how to better assess and reevaluate my own emotions under new circumstances, which allowed me to enhance my skills in therapeutic communication. After experiencing the ropes course therapy I was able to evaluate the necessity of this type of program for the children in order to form team building and self-enhancement skills. Practicing this form of therapy provided the children with a different more hands-on therapeutic outlet, which only had positive developmental impacts.
Experiencing these events impacted me in very beneficial ways. It taught me how to disregard my own emotions and focus on the needs of my patient regardless of my personal thoughts and feelings. These patients have all experienced numerous life altering incidents, which have shaped their current behavior, however with the help of the clinical staff these children will hopefully be able to overcome their pasts, lead a better life with a more pleasant future, and become highly functional good people in society. I will use all of the evaluation and communication skills I have gained in this clinical experience on a daily basis in my future nursing practice and will continue to practice effective therapeutic communication and evaluation skills to better assess their individual needs and implement the most beneficial plan of care.