This week at clinical I saw the role of the RN when one of the patients was having a tantrum and was considered a risk of harming himself and others. She had to instruct the staff to not restrain him, but keep an eye on him to make sure nothing harmful would happen. This intervention worked and the patient calmed down soon after. I was also able to sit in group, this was very interesting to see the dynamic between patients in the unit. Some of them were friends, and some didn't want to talk to one another, but they all contributed to group openly.
The situation with the patient throwing a tantrum was very intense, at this moment all I thought about was keeping the patient and the staff safe. Luckily nothing happened where someone was harmed, but it could have. I was feeling a little nervous, but at the same time critically thinking about the options that the nurse had in order to calm the patient down. Restraining the patient was a possibility, but the nurse refused to impliment them and it turned out to be the right choice.
When looking back I recognize that this tantrum that the patient had was a new experience to me, but to the staff and nurse this is almost a daily occurrence. This made me realize that although I had felt somewhat nervous that I handled myself just as well as the others did. This gives me confidence in the future to handle situations of high intensity and risk.
I will use the knowledge that I have obtained from this experience and use it in the future. Experience in these types of situations will better my critical thinking and make my actions much more precise and evidence based.Week