This week at clinical I saw the role of the RN when one of the patients was acting out in class and was sent back to the unit for the rest of class. The RN assessed him and his mental status in order to determine whether he was at risk of harming himself or others. The patient was not at risk for either after assessment and therefore was not needing any type of restraint which was the opposite of what happened in the previous week. Also I was able to see the ropes course be used and understand the therapeutic benefits from it. The patients had to climb a 30 foot pole to a wire, while being harnessed by other patients, and climb across a wire to another pole that was 50 feet away.
The ropes course made me feel that the patients were learning how to trust one another. Trust is one of the things that most of the patients in this facility do not have much of due to their prior environment. It was great to see even the smallest of the children be able to conquer any fear they had and climb up that large pole and across the wire up in the air like that.
This made me feel encouraged that the treatment here, at least for some individuals, was working and exemplified through the ropes course. Also the fact that the patients were cheering for each other and wanting each other to succeed made me feel as though the treatment was having its effects on the patients. Many of the patients I have interacted with have not shown signs of trust or too much encouragement.
In my future I will use my experience at the ropes course to help bring people together and encourage growth. Growth through physical, mental, and emotional states.