Practicum Experience Reflection Journal

Introduction

The experience has been quite educational and exciting throughout my pediatric clinical exposure. My practicum exposure gave me much-needed expertise, especially on ways to talk to pediatric patients in a language they love so they see more of a friend than someone they should be afraid to share their experiences with. This paper reflects my growth and progress throughout my practicum experience as a pediatrician, reflecting on my clinical strengths and improvement opportunities. This, too, entails reflecting on my pediatric patients alongside various diagnosed and treated conditions.

a) Excitements and concerns throughout my pediatric clinical experience.

Well, my pediatric clinical exposure has been full of concerns and exciting moments that I treasured every moment in my practicum. What excited me the most was how I interacted with pediatric patients professionally and in a friendly manner and their liveliness in answering my questions. My concerns throughout my practicum included how to handle parents on matters affecting their children. Dealing with parents seemed frustrating sometimes. My concern remained that parents were the sole decision-makers when it came to treatment options for their children. This taught me to be resilient and tolerant of parents, primarily based on ethnicity, culture and religion.

b) My definition of family and family roles

Family and family roles remain similar throughout my clinical practicum. My definition is given in the week one journal centred around family duties and responsibilities by family members as they act based on illness. In a pediatric setting, parents remain the sole decision makers on matters of the health of their children, and how they compose themselves and interact with caregivers highly impacts how care is given to their children. Through experience, I realized that the presence of family members while attending to a child increased the child’s confidence, stability and security (Coats et al., 2018).

c) The impact of my comprehension of family and family roles on children and family assessment

Parental involvement and Family roles in pediatric nursing have vastly affected the care process and can equally risk children’s lives (Terp et al., 2023). In most cases, parents whose children are ill tend to be stressed, confused, and distraught. Thus, caregivers ought to portray excellent communication abilities that will give them morale. Healthcare practitioners should educate family members on the negative impact of grasping certain cultural beliefs, such as posing risk factors in treating and caring for patients (Terp et al., 2023).

d) the changes and impact of my comprehension of culture on my assessment carried out throughout my practicum

Throughout my practicum, I have been able to identify and comprehend diversity in cultural beliefs and practices, in addition to cultural roles in shaping the behaviour, health beliefs and outcomes of patients. Cultural experiences have offered me an opportunity to integrate patient-centric care and culturally suitable care per patient. Amid all cultural beliefs, considering the child’s safety and welfare is of utmost significance. I have learned that despite disagreements, child welfare ought to be supreme, and parents and nurses should strive to respect all health decisions on the basis of cultural beliefs (Leijen & van Herk, 2021).

e) Goal and objectives accomplishment in week 1 

During week 1, the following goals were set:

1. a) the need to enhance my knowledge and expertise as a primary caregiver throughout my practicum
2. b) I make good use of my preceptor and colleagues by being a good listener and observer
3. c) to enhance my expertise in my clinical skills and the FNP program to excellently practice the acquired skills
4. d) to inclusively and efficiently care for patients courtesy of all acquired skills, current evidence-based practice and literature (Watwood, 2016).

f) Refining/developing my goals throughout my professional practice 

Throughout my practicum, my goals have remained consistent; however, given this profession’s competitiveness, I have been compelled to embrace other people’s cultures and show my patients and their family members compassion. My experience throughout this practicum has given me a different perspective of love in an attempt to prevail over challenges and embrace success. In light of NAPNAP’s position in advocating for children and their health, the government’s commitment to enhance health outcomes for American Children must remain advocated for (NAPNAP, 2012). According to NAPNAP, this type of care will enhance children’s general health status and health outcomes. To accomplish this, the uninsured children must be insured and have p[references in choosing their caregivers. NAPNAP should remain steadfast in supporting legislation that gives parents the privilege to choose caregivers.

References

Coats, H., Bourget, E., Starks, H., Lindhorst, T., Saiki-Craighill, S., Curtis, J. R., Hays, R., & Doorenbos, A. (2018). Nurses’ Reflections on Benefits and Challenges of Implementing Family-Centered Care in Pediatric Intensive Care Units. American journal of critical care: an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27(1), 52–58. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2018353

COMMITTEE ON HOSPITAL CARE and INSTITUTE FOR PATIENT- AND FAMILY-CENTERED CARE; (2012). Patient- and family-centered care and the pediatrician’s role. Pediatrics, 129(2), 394–404. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-3084

Leijen, I., & van Herk, H. (2021). Health and Culture: The Association between Healthcare Preferences for Non-Acute Conditions, Human Values and Social Norms. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(23), 12808. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312808

Terp, K., Weis, J., & Lundqvist, P. (2021). Parents’ Views of Family-Centered Care at a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit-A Qualitative Study. Frontiers in pediatrics, 9, 725040. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2021.725040

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. (2012). Nurse practitioner core competencies. https://www.pncb.org/sites/default/files/2024- 02/NONPF_Core_Competencies.pdf

Watwood C. L. (2016). Mapping the literature of pediatric nursing: update and implications for library services. Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, 104(4), 278–283. https://doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.104.4.005