Community Experience

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Community Experience Psychiatric health nurses undergo extensive education and training to improve their skills to provide quality services to people with mental health conditions. Participation in community experience and simulation exercises is a critical element of psychiatric nurses’ education. These exercises provide nurses with a platform to apply theoretical skills to practice and participate in complex decision-making. The nurse also interacts with patients to understand their deepest thoughts and help them overcome the overwhelming effects of mental health conditions. Nurses also utilize this opportunity to evaluate patients and identify their social and health support systems. Community experience also helps nurses visualize how to apply material and information learned in class to real-world problems.

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Community Experience My community hours involved a simulation whereby I served as a nurse at a health care facility in Spain. This facility provides health services to diverse patient populations, including people with mental health disorders and chronic conditions. A large proportion of people served in this facility are Spanish. Most use local remedies to treat health disorders and seek medical intervention when their condition progresses to critical stages. The facility is located in a suburban region and serves the wealthy and the poor. The health providers are adequately trained to offer appropriate services to outpatients and inpatients.

Providing healthcare services is challenging in a setting where the nurse and patients speak different languages. In the simulation, for instance, I could not communicate with the patients in Spanish since I did not understand this language. Ervin and Kulbok (2018) clarified that nurses must identify the best communication modality to pass information to patients. The nurse must also use a language that the patient understands to conduct patient education successfully. In the simulation, we used “Google Translate” to assist patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

The patient was anxious since she could not understand the message being passed from the healthcare team. However, Google Translate helped identify the best words and phrases to conduct a successful patient education. This approach helped teach the patient how to administer medications. The patient wanted to use local remedies in the village instead of medications. This message was communicated to the oncoming nurse and requested her to educate the parents on the best local remedies to mix with diabetic medications. We also recommended that the patient needed further evaluation for anxiety.

Personal reflection

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I enjoyed the simulation since it provided a platform to resolve communication challenges during practice. However, I believe effective communication mechanisms including an interpreter, could be used to enhance service delivery to racially diverse patients. Although using “Google Translate” is a valid alternative for interpreters, particularly when dealing with patients speaking a different language, this process is complex and consumes time. I learned how to conduct a simulation exercise and engage patients from different racial backgrounds. I also learned new concepts and terms since simulation repeats some critical aspects of the patient’s situation. Simulation is a reliable educational process in which the learner demonstrates decision-making, procedural techniques, and critical thinking. It enables the nursing professionals to reflect on their skills and analyze their actions. Further, I learned that nurses must complete clinical hours and perform a simulation experience.

Lesson summary Participating in the community experience exercise establishes a platform for developing new skills, gaining new insights, and discovering new interests and passions about the world.

The nurse gets an opportunity to serve patients from diverse communities. The community experience helps nurses understand how different people resolve health issues using available resources.

Nurse as a role model Nurses could be positive role models by demonstrating empathy, compassion, critical thinking, and ethics during practice. Nurses must also show accountability and possess active listening skills. These skills are critical in creating an environment typified by positive interprofessional interactions, collaboration, and problem-solving (MacDonald & Jakubec, 2021). Nurses, who employ a non-discriminatory approach to patient care, also serve as good role models. The other qualities of a good nurse include effective communication, hardworking,

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and attention to detail. Effective communication helps nurses achieve accuracy, consistency, patient satisfaction, and protection of the profession (MacDonald & Jakubec, 2021). Knowledge and consistency establish a platform to guide junior nurses in understanding complex practice issues.

Nursing process in the community setting The nursing process in the community setting comprises six stages including health assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluating, and documenting of the care process. This process is a systematic guide to patient-centered care (Roberts, 2015). These practices are beneficial to families, individuals, and the community. They establish the base for evidence practice and better health outcomes at all levels. Nurses participating in community healthcare not only deliver quality patient care but also reduce the risk and occurrences of injuries, diseases and deaths. These professionals also participate in health surveillance, emergency preparedness, health assessment, and response to emergencies

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References Bernal-Morales B., (2018). Health and Academic Achievement. BoD – Books on Demand, Ervin, N. E., & Kulbok, P. (2018). Advanced public and community health nursing practice: Population assessment, program planning, and evaluation. Springer Publishing Company.

MacDonald, S. A. & Jakubec, S. L. (2021). Community Health Nursing in Canada - E-Book.

Elsevier Health Sciences.

Roberts, M., (2015). Critical Thinking and Reflection for Mental Health Nursing Students.

Learning Matters