Reflective Essay on Referral Systems in Nursing

Reflective Essay on Referral Systems in Nursing Learning Objective:- To acquire knowledge about the various referrals systems used in my placement area. This reflective essay describes my experience in achieving my learning objective, referral system which I had taken as a part of the ONP programme. According to Dewey (1916) Reflection is a process which perceives connections and links between the parts of an experience (cited by Boud et al, 1985). When nurses reflect on what they do, they can make sense of their practice, and imagine and/or bring about changes ( street 1991; Cox et al.1991 cited by Taylor, B. J., 2000). Reflection helps us to transform ourselves to provide better care for the patients by enhancing our skills and knowledge. Schon, D. (1983) emphasised that reflection is a way in which professionals can bridge the theory- practice gap, based on the potential of reflection to uncover knowledge in and on action (cited by Taylor, B. J., 2000) I have chosen Gibbs model of reflection (1988) to reflect on my experience. I chose this framework because it enables me to recapture the event step by step and thus to learn from my experience as experience is the best teacher of all (Harry Callahan, H. cited online). Referral is defined as aÂÂ  personÂÂ  recommendedÂÂ  toÂÂ  someoneÂÂ  orÂÂ  forÂÂ  something (Dictionary. com, 2009).Since all health care required cannot be obtained at any given level of the system, anÂÂ  effective referral mechanism is a key element in the delivery of care (The Ministry of Health, Belize, 2006). So I took this objective to get familiar to the referral system used in my new placement area. As I am working in a stroke unit, most of the patients require a multidisciplinary approach. The core multidisciplinary team includes appropriate levels of nursing, medical, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and social services staff. Other disciplines are also regularly involved in the management of stroke patients including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians. (SIGN, 2010). This was different from my past working experience even though there was involvement of multidisciplinary teams and referrals to various specialities, but referrals to social services and also the policies pertaining to referrals is a new experience. I observed how my senior colleagues refer patients to various teams, asked doubts on the various teams available in the trust and how to avail them and the basis of referring a patient. Then, I was able to refer patients under guidance. My mentor has also assigned me to do referrals and has assessed me for the same. I got feedback and was able to make necessary corrections. I was able to refer patients to various teams such as Speech and Language therapist (SALT), diabetic nurse, dietitician, and OT. Initially I had some difficulty in understanding the various teams and their roles, the different forms used to refer patients, methods to refer (by fax/calls). But as I was able to do several referrals I got familiar with the system used in my placement area. In the beginning I observed my senior colleagues referring the patient and then I began to refer patients. I was able to clarify doubts with my mentor and colleagues thus helping me to understand the healthcare system more effectively. Now, I feel confident in referring patients to other healthcare team as needed because the holistic, comprehensive, interactive approach of an interdisciplinary team is the hallmark of stroke rehabilitation (Miller et al, 2010)). I feel by taking this learning outcome I was able to improve my communication skills and teamwork thus enabled me to develop professionally. My mentor has assessed me competent in referring patients. According to Dent, S. M., 2007The ability to hear what others are saying and determine the accuracy and relevancy of their feedback is a significant source of professional and partnership development and a critical leadership competency. I believe I was able to achieve an important outcome essential for me to provide holistic care for the patients. As I did several referrals, I was able to build my confidence and take part in appropriate learning and practice activities that maintain and develop my competence and performance (NMC, 2008).Guidance from my mentor and colleagues helped me to understand the system and thus enabled me to deal with it at ease. My mentor assessed me competent in referring patient effectively. It is necessary for a patient to receive appropriate medical attention where required for a speedy progress. It is the responsibility of the staff to ensure that timely referrals are made so that patient care is not jeopardised. As a whole, I was able to gain knowledge about the referral system used in my placement which helped me to keep myself up to date with the resources available to ensure effective care. I ensured that for patients under my care referrals are made on time and if I am not sure of something I make it a point to take the valuable opinion of my seniors (NMC, 2008). As a future action plan, I feel that I should keep my knowledge and skills up to date (NMC, 2008) and should be aware of all the trust policies in order to make effective use of the resources available. I will also actively do more referrals and be well versed with the system.

Lab Report: Testing How the Length of a Wire Determines its Resistance :: essays research papers

Science Coursework The Resistance of a Wire Aim: To find out how the length of a wire affects the resistance of it. Knowledge: Ohms Law is a mathematical equation that shows the relationship between Voltage, Current and Resistance in an electrical circuit. It is stated as: , V = I x R , R = V / I , I = V / R Where  · V = Voltage  · I = Current (I stands for INTENSITY)  · R = Resistance In order to understand what Ohms Law is all about you need to understand electricity and what makes Voltage, Current and Resistance in a circuit. Current Current is the movement of electrons in a circuit but "What are electrons and what makes them move?" All matter is made up of Atoms. Piece of metal made up of Atoms Each atom is made up of a nucleus that has a certain number of protons and neutrons with an equal numbers of electrons in orbit. The copper atom has 29 protons in its nucleus with 29 electrons orbiting the nucleus. The electrons are arranged in orbits called shells. Notice that in the copper atom, the outside shell has only one electron. The outer shell of any atom is called the valence shell. When the valence electron in any atom gains sufficient energy from some outside force, it can break away from the parent atom and become what is called a free electron. It is very easy to provide enough energy to cause the valence electron to become free. Some sources of energy are heat, light, magnetic fields and a voltage source. When the valence electron becomes free it leaves behind an atom that has a positive charge. Remember that the copper atom has 29 + protons and 29 electrons so if one electron leaves orbit we are left with +29 protons and 28 electrons. That means the atom has a more positive charge because of the one less electron. This is an unbalanced atom and is not natural. The atom will always try to get an electron back into the valence orbit to become normal or balanced again. This is the one fact that you should remember and try to visualize when working with electrical circuits. Electric current is the movement of electrons from one atom to another in a conductor. If you can visualize a piece of copper wire with billions of atoms and each one of them losing an electron and all the electrons jumping to other atoms, you will begin to see what current is.

Crafting & Executing Strategy Whole Foods

Crafting & Executing Strategy Whole Foods Your Report will be evaluated on the quality of your ability to: 1. Appropriate use of Executive Summary, Introduction and Conclusions 10 marks †¢ Demonstrate ability to appropriately capture key recommendations and overview in an Executive Summary. Proper use of an introduction to capture the main aspects of the body of the report and a concise conclusion. . Answers to the Questions Posed in Case Study/Presentation             50 marks †¢ The body of the report should clearly address the questions posed in the case study       †¢ The group presentation should effectively convey the case and recommendations in the format of a third party consultant presenting to the John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. 3. Develop Strategic Recommendations/Key Findings 10 marks Your report should also address the strategic recommendations and/or key findings identified from answers to the five questions in the body of the report. 4. Use of Appropriate graphs/charts/diagrams 15 marks †¢ Your report should utilize relevant statistics in graphs, charts or diagrams to more effectively convey the key points in the body of your report. 5. Links to course readings and additional research 5    marks       ?Clearly cite your work and identify at least 2 separate sources with appropriate footnotes or endnotes. ? Words that are not your own must be formally cited. 6. Style and format 10 marks ? Write a report that is error free (spelling/grammar)       ? Write a report that is concise (communication is clear and to the point)       ? Write a report that is professional (easy to read, accurate in its content)       ? The report should not exceed 10 pages, double-spaced text plus charts/diagrams

Vulnerability Exposure And Security Exposure - 1593 Words

According to Microsoft, a â€Å"vulnerability is a security exposure that results from a product weakness that the product developer did not intend to introduce and should fix once it is discovered† (Microsoft, 2015). A vulnerability is a flaw in an asset which could be exploited by a threat. Where there is a window of vulnerability, there is always a threat. Vulnerability exposure is one of the most important security issues Information Technology managers face. â€Å"An information security ‘exposure’ is a system structure issue or a fault in software that allows access to information or capabilities that can be used by a hacker as a stepping-stone into a system or network† (CVE, 2013). With the globalization of the internet, vulnerabilities in†¦show more content†¦Patches can be conveyed in three diverse ways; as a patch to the source code of a program, a patch to the compiled binary code, and a complete ï ¬ le(s) replacement (White, 2007). Developers will release patches as vulnerabilities arise; the patches can be received through a global wide area network (WAN). This allows the users to update their systems as soon as possible after a vulnerability is found. Patch management involves making sure that that all of the released patches from vendors are installed in a timely manner, at both an operating system and application level (Vacca, 2013). This includes managing these updates according to the organizations’ business schedule and having emergency procedures set in place in the event of an outbreak. Patching vulnerabilities may be time consuming, this is why many IT managers, IS managers and the general consumer need to be proactive in managing their systems. Patches may be created in various sizes from just a few kilobytes to hundreds of megabytes. Service packs (SP) are issued by developers when the sizes of the individual patches reach a limit. Typically anything over 100 megabytes in Microsoft is considered a service pack. Many administrators wait for the service pack to be released rather than individual patches. Developers release patches and updates rather frequently, for example, Microsoft