Reflecting on Goals and Challenges- Insights from My Practicum Experience
Entering the practicum, I sought to have a better understanding of psychiatric diagnoses, be able to use various screening tools and be able to distinguish psychopathological disorders from pathophysiological disorders. So far, I have been able to conduct comprehensive psychiatric evaluations for over 80 clients. I have also been able to use various screening tools valuable in diagnosing common illnesses. Some of the screening tools used include PHQ-9 and GAD-7 for diagnosing depressive and anxiety disorders. The knowledge learned during these evaluative processes has enabled me to be able to distinguish pathophysiological disorders from psychological disorders. Through the practicum, I have also been able to identify the signs and symptoms of various pathophysiological and psychopathological disorders.
During the practicum, I experienced diverse clinical presentations. The most challenging case was one involving an end-of-life decision for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease. In this case, the most challenging part was having to discuss the news with the patient’s family. Another challenging case involved a patient with severe depression. The 27-year-old male had had multiple suicidal attempts and was placed under inpatient care. This case gave me insight into how people with mental health illnesses undergo considerable suffering. The fact that the client was a young adult made me realize that I was not immune to these illnesses. The third case involved a 57-year-old male with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorder comorbidity. The challenging part of the case was the high care need that the patient needed.
The experiences highlighted widened my perspectives on mental healthcare and the role of nurses in providing care to patients with these illnesses. Mental health illnesses present considerable challenges to global healthcare systems. The fact that they are sometimes misunderstood and subsequently mismanaged places much responsibility on the shoulders of caregivers involved in mental healthcare. In the pursuit of improving mental healthcare, having a better understanding of these illnesses is paramount. Notably, several resources were available at my practicum center to enhance caregivers’ knowledge of these illnesses. The hospital had a fully functional medical library with diverse publications on mental health illnesses. These included journals, textbooks, the DSM-V handbook, links to notable websites, and grey literature on these illnesses.
An evidence-based practice I utilized during the practicum was the collaborative paradigm. I got to collaborate with other caregivers in providing mental healthcare. Going forward, I would seek to collaborate more with other caregivers during mental healthcare. In the wake of apparent fragmentation in care, collaborative paradigms may help elevate the quality of care and clinical outcomes. It is worth noting that patient flow was managed through staff scheduling. Further, I intend to utilize my growing skill sets in advocating for improved mental healthcare and wellness in marginalized communities. These communities have traditionally been underserved and disadvantaged by traditional disparities.
Moving forward, I intend to improve my skills and knowledge of mental health illnesses by reading diverse publications on these disorders and spending more time in the practicum. I will communicate these provisions to my preceptor via email or written text. So far, I am doing good. Though I am not very confident in psychiatric medication dosages, I am comfortable at my workplace and enjoying the learning experience. I receive formal feedback on my progress and learning from my preceptor via weekly emails. The informal feedback I sometimes receive from my preceptor is through word of mouth at the point of care.
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Question 
Learning From Experiences
Revisit the goals and objectives from your Practicum Experience Plan. Explain the degree to which you achieved each during the practicum experience.
Reflect on the three (3) most challenging patients you encountered during the practicum experience. What was most challenging about each?
Reflecting on Goals and Challenges- Insights from My Practicum Experience
What did you learn from this experience?
What resources were available? DSM 5, Journals/Articles
What evidence-based practice did you use for the patients?
What would you do differently?
How are you managing patient flow and volume?
How can you apply your growing skillset to be a social change agent within your community?
Communicating and Feedback