Indiana University School of Nursing
Baccalaureate Program, Bloomington Campus
H364 The Developing Family & Child: The Practicum
Please list 1 example from either OB or Pediatric Clinical for each competency
Clinical Self Evaluation Tool: The Obstetrical/Pediatric Component
Student Name____Lindsey Gamrat_______________________
Student Self Evaluation
1.
Demonstrate rational, creative problem-solving skills in relation to issues involving nursing care of
children, childbearing and childrearing families according to their developmental level.
One occurrence where I met this competency was during my weekend at Bradford Woods. The other nursing
students, counselors and I were providing total care for the 14 girls in our cabin. We did not have all of the luxuries
like at the hospital to provide care for them and we were therefore forced to be creative and use problem solving
skills. We had to come up with rational ways to use our limited resources to do things such as transferring a child to
the toilet or bed, finding a hanger to hang a bag for a mace, trying to maintain clean procedure as best as we could in
a camp setting, etc. While this was a challenge, the camp experience provided a great opportunity to use my problem
solving skills and be creative to provide the best care that I could for these children.
2.
Incorporate nursing research into direct care to meet identified needs of children, childrearing and
childbearing families.
While all of the nursing skills that I have been taught are evidence based and thus incorporate research into direct
care, one specific example of using research that I was involved with occurred at one of my SIP experiences. The
nurse that I was observing was discussing the most current flu shot vs. flu mist guidelines with a provider. The
guidelines had recently been changed and I was glad that I got to participate in the conversation. I saw how
providers really do alter their practices based on the most current research and recommendations.
3.
Incorporate cultural values and practices into nursing care to enhance the well-being of children,
child-rearing and child-bearing families.
During my clinical experiences, I was fortunate enough to get to work with people of other cultures in both my
OB clinicals at the hospital as well as my Peds experiences at SIP. Bloomington seems to have a lot of cultural
diversity and incorporating others cultural values and practices is important to nursing. While I did not
experience any extreme requests or differences based on culture, I always tried to maintain an open mind and
realize that other people do not necessarily share the same beliefs as I do. The main learning experience for me
was trying to communicate with someone who was not only of a different culture, but also who spoke a different
language. Medical concepts are often hard enough for people to understand in their own language but adding a
language barrier makes it even more difficult.
4.
Collaborate with colleagues and families to access community resources that will meet identified
needs.
I was fortunate enough to spend time at a WIC clinic during my clinical experiences and learn about this great
resource available to women and their children. The dieticians there were extremely helpful and very eager to teach
me about the program. I learned a lot about the program itself, how people qualify for it, and what benefits it
provides. I was able to collaborate with the staff there to help provide information and care to clients. I also learned
valuable information and insight about WIC so that I will be able to recommend this resource to my future patients.
5. Analyze political and economic factors that impact the health care of children, childrearing and
childbearing families.
During my clinical experiences in all areas, I have heard patients describe how economics can be a barrier to
healthcare. Many people cannot afford the medications that they need and are in fear of coming to the hospital due
to an inability to pay. Some families do not even have enough money to purchase healthy foods for their children or
diapers, formula, etc. for their infants. I was made especially aware of these barriers during my experience at the
WIC clinic. Fortunately, I also learned about programs such as WIC to help families in need. It is amazing how a
program that seemingly does so little is so beneficial to these children and their families. I will definitely
recommend resources and make referrals to my future patients who may have these political and economic barriers
to their health care
6. Discuss ethical, respectful, decision-making concerning the care of children, childrearing and
childbearing families in light of one’s personal value system.
The area that I feel I most met this competency was in labor and delivery. I was forced to put my own views aside
and provide the best care that I could for my patients even if I did not agree with decisions they had made. For
example, I feel that Pitocin is way overused and I would prefer to have a natural childbirth if possible. I also do not
agree with inductions before full term if there is not a medical reason and I think that many c-sections could
probably be avoided. When I was in labor and delivery and the mother/baby unit, I did not voice my opinions and I
did not really think about them much. Each woman has her own views on childbirth and has a birth plan that
hopefully she has given a lot of thought to and it is how she wants her birth to go. I was excited that these women
allowed me to be a part of their birth and I respected their choices and provided the best care that I could, regardless
of my own opinions or the way that I personally would do things if it had been me.
7. Communicate effectively with children and family members at different developmental levels to share
appropriate information.
Communicating effectively with children and family members was an important aspect of all of my OB/Peds
clinical experiences. I had the opportunity to interact with a great variety of patients and each person communicated
in their own unique way. I feel that the best example of how I met this competency was at Bradford Woods.
Communicating with some of the children there was especially challenging. Some of them had speech delays and
communicated by gestures, signing, etc. Learning how each specific child communicated was a challenge. Also,
while some children may have physical impairments and speech impairments that did not mean that they were
developmentally delayed. Bradford Woods allowed me the opportunity to communicate with children of many
different developmental levels as well as children who did not communicate traditionally. I think that this will prove
to be a very valuable experience to me as a future nurse.
8. Provide safe, effective, nurturing care that promotes the health of children, childrearing and
childbearing families according to their developmental levels
I feel that I met this competency in pretty much all of my clinical experiences. I always try to provide the safest,
most effective care that I am able to for my patients. In school, I do this under the guidance of a preceptor or
instructor to validate care decisions. I have been lucky to have some great preceptors in my OB clinicals this
semester. I always try to be actively engaged in my experience and ask a lot of questions and I believe that this
shows that I genuinely care about my learning and makes the preceptor more willing to educate me and put more
effort into the experience. Throughout my clinical experience, I tried to follow safety protocols such as safe
medication administration, fall risk precautions, standard precautions, handwashing, etc. Safety is especially
important when working with vulnerable populations such as infants. I feel that I am also a very nurturing person by
nature and I always tried to incorporate this into my care. I really enjoy getting to know my patients and establishing
rapport with them. I found this most challenging with pediatric patients because they were often afraid of the whole
medical experience.
9. Provide appropriate, effective health education that promotes health and prevents illness.
I had the opportunity to assist with providing health education both at the SIP clinical and in my OB clinical
rotations. I was amazed at how willing most parents were to learn anything and everything they could about caring
for their child. I found this especially true with new parents in my OB clinicals. They were very receptive to
teaching and asked a lot of great questions for the most part. Hopefully the education that I helped provide will be
remembered and used for the benefit of the child in promoting health and preventing illness.
l0. Demonstrate professional behaviors that promote a positive, public image of nursing.
Demonstrating professional behavior is something that I strive to do all the time in all aspects of my life to displayed
a positive image not only of myself, but of the IU School of Nursing and nursing in general. OB/Peds clinicals were
no different. I was professional by showing up on time being organized, prepared, and properly dressed. I also took
initiative for my learning by engaging myself in all my experiences and asking good questions. I was polite and
respectful to my patients as well as my preceptor/instructor and other peers. I did not use my cell phone during
clinical and I always tried to offer to help with anything that I was allowed to do. I know that it takes extra work for
a nurse to have a student with him or her and I wanted to let my preceptors know that I was aware of this and
appreciative. I feel proud of the image that I portray of myself and nursing and I will never settle for anything less
than my best in this area, as it is extremely important to me.
11. How have you improved the most?
I feel that I have improved the most in my confidence and willingness to try new things. I am often doubtful of
myself and my abilities but this semester has shown me that I am capable and I do not have to be afraid to step out
of the box and try things. I have taken initiative for my own learning and really feel that I made the most out of my
clinical experiences. I would not have learned as much nor had such great experiences if I had not stepped up and
asked questions, offered to help, etc. While I still have a lot to learn, I am extremely proud of myself for this.
12. What can you do to further enhance your nursing skills?
I believe that I just need more time to get my skills down and feel more comfortable with them. While I learned a lot
this semester, I still do not feel comfortable with many things in the OB/Peds area. It is very different from other
clinical experiences that we have had for other classes and I wish we had more time to have more experience in
these areas. I really enjoyed this clinical rotation even though I found it very difficult. I would love to get my
capstone in one of these areas to have some more time in the area and learn more about it.
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