Effective Communication in Nursing Free Essay Example

Learning Point One: Tutorial Activity on Whisper Game

Part I: New learning

I have learned the importance of effective communication from participating in whisper activity. To become an effective communication, the game highlights that the big difference between one-way and two-way communication. The final message is not accurate because the participants pass it only by one-way communication. Besides, the activity also underlines to pay more attention in listening when we communicate with people.

Part II: Application of new learning

Personal Reflection

Through the activity in lecture, I found out that I am weak in two-way communication, especially in learning area.

Firstly, teaching starts as one-way communication, i.e., only the teacher explains all the things. When a student asks a question, it is changed into two-way communication. However, I hesitate to ask for clarification. Sometimes, I even do mistakes because of confused instruction. This activity teaches me the crucial role of effective communication and also points my weakness.

Action Taken

Despite speaking English, different pronunciation and accent lead to misconception and also affect effective communication.

As a nurse, I need to communicate with healthcare workers and different types of patients. Therefore, I intend to communicate more and more with my foreign friends to enhance my communication skills and to be familiar with various pronunciation. I will also learn some dialect words which are convenient to communicate with some patients and care givers who cannot speak English.

Learning Point Two: Tutorial Activity on Johari Window

Part I: New learning

I have learned self-awareness through the activity.

The Johari Window helps me build self-awareness and understand that how others perceive me. It points me to be aware of my own thoughts, feelings, attitude, abilities and behaviours. Other people are able to be aware of things that I do not know. Consequently, it teaches me to learn about myself with the help of feedback from others.

Part II: Application of new learning

Personal Reflection

I think everybody acts and behaves within all four quadrants. However, the quadrant I like most is open area because I believe it is the playing field where I can establish trust in relationship, upgrade communication, build cooperation with others and be more effective and productive. I also notice what I think about myself is quite different to how others see me. So, I understand what I should change.

Action Taken

I want to know more about myself. So, I intend to reveal myself by sharing my feelings and thoughts with others and ask for feedback from others. Baker (2012) suggested that try new experiences and expand your comfort zone, and build your self-awareness by testing yourself in new situations and surrounding. That’s why I will test my limits by expanding my comfort zone.

Learning Point Three: Critical Listening

Part I: New learning

I have learned about critical listening which means the ability to pay attention to what other people are saying while assessing the main concepts and ideas. I have also studied some important steps for critical listening. For instance, I need to concentrate on the message that the speaker is conveying. I should not think about what I am going to say next.

Part II: Application of new learning

Personal Reflection

Honestly, I am not a good listener. Sometimes, I miss some information because I just hear, do not listen. From this lecture, I understand the importance of critical listening, i.e., critical listeners have the ability to easily build rapport with other people. This lecture motivates me to practise critical listening skills.

Action Taken

I think critical listening is a skill that I can learn. So, I intend to pay more attention when someone speaks to me. After listening, I need to reflect on the information and clarify what I heard because I think the goal of clarification is to confirm the speaker’s message and purpose.

Service learning with CCE

Thoughts on Clinical Attachment/CA and importance of CA for nursing students

Nursing profession really needs clinical learning which takes place in a complex social contact of the clinical environment. I believe that the nursing students are trained in the clinical attachment to enter the nursing profession and become qualified registered nurses. That’s why I think clinical attachment is an essential tool for all nursing students because nursing is a practice-based profession. By learning in a clinical setting, I feel that I will face challenges which cannot find in a classroom setting. I do believe clinical setting is a place where I will learn communication skills, interpersonal skills, enhance clinical skills, and apply critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Besides, I also hope that my first clinical exposure will give me a chance to disillusion me with the realities of the hospital, and will provide me to be familiar with the workplace environment.

Needs of patient/caregivers and social issues

My upcoming clinical attachment is supposed to serve at community hospital. So, I need to know what are the needs of patients in community hospital and social issues that they may face? According to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the surrounding we live in is fundamental to human basic needs including both physiological and psychological needs. People who suffer from physical illness are more likely to lose the ability in performing a range of activities. As supports for nursing care, physical rehabilitation and activities of daily living are required to provide for the patients usually after their discharge from the acute hospitals. Additionally, physical illness can cause social and emotional consequences. Depending on health condition, the patients may stay at the community hospital for a few weeks to months. In this situation, they will face emotional problems such as homesickness, loneliness, etc. They may also experience social issues like requirement of caregivers, financial assistance.

To address these issues as a nurse, I think effective communication can help reduce patient and family anxiety, give reasonable advice for their needs, and promote better care.Communication skills needed at CAAs Singapore is a cosmopolitan society, I will communicate with patients and caregivers, who come from different nations and culture and speak various languages, during my CA. So, language barrier is the main potential challenge for me as an international student. Subsequently, misconception between nurses and patients and breaking down of communication are followed by language barrier. To overcome this barrier, I should learn some basic dialect words to provide effective communication.Next, I may communicate with the patients who have sensory problems like sigh, hearing and/or speech impairment. In this situation, I need to speak slowly and clearly, and also listen carefully. If required, I may use communication aids.

In addition, communication with the elderly patients could be a big challenge for me. The learning rate of an older person is much slower than a younger person. So, I think I should speak clearly and loudly enough for them to hear me, but do not shout because I must be respectful and patient towards them. Besides, using simple words and sentences is also one of the best ways to ensure that the patients follow my instructions. Responsibility and respect in CAIn my opinion, respect means treating people kindly and fairly, and also value them.

As a nurse, I think I should respect patients’ privacy. For example, when the patients change clothes, I must draw the curtain to protect their privacy. I must also keep all patient and resident information confidential.Responsibility is also an important trait for nurses. During my CA, I should accept responsibilities for my actions. If something is wrong, I must inform the registered nurse immediately. Moreover, to avoid medical errors, I think I should work under supervision of a registered nurse and follow the guidelines listed in my job description.