The Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Lifespan
The Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Lifespan course is expected to build stronger assessment skills, knowledge in the management of acute and chronic conditions, and give a better understanding of matching diagnoses with medication prescriptions.
Strengths and Challenges with Adults
I started my career as a nurse working in the emergency department and was employed there for three years. I am now working in the post-anesthesia care unit and have been there for four years. I feel I am very good at recognizing acute, life-threatening conditions along with the medications that will be ordered for such situations. I consider the training I have had in these departments as strengths. However, I have no experience in managing chronic conditions. Even the patients I saw repeatedly in the emergency department for the same chronic issue were having an acute exacerbation. It will be challenging to have a different mindset regarding what is appropriate for chronic conditions over acute ones, but I am ready for the transition.
Important Nursing Practice Competencies
A nursing practice competency that was previously established to teach students virtually now reflects a futuristic but current option to care for patients called telehealth medicine (Ainslie & Bragdon, 2018). The facility where I am doing my practicum uses both in-person appointments and telehealth appointments. It will be challenging to complete a telehealth assessment because the element of physical touch is removed, making it easier to overlook things. However, the medical field is constantly evolving, and this requires practitioners to be adaptable.
Another set of competencies needed for all medical personnel is the ability to recognize human trafficking victims (Peck, 2020). Unfortunately, it is a topic that remained taboo for several years and health care providers were not given enough education to adequately recognize victims (Peck, 2020). Not only are these crimes heinous and dehumanizing, but the victims suffer from chronic neurological changes, which is why this is important to assess as a nurse practitioner (Peck, 2020). Currently, more teaching is being provided to health care workers on this topic (Peck, 2020).
Lastly, it is increasingly valuable to be well versed in the screening tools available to evaluate the mobility of older adults (Greenberg, 2020). Falling is very common in this age group and a detailed assessment regarding the layout of a patient’s house and their physical activity level can mean the difference in preventing a fracture (Greenberg, 2020)
Career Goals
Many career goals should be accomplished from this course because it will allow me to competently assess, diagnose, create a care plan, provide treatments, and educate patients on specifics regarding their condition. The course will provide me with more confidence in managing chronic conditions. It will also provide me with the skills necessary to manage skin conditions, alterations, and defects by suturing, debriding, and wart removal which is a current goal. Another goal that will be achievable is the ability to appropriately splint injured limbs.
References
Ainslie, M., & Bragdon, C. (2018). Telemedicine simulation in online family nurse practitioner education: Clinical competency and technology integration. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(8), 430–434. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000071
Greenberg, S. A. (2020). Falls in older adults: prevention and assessment of risk in primary care. Advances in Family Practice Nursing, 2, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfpn.2019.12.001
Peck, J. L. (2020). Human trafficking in the clinical setting: critical competencies for family nurse practitioners. Advances in Family Practice Nursing, 2, 169–186. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.yfpn.2020.01.011
