Application Essay For CDU Hospital Graduate Nurse Program, 2019.

Experience and Qualifications

You are required to submit an application for the CDU Hospital Graduate Nurse Program.

Myself Ms. X. I am applying for the CDU Hospital Graduate Nurse Program, 2019. I came across this programme through the advertisement posted on the Charles Darwin University Hospital website.

I completed my graduation in nursing from ABC school of nursing. After completion of graduation in nursing, I worked in different departments multi-speciality hospital like mental health and paediatrics. During my graduation programme and placement in the hospital, I handled numerous patients and provided holistic care to them. During my placement in the hospital, I understood that higher education can be helpful in the progression of career. Hence, I decided to enrol myself in the postgraduate programme. I choose this organisation for pursuing my postgraduate programme because it is one of the premier institute in the country for providing nursing education. Along with providing theoretical knowledge, this institute is providing practical exposure. This institute is following all the legislative and ethical aspects in nursing.

I am well versed with all the ethical guidelines for providing nursing care to the patients. My preference will be to work in paediatric and mental health department. I have experience both of these departments. Moreover, I feel both of these departments will give opportunity to work in challenging environment and learn varied aspects of nursing.

In this application, I am attaching my CV and selection criteria. I have experience of working with varied professional like medical officers, nurses, pharmacist, pathologist and diagnostic analyst. I can communicate effectively with all these professionals and work in collaboration with them. I have skills to connect with people of different cultures and try to familiarize with family members of each patient. I can facilitate effective long-term care plan for the patients. Also, I can send the patients home with knowledge and tools required to keep themselves healthy at the home.

I strongly believe that I can be a solid candidate for the post graduate programme due to my nursing knowledge and my expertise and experience in the paediatric and mental health department. I would appreciate to discuss the opportunity to enrol in the post graduate programme. I am looing forward to hear from you.

I would like to select paediatrics and Mental Health Services. I wish to select paediatrics because I would like to work with children suffering from different conditions. Management of children at right time is essential because poor health of children can impact their health and development. It can affect future of these children. I would like interpret their behaviour and reactions because most of the children would not be able to express their feelings. I am always interested in working at different places and with different people. In paediatrics, I can work at hospitals, homes, schools and at the community centres. Also, I can work with diverse professional like doctors, healthcare assistants, play staff, psychologists and social workers. Nursing is physically and emotionally challenging. However, working with children would definitely relieve both physical and emotional stress. I have pre-entry experience to work in the paediatrics department. Care of paediatric patients need to be prioritised based on the need of the children. For this purpose, effective organisational skills are required. I am confident, I can exhibit these organisational skills in the paediatric department.

Expertise in Paediatrics and Mental Health Services

I wish to select mental health services as a part of nursing profession. I am more interested in mental health services because providing nursing services to these patients is a challenging task. I strongly believe that performance can be augmented while performing challenging task. For providing nursing care to these patients, understanding them is very important. I am sure, I can understand the very well for their wellbeing. Most of the nursing professionals don’t wish to work in the mental health department due to its tough job profile. Hence, there is scarcity of nurses in this department. Hence, I have good opportunity to provide effective services and excel in my profession in this department. Nurses in the mental health department need to integrate medical, psychological and social interventions. Hence, there is ample scope for learning in the mental health department and working with diverse professionals. Interpretation of behaviour and feelings of these patients is required for providing effective nursing care to these patients.

Selection criteria 1 :

Nursing intervention is based on four steps like assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation with respect to patient’s requirements.

Assessment :

While dressing wound of a child, I removed old dressing and I assessed and observed wound for slough and exudate. I evaluated patient for the level of redness, swelling, pain, infection and odour. I assessed medical history of the patient to know condition responsible for the presence of wound.

Planning :

I informed head nurse and medical officer about my observations. I went through hospital policy and manual for procedure for dressing wound. I discussed with diverse people to determine type and frequency of dressing which could be suitable for this woumd. All the gathered information gathered in the patient’s care plan.

Implementation:

I got informed consent from the patient and explained the procedure to patient and family members. Aseptic technique used to clean the wound and dressing was applied. After completion of the procedure, I ensured that patient is comfortable and updated wound care plan. I documented all the information in the patient’s records and prepared ISOBAR handover. It was helpful for the next shift staff to monitor for infection.

Evaluation : Three days after wound care, I  performed evaluation of wound for presence of slough and exudate. I completed the wound care by following the hospital policy and Aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT). I followed patient centred and holistic acre to the patient. I followed up the patient to assess presence or absence of infection.

Patient Care

I assessed the patient admitted to the emergency department with complain of inefficient breathing. He was 60 years old patient with pneumonia, diabetes and hypertension. He was admitted to the emergency department in the unconscious state. He was admitted to the hospital at 6.00 hr. He was having insufficient breathing since last eight hours and he was unconscious for two hours. Since, few years he was taking medications for hypertension and diabetes. He was a non-smoker and he used to consume alcohol occasionally.

I performed all his vital sign determinations and also performed Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). His assessment included determination of respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation level. Immediately after measuring these parameters, I put him on supplemental oxygen. Sputum of the patient, was submitted for the identification of the microorganism.

In reported all the results obtained during the evaluation to the medical officer. Based on the reports obtained, clinical review was activated. Repeat measurement of these parameters were performed to recognise extent of deterioration in the patient. Repeat assessment demonstrated further deterioration of the patient. Meanwhile, rate of oxygen supplementation was increased. IV antibiotic also was administered after receiving sputum reports. Based on the reports obtained after repeat measurements of all these parameters, rapid response was activated. Clinical review and rapid response were activated because it helped in immediate recognition of deterioration, which helped in immediate action.

After completion of the rapid response, assessment of vital signs of the patient were determined and again sputum samples were submitted for the analysis. It was evident that there was improvement in the vital signs specifically respiratory rate and oxygen saturation and level of infection was also lowered. There was also improvement in the GCS.

I experienced difficult situation while handling mentally ill patient in the psychiatric ward. I visited the ward at 8.00 hrs in the morning for regular visits. I was asking each patient to complete their morning daily activities. Suddenly, one old person started shouting at me and he was claiming I was keeping away his wife from him. In reality, his wife died two years ago. He was suffering through dementia.

I was trying to calm him and giving him assurance that, nurses and medical professionals are not going to harm him. I was convincing him to complete his morning daily activities. Even though, it was challenging situation for me, I determined that I would handle this situation very professionally and I would not lose my patients.

Evaluation of Patient Assessment

After, putting efforts for some time, I understood that it is not possible for me control this patient. Hence, I called senior nurse and took help of other elderly patients. I explained them the exact situation and with the help of all the people finally I could control the dementia patient. Even though, it was my limitation to control the dementia patient, I handled this situation very professionally without losing my calm. If I would have become agitated, situation would have become more complex.

This dementia patient became calm with efforts of me, senior nurse and other elderly patients.

Effective communication is the integral part of the nursing profession. Nurse should communicate diverse group of people like patients, medical officers, pharmacist and social workers.

I was administering potassium intravenous injection to the hypokalaemia patient. I explained the patient importance of administration of potassium injection. I informed patient that there would be little pain during the administration of injection. I communicated to RN and RMO also about the potassium injection. I followed all the procedures and hospital policy for intravenous administration. I started intravenous administration and patient experience pain during potassium injection. I consulted with RN and same was communicated to the RMO.

After consultation with RMO, it was decided to resite the cannula in the patient. It was evident that there was no pain to the patient after completion of this procedure. All the aspects of this event were properly documented in the legible and concise manner. Hence, it would be helpful in the making aware all the staff members about the performed procedure. I communicated effectively with all the stakeholders to provide safe nursing intervention to the patient.

I was in the emergency department and handling COPD patient. He was admitted to the hospital two days back and he was having COPD sine last five years. He was smoking since last twenty years. He was having breathing problem and his oxygen saturation level was low.

My main aim was to provide him with supplemental oxygen and improve his breathing pattern. I also made him calm because he was stressed due to his medical condition. I followed all hospital policies and procedures for the administration of supplemental oxygen. I gone through patients all medical records and literature to decide upon dose and flow rate of supplemental oxygen because it was evident that low or high oxygen supplementation can adversely affect patient condition. 

I assessed oxygen saturation level in the patient and based on the level of oxygen saturation, I administered supplemental oxygen to the patient. I informed patient and family members about the procedure to administer supplemental oxygen. I made sure that patient is comfortable with the procedure. I documented all the information in the patient information file for future reference. After supplementation of oxygen for 8 hour, oxygen saturation level was again determined in the patient. Correlation was established between the amount of supplemental oxygen and changes in the oxygen saturation level. This correlation was documented and extrapolated to the literature values.

I learned that documentation of patient related data and utilisation of this data for the future use can be helpful in improving outcome of nursing care.

My previous workplace has clear and well-defined WHS policy. Though, one of my colleague was not following these policies and procedures. He was not following the correct procedure for IV administration. He was doing mistakes at two places. He was touching needle without safety gloves and he was discarding needle without taking any precaution. I observed this incidence and corrected him for the IV administration.

My main purpose of this exercise was to administer intravenously to the patient in the safe manner. Also, every healthcare staff should be well aware of the safe intravenous administration. It helped in preventing spread of infection from one patient to other patient and also spread of infection from patient to medical staff. I aimed to give minimal pain and make feel comfortable to the patient. I was aiming to implement WHS policy of the institute accurately.  

I explained him accurate procedure for intravenous administration and demonstrated him procedure for it. Demonstration of procedure is important aspect in this case because following accurate procedure by reading standard operating procedures would not have been possible. Practical experience can improve the procedures to be followed in the clinical setting. I explained him importance maintaining aseptic condition while giving intravenous administration. I asked him to follow the standard operating procedure for intravenous administration.

It resulted in the improvement in the intravenous administration by the staff member. He learned and he was following the accurate procedure for intravenous administration.