Gibb’s Reflective Cycle Analysis 2022

Running Head: CLINICAL REFLECTION
GIBB’S REFLECTIVE CYCLE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1CLINICAL REFLECTION
Description
It was a usual day at my work and I came across a patient who was recently admitted for
a surgical procedure. As a registered nurse, it is my duty to assess every patient in the ward who
needs intervention. The doctor came for the round and just like a normal routine he gave me
instructions to follow regarding the patients who were admitted. This patient who was admitted
was 30 years old and she used to show symptoms of constipation and a bulge near her belly
button. After thorough checkup she went through an umbilical hernia surgery and I was told by
the doctor to administer Heparin 2500u through a subcutaneous injection for her tendency of
deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis (Bartlett, Mauck & Daniels, 2015). Heparin is an
anticoagulant so it was necessary to administer so that she does not suffer from blood
coagulation that could lead to deep vein thrombosis, which could be fatal for her condition. She
looked weak and dizzy as she just became conscious after the surgery and it did not look like she
is ready for any conversation. I made her lie down in a comfortable position and started
preparing my injection. I injected the heparin near her waist and she winced in pain and later she
went to sleep.
Feelings
I have been newly appointed as a registered nurse in a healthcare organization, which
makes it evident that I am still learning and exploring my field of medical practice. I come across
various patients with critical conditions every day and it is a challenging experience for me to
negotiate and come to a final decision about the medical interventions. This particular case of
umbilical hernia was a new experience as women getting admitted for the surgery is rare. When I
saw the patient details of this case it made me feel intrigued and curious because it will help me

2CLINICAL REFLECTION
in understanding more dynamics of the medical field as a registered nurse. This patient looked
tired and exhausted, which made me feel hesitant to have any interaction with her according to
the protocols. It made me feel that I might be disturbing her if I enquire about anything regarding
her condition and this turned into an ethical dilemma as it was my duty to take her permission
and start with the administration of subcutaneous injection (Jin et al., 2016). It made me feel this
way because I am a registered nurse and it is my role and responsibility as a nursing professional
to look after the welfare of the patient irrespective of my inhibitions or dilemmas.
Evaluation
As a nurse I was trained well in the aspect of administrating subcutaneous injections and
intravenous applications in a patient, which made it easier for me to administer heparin 2500u.
The administration for deep vein thrombosis went well as I was excellent in this department and
it did not require me to try it again and again. It is necessary to inject a medicine in the correct
location because any mistake can harm the patient and disrupt the effectiveness of the medicine.
It is a usual procedure to take permission from a patient before administrating any medicine after
I introduce myself but due to my mental restrictions and the condition of the patient I forgot to
follow any of these steps and started preparing the medicine without taking the consent. This is
not an appropriate behaviour expected from a registered nurse and I needed to introspect and
look after this matter so that I do not repeat the same mistake again in the future (Smith &
Roberts, 2015). This did not work in the situation as it is a misconduct to perform any medical
intervention before taking the consent of the patient. However, I did ask for the consent but after
I prepared the heparin.

3CLINICAL REFLECTION
Analysis 250
This situation made me realize that a number of factors are behind any action or reaction
in a social setting that also includes a medical scenario. The nature of a person influences their
actions and behavior in front of other people. Our interaction and action shows the background
we come from and the mindset we have. Therapeutic communication is necessary between a
patient and a nurse, which impacts the service a service user receives and delivery of service
from a medical professional (Schwind et al., 2016). In this situation it was evident that social
factors structured the whole interaction and the mistakes made by me as a registered nurse. It
was my assumption that the patient might get disturbed if I enquired about her condition or asked
for any consent for the administration of subcutaneous injection (Smolowitz et al., 2015). The
consequences of my action would lead to a serious issue because taking from a patient is
extremely important before any medical procedure such as administration of drugs, which was
heparin in this case. My action of misunderstanding the whole situation obstructed my
communication with the patient, which is not preferable in a medical setting (Bryant‐Lukosius et
al., 2016). No matter how much I was hesitating in taking consent before preparing the medicine,
I should have interacted with her before taking any action and ideally I needed to introduce
myself before everything else. Overthinking the situation and creating non-existing scenarios
interrupted my therapeutic communication with the patient, which should not have happened
(Sari et al., 2018).
Conclusion
This whole scenario made me learn several important points that is necessary for me to
look in my future practice. Professional development is essential for every field as it helps in
learning new experiences and widening the practical approach that is needed for a personal

4CLINICAL REFLECTION
growth as well. The most important thing I learned was the use of therapeutic communication for
an effective practice and quality service. Interacting with patients without barriers should be the
utmost priority and it should a registered nurse’s concern to check if consent has been taken
before any medical procedure. The main factor that affected the whole situation was my absence
of mind and lack of communication before preparing the medicine for the administration of
subcutaneous injection (Kercher, 2016). Another issue was my preconceived notions that made
me feel awkward in interacting with the patient, which should not have happened occurred as I
was a registered nurse.
Action Plan
An action plan required for every possible situation in the future especially in a medical
setting. This situation made me realize that I should be prepared for my future practice if any
such situation arrives again. My promptness is required when I meet any new patient and most
importantly I should be alert enough to introduce myself to a patient before I carry on with my
medical procedures. If a similar situation arises in the future I will immediately introduce myself
to the patient and make them clear what is my roles and responsibilities as a registered nurse.
Secondly, I will check all the details of the patient to see if they have any past medical history
that needs to be taken into consideration during any medication. Lastly, I will take the consent of
the patient before starting my medical procedure because the patient has the authority to refuse
any treatment prescribed by the doctor. This whole process could be done differently to increase
the quality of service and enhance my actions as a registered nurse.

5CLINICAL REFLECTION
References
Bartlett, M. A., Mauck, K. F., & Daniels, P. R. (2015). Prevention of venous thromboembolism
in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Vascular health and risk management, 11, 461.
Bryant‐Lukosius, D., Spichiger, E., Martin, J., Stoll, H., Kellerhals, S. D., Fliedner, M., ... &
Schwendimann, R. (2016). Framework for evaluating the impact of advanced practice
nursing roles. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 48(2), 201-209.
Jin, J. F., Zhu, L. L., Chen, M., Xu, H. M., Wang, H. F., Feng, X. Q., ... & Zhou, Q. (2015). The
optimal choice of medication administration route regarding intravenous, intramuscular,
and subcutaneous injection. Patient preference and adherence, 9, 923.
Kercher, K. W. (2016). Umbilical Hernia Repair: The Spectrum of Management Options.
In Hernia Surgery (pp. 195-206). Springer, Cham.
Sari, D., Baysal, E., Celik, G. G., & Eser, I. (2018). Ethical decision making levels of nursing
students. Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 34(3), 724.
Schwind, J. K., McCay, E., Metersky, K., & Martin, J. (2016). Development and implementation
of an advanced therapeutic communication course: An interprofessional
collaboration. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(10), 592-597.
Smith, J., & Roberts, R. (2015). Reflective practice. Vital Signs for Nurses: An Introduction to
Clinical Observations, 222-230.
Smolowitz, J., Speakman, E., Wojnar, D., Whelan, E. M., Ulrich, S., Hayes, C., & Wood, L.
(2015). Role of the registered nurse in primary health care: meeting health care needs in
the 21st century. Nursing Outlook, 63(2), 130-136.