Diploma of Nursing: Clinical Report on Nasogastric Tube Insertion

This report details a nursing student's experience with nasogastric tube insertion. The student, while assisting in a clinical setting, faced a challenge with the procedure and sought guidance from a senior nurse. The report covers the initial apprehension, the importance of patient assessment, and the correct positioning for tube insertion. It emphasizes the need to estimate tube length, check patency, inspect nostrils, lubricate the tube, and secure it properly. The student's learning process and the role of mentorship in building confidence are also highlighted, along with references to relevant literature on the topic of nasogastric tube insertion and nursing practices. This report emphasizes the importance of clinical competence and the value of seeking support in nursing education.

Running head: DIPLOMA OF NURSING
Diploma of nursing
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1DIPLOMA OF NURSING
As an enrolled nursing student in clinical setting, I had the responsibility to assist
clinician during performing a surgery. This was within my scope of nursing practice as nurse
have professional duty to set up the operation room and support the clinician during the
operation. This was in accordance with my professional responsibility of collaborating with other
medical professionals during care (Chism 2015). However, I faced a challenging situation as I
was asked to insert a nasogastric tube inside patient’s nostril.
As a student nurse, I had only learnt about the procedure that it is a clinical procedure of
inserting tube through nasogastric tube for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose (Ghatak et al.
2013). However, seeing the equipment made me nervous as I had no idea about the precautions
needed while carrying out the procedure and the technique of inserting the tube. Finally, I sought
help from my senior nurse regarding the correct procedure and technique for it. I got to know
that before inserting nasogastric tube it is necessary to assess patient if nasogastric feeding is
appropriate for them or not. This step is crucial because patients with craniofacial surgery or
incidence of trauma may face problem during insertion. The senior nurse also demonstrated me
the need to maintain correct position of patient before nasogastric tube placement. This included
placing the patient in semi-upright position. I got to know that this position enables easy passage
of tube without any obstruction. The senior nurse also enlightened with me other knowledge
such as estimating the length of tube, checking the patency, inspecting nostrils, lubricating tip
before insertion and finally safely securing the tube to the nostril (Salerno and Robinson 2015).
This method of seeking support for clinical activities enhanced my confidence in carrying out the
procedure.

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Reference
Chism, L.A., 2015. The doctor of nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Ghatak, T., Samanta, S. and Baronia, A.K., 2013. A new technique to insert nasogastric tube in
an unconscious intubated patient. North American journal of medical sciences, 5(1), p.68.
Salerno, A. and Robinson, K., 2015. NG Tube Placement Methods: An EBP Review.