Reflective Essay on Challenges Encountered During Clinical Assessment

This reflective essay details a nursing student's experience during a clinical assessment at St. John's Hospital, highlighting challenges encountered and lessons learned. The student reflects on the importance of proper equipment, ethical considerations, and respecting patient autonomy. Key issues included the lack of specialized equipment, language barriers, and the need for patient involvement in treatment decisions. Positive aspects of the experience included teamwork, effective communication, and recognizing patient rights. The reflection aligns with Australian codes of conduct, emphasizing therapeutic relationships, cultural sensitivity, and patient-centered care. The student outlines an action plan for future practice, focusing on building rapport, respecting patient values, and adhering to legal and ethical standards. The essay concludes by underscoring the importance of continuous learning and collaboration in ensuring quality clinical assessments. Desklib provides access to this and many other solved assignments and past papers.

Running head: REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 1
Reflection on Challenges of Clinical Assessment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 2
Description
I had reported for duty at St. John's hospital when the chief physician instructed a nurse
to carry out a clinical assessment on a patient. The other nurses were on duty, assessing and
treating other patients as well. The nurse asked the patient about his condition and the place of
origin. The patient correctly gave out the details. He began the assessment by measuring his
body temperature and pulse rate. He went on to thank him for his cooperation. The patient was
cooperative and answered question correctly. He summoned the chief physician who suggested
that he needed to respect the autonomy of the patient before treatment.
The patient was diligent and was not complaining during the assessment. On close
examination, the situation of the patient was not serious and did not require the attention of the
other nurses. He carried the TRM on the patient by firstly measuring his temperature and pulse
rate. He used hands to measure both the pulse rate and temperature. However, the patient was
uncomfortable with my physical measurement but did not talk about it.
Feelings
During the entire process, I felt that clinical assessment required their specialized
equipments. The use of bare hands is inaccurate and results in ambiguous outcomes.
Furthermore, all health facilities should seek for the opinion of the patient on the treatment
methods. The moment the nurse and the patient cannot understand one another, the completion
of an objective assessment suffers a setback. Moreover, language barrier jeopardizes the
possibilities of a final clinical evaluation. The other thought that came into my mind concerns
treatment in respect to the suggestions of the patient.
The government should incorporate numerous treatment methods into the system to give
patients a variety to choose from (Stuart, 2014). Furthermore, the administration needs to train

REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 3
the nurses on the need to observe ethical principles during treatment. I thought that the
assessment would be erratic due to the absence of the necessary equipment. It was in my
thoughts that the patient felt that the health facility was of low quality. However, I was viewing
as any other patient and treating him with respect and dignity. The other nurses were not around
to assist with the assessment.
Evaluation
There are many positive points from my experience with the patient. Firstly, the patient
was responsive and cooperative throughout. The joint process enhanced the spirit of teamwork in
clinical evaluations. The physician also joined hands with us in the assessment. The nurses were
friendly and were smiling with the patient throughout the assessment process. The behavior of
the colleagues and I established a therapeutic partnership with the patient (Brown, Edwards,
Seaton, & Buckley, 2017). The health facility also did well in finding a translator to help in the
breaking of the language barrier.
The second standard of the code of conduct requires effective communication between
caregivers and clients (O'connell, Gardner, & Coyer, 2014). The consultant between the nurses
and the physician enabled us to minimize the clinical errors in the assessment process. We gave
the patient ample time to respond to the clinical questions. The nurses recognized that the patient
has an independent mind in choosing his preferred diagnostic procedure (Goodyear et al., 2015).
However, the patient felt discriminated, which is a detrimental setback.
Analysis
The first hurdle that the nurse faced during the assessment is the lack of the necessary
equipment. The patient could not understand why he was using bare hands to measure the pulse
rate. The head physician solved the problem by requesting the government to supply the

REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 4
machines. The quick actions of the doctors follow the second standard of the codes of conduct.
The rules require nurses and other caregivers to enhance effective communication with the client.
The second decisive point was teamwork. The nurses helped him to carry out the assessment,
thereby increasing collaboration. Nurses gave the patient adequate time to answer our clinical
questions.
The clients have an independent mind and need respect during an assessment. Allowing
the patient to make his informed decision obeys his Autonomy. Furthermore, every Australian
citizen has the right to make choices on the available treatment plans. The lead doctor is
responsible as he supervised the assessment process. Moreover, he helped us to assess the
patient. The consultation with the other nurses obeys the Australian Standards of practice.
Furthermore, it is essential to engage with others to minimize the clinical mistakes. The
translator did an excellent job in facilitating communication.
Conclusion
From the reflective process, I learned several skills in the assessment process. Most of my
learning conforms to the Australian codes of conduct. The reflection process should conform to
the second standard on the therapeutic relationship (McInnes, Peters, Bonney, & Halcomb,
2015). I learned that nurses should develop a therapeutic partnership before the clinical
assessment. The caregivers should respect the culture and the values of the patients (McInnes et
al., 2015). Furthermore, health professionals should observe the rights of the patients (Daly,
Speedy, & Jackson, 2017). Before treatment, the nurses should recognize the beliefs of the client
(McInnes et al., 2015).
The caregivers have the responsibility of recognizing the patient's knowledge of illness
experience. Before conducting tests, the nurse should assess the patient. Moreover, the nurse

REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 5
should not base both the assessment and treatment of assumptions. The caregivers should support
the patient during the entire assessment exercise (Twigg, & McCullough, 2014). Nurses should
offer the caregivers ample time to respond to the clinical questions. Furthermore, patients have
the legal right to ask for a quality assessment; nurses should respect those rights. The clinical
question should recognize and appreciate the autonomy of the patient (Masters, 2015). The nurse
should supervise one another to ensure, an error-free assessment (Carney, 2016). In the entire
process of the exercise, we diligently followed the professional codes of conduct.
Action Plan
For an efficient clinical assessment process, I need first to develop a therapeutic
relationship with the patient. Secondly, I need to respect the values and the culture of the patient.
I need to observe the rights and recognize the beliefs of each patient. Moreover, I need to
acknowledge the patient's knowledge of his medical condition. I need to support the patient
during the treatment process. I also need to respect the autonomy of the patient. I need to adhere
to the legal issues in healthcare. Finally, I need to consult with fellow nurses at my line of duty.

REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 6
References
Brown, D., Edwards, H., Seaton, L., & Buckley, T. (2017). Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing:
Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Carney, M. (2016). Regulation of advanced nurse practice: its existence and regulatory
dimensions from an international perspective. Journal of nursing management, 24(1),
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Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2017). Contexts of nursing: An introduction. Elsevier Health
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Goodyear, M., Hill, T. L., Allchin, B., McCormick, F., Hine, R., Cuff, R., & O'hanlon, B.
(2015). Standards of practice for the adult mental health workforce: Meeting the needs of
families where a parent has a mental illness. International Journal of Mental Health
Nursing, 24(2), 169-180.
Masters, K. (2015). Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett
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McInnes, S., Peters, K., Bonney, A., & Halcomb, E. (2015). An integrative review of facilitators
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nurses working in general practice. Journal of advanced nursing, 71(9), 1973-1985.
O'connell, J., Gardner, G., & Coyer, F. (2014). Beyond competencies: using a capability
framework in developing practice standards for advanced practice nursing. Journal of
advanced nursing, 70(12), 2728-2735.

REFLECTION ON CHALLENGES OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 7
Stuart, G. W. (2014). Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing-E-Book. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Twigg, D., & McCullough, K. (2014). Nurse retention: a review of strategies to create and
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