Approaches to Professional Communication: A Nursing Student's Report

This report presents a nursing student's reflection on approaches to professional communication, detailing the student's profile, CV, and career aspirations within the nursing field, specifically focusing on the goal of becoming a midwifery nurse. The report includes a critical reflection on a challenging patient interaction during a kitchen department experience, analyzing the student's feelings, evaluation of the situation, and insights gained. It emphasizes the importance of empathy, emotional intelligence, and adherence to ethical principles in nursing practice, referencing the NMBA's code of conduct and ethical guidelines. The student outlines a plan to manage similar situations in the future, highlighting the need to remain objective and understand patients' perspectives. The report also includes references to relevant literature on emotional knowing in nursing practice.

Running head: APROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 1
APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 2
Profile
At present, I am a student registered nurse pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing at
Western Sydney University. I am successfully compliant with terms of vaccination, and I have
provided all the required documents to the University’s clinical nursing team. Additionally, I will
be going on a two-week clinical placement by the end of my first year 1st year. Notably, after the
successful completion of my 80 hours of placement, I will be eligible to work as an Assistant in
Nursing (AIN). Most importantly; my long term objective is to work in the gynecology ward as a
midwifery nurse. To achieve this goal, I have planned to enroll for a bachelor's in midwifery
after completing my nursing degree. In this way, I will be a holder of two degrees which will
adequately prepare me to work as a midwifery nurse. Additionally, I am an empathetic person.
This is quite important because empathy in the nursing profession is a pillar of therapeutic
relationships with patients. For example, a nurse needs to understand a patient’s feelings and
respect their autonomy as advocated for in the nursing code of ethics. The autonomy principle
requires nurses to respect decisions made by patients regarding their course of treatment and
medication. According to principle two of the NMBA’s code of conduct for nurses 2018,
emphasize is placed on person-centered practice. Person-centered care is involving patient and
nominated partners in critical decision making and delivering care in a culturally safe and
respectful way (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2019). Therefore, the fulfillment of
the requirements of this principle will be one of the main areas of focus
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Details
Name: Yukta Nayyar
Address: 17a, Short street

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 3
Wentworthville, 2145
Mob: [phone]
Qualification
March 2019 to date Bachelors of Nursing
Western Sydney university
Parramatta
2018 completed year 12
Alpine International School
Ludhiana, India
2016 Matriculation
Bhartiya Vidya Mandir School
Ludhiana, India
Employment History
April 2019 to date Catering Assistant
East Sydney Private Hospital
Crown Street, Woolloomooloo NSW
Main Duties Interaction with patients
Knowledge about Diet, Allergies of the patient
preparation of food
Serving proper meals to patients
Referees
Varsha Kumar
Catering Supervisor

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 4
East Sydney Private Hospital
Crown Street, Woolloomooloo NSW
Interests
Listening to music is my all-time favorite hobby. But besides that, I developed an interest in
cooking as I worked in this profession. Getting positive feedback from patients when they enjoy
your food gives you a feeling of satisfaction. Additionally, I have a deep interest in taking part in
activities geared towards assisting others. My enthusiasm for others is deeply rooted in my heart.
Besides, I also have an interest in taking part in activities that promote personal and professional
development.
Continuing professional development
In line with keeping up with the professional development requirements for nurses, I Completed
a first aid training course with Nextgen Education Australia Pty Ltd on 12/05/2019. I attended
HLTAID001 Provide First Aid that incorporates the content of unit and HLTAID001 Provide
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
Besides, I am planning to attend PCAL clinical communication workshops at the university. This
group of western Sydney University helps students to improve their academic skills.
Similarly, after the end of my first year in nursing school and successful completion of the
required two weeks of clinical training, I wish to work as AIN (Assistant in Nursing). Working
as an Assistant in Nursing will help me to acquire the relevant experience relating to my
profession. The knowledge gained through this role will also be of much importance after
graduation. Notably, it will play a significant role in my first job after graduation, as I will not be
perceived to be inexperienced and new to the practical aspect of nursing. I, therefore, plan to
apply for the Assistant in nursing position immediately after completing my clinical placement

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 5
Above and beyond, I am also intending to enroll for a midwifery degree after working as a nurse
for a few years. It has always been my dream to work in newborn wards. Therefore, with a
degree in Midwifery, my dream will finally materialize.
Critical reflection Part
Description
Working with different patients may be quite challenging for a student nurse. My incident
took place while working in the kitchen department where I was responsible for cooking food for
patients, serving, keeping the kitchen tidy and taking orders from patients. On this particular day
I had gone to do a menu with a patient who had been from surgery. The patient was still on
medication and seemed not to be in her right senses. On top of that she was quite fussy and
rude .She was gluten, but wanted me to mention to her everything that was on the menu. So I had
to tell her that not all options on the menu were gluten free. While I was saying this she retorted
with a rude remark that I did not know what gluten free was found this quite rude but I did not
say anything. The patient’s rudeness and behavior towards me really upset me. On mentioning
the incident to one of my colleagues who was more experienced she said that I should not have
taken the patient’s remark and actions seriously because she was in her right state of mind. The
following day I had chat with the patient and found out that she was quite friendly
Feelings
Before my experience with the patient, my day had been quite cheerful. I was quite happy
carrying out my responsibilities in the kitchen department. I was also quite excited because this
was my first experience. Dealing with the rude patient changed all that in a matter of minutes.
The fact that I could not make him understand that what she was doing was wrong an

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 6
unnecessary left me quite frustrated and upset. The fact that I could do nothing about it left me
feeling sad and inadequate.
Evaluation
The thing that was good about the situation was that despite being upset, I still tried to
explain to the patient the type of diet that would meet her requirements. Moreover, this stressful
experience motivated me to work on enhancing my ability to manage such incidents in future
Analysis
I think the reason why the situation affected me was because I had no experience in
dealing with difficult patients. I also believe that the case was worsened by my inability to
manage my emotions and feelings. A search through literature helped me to understand that
emotional instability is a significant issue in the nursing profession. I also learnt that it affects a
large number of other nurses as well. This search also helped me to understand that emotional
intelligence may be used in managing emotions in such situations (James, Andershed,
Gustavsson & Ternestedt, 2010).
Conclusion
From this incident, I learnt that to function effectively in my professional practice. I must
equip myself with practical skills in managing my emotions in stressful situations. The situation
also helped me to understand that I need to remain objective when dealing with patients
irrespective of their behavior towards me. According to the beneficence principle of ethical
principles for nurses, they are required to do good and the right thing for their patients
(Registered Nursing Org 2019). In adhering to this principle, therefore, I should have understood
the patient and served her without taking her behavior or remarks seriously
Action plan

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 7
Should I encounter a similar situation in future, I will surely try to understand the patient
and ensure that I do not let it get into my head. The first thing that I will do is to try and calm the
patient down. I will also ensure that I take it as a normal occurrence so that it might not have any
effect on my emotional wellbeing.

APPROACHES TO PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION 8
References
James, I., Andershed, B., Gustavsson, B., & Ternestedt, B. M. (2010). Emotional knowing in
nursing practice: In the encounter between life and death. International journal of
qualitative studies on health and well-being, 5(2), 5367.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2019). Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia -
New codes of ethics in effect for nurses and midwives. Retrieved 6 October 2019, from
https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/News/2018-03-01-new-codes-of-ethics-in-
effect.aspx
Registered Nursing Org. (2019). Ethical Practice. Retrieved 6 October 2019, from
https://www.registerednursing.org/nclex/ethical-practice/