Palliative Care Placement: A Student Nurse's Reflection

This assignment is a reflective journal entry by a student nurse detailing their experience during a palliative care placement. The student describes their involvement in caring for an elderly patient with terminal breast cancer, highlighting the emotional impact of the experience. The reflection explores the student's feelings, thoughts, and concerns, particularly the grief experienced while caring for the patient and the fulfillment derived from providing compassionate care. The student identifies areas for professional development, including the importance of emotional intelligence, understanding patient needs, and effective communication, especially with elderly patients. The reflection also discusses the impact of this experience on the student's future career, emphasizing increased confidence, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous learning in the nursing profession. The student highlights the importance of balancing empathy with professionalism and the ability to handle difficult situations in a healthcare setting. The assignment underscores the valuable lessons learned about patient care, emotional resilience, and the broader implications for their nursing career.

SUMMARY OF MY REFLECTION
AS A STUDENT NURSE DOING
PLACEMENT IN A PALLIATIVE
CARE UNIT. MY OWN
EXPERIENCE AND REFLECTIONS

Table of Contents
1. Content and details of the situation.........................................................................................3
2. My thoughts, feelings and concerns about..............................................................................3
3. Identified areas for professional development as a student of nursing into nursing career....3
4. Impact on my future career as a nursing.................................................................................4

1. Content and details of the situation.
As a nursing student, I was involved in participating to take care of a lady patient who
was above 60 years in age and was suffering from last stage of breast cancer. This patient was
hospitalised and I was involved in taking care of her. She was feeling very helpless and was
aware about her conditions and deterioration in health. The only last wish of her was to take
proper shower because she was not feeling comfortable. But after that shower she was lying in
her bed unconsciously where it was declared that she is no more.
2. My thoughts, feelings and concerns about.
While taking care of such patient, I was touched emotionally and I experienced a grief.
When I communicated with that lady patient, then for few hours I forget the professionalism and
involved in fulfilling her wish because she has become very close to my heart. After giving her
shower, she was so grateful and happy as if this was her last wish. The way she hold my hand
and thanked me has made me highly emotional and I felt like I am actually serving someone who
is very happy with my services and care. At that moment, I thought to take proper and real care
for this lady till I can. The smile which I saw on her face was actually providing me recognition
that my patient is happy with my care.
3. Identified areas for professional development as a student of nursing into nursing career.
With this, I am able to concentrate on professional development as a nursing student. By
taking care of that lady I realised that getting emotionally touched and understanding the need of
the patients is also one of the basic aspect of professional development. It helps in staying
updated with the needs and requirements of the patients, healthcare trends, treatments and
techniques. This further made me involved in building and developing quality health care teams
and communities through which the patients can be served in a more better and effective way.
The elderly patients are very moody and may or may not wish to gets treated through different
nurses. So in this, I find this area which needs to be improved through professional development
where I learned that it is very important to know the manner in which these elderly people are
responding, learning their demands and fulfilling them as per their wish is one of the major
source of their improvement. The another major factor which needs to be learned is being on
time because elderly people requires everything on proper time, from their medicines to their
food and sleep. This enhances the punctuality factor because being punctual will help in recovery

of the patient health rapidly. The another main area of professional development will put focus
on being strict as well. No matter calmness and love is the best ingredient for improving patients
health but sometime, patients takes it for granted and this needs to be controlled with strict nature
where patients will be required to follow each and every guideline which is set by the hospital
and nurses. The informal relation which establishes between the patient and nurse must not
hamper their health by taking things for granted.
4. Impact on my future career as a nursing.
By attending this patient, it has left me with no words and has created positive impact on
my life and future career as a nursing. When the lady died I was emotionally touched but later I
realised that life goes on and also our existence is uncertain. Being professionally involved in
nursing career, I will have to deal with such incidents more often so I cannot get touched with
each and every patients. This incident has made me more confident and stronger in future actions
of my work. I can now deal with all age group patients. In future, I can apply or use different
strategies and techniques as I have learned different type of experience of handling a patient by
treating and taking care of this old lady. Furthermore, in future I will participate in different
nursing programs where I will further gain more knowledge and experience. The nursing job has
no end of learning and they need to learn regularly in order to keep themselves updated. I will
have immense flexibility in my work and profession which will help in overall growth and
development of myself as a career in nursing.