Reflective Report on Volunteer Experience in Health and Social Care

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PART-A
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................... 3
REFLECTIVE PROFILE............................................................................................................................................. 4
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENCE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION..............................................5
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................................... 9
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................................ 10
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INTRODUCTION
The volunteer in the health and social care system has its own importance. The entire focus
of the H&SC system is to improve the quality of services along with maintaining efficiency.
This system can provide the volunteers an experience of care and building strong
relationship with the people (Martinez, 2017). This can collaboratively improve the public
health and reducing health inequalities. The support of the particular values to those who
rely on the most heavily services are examined in the organization. Currently, the old
people with the different health conditions have been examined near East Ham and Gants
Hill area.
Volunteers are often underappreciated in the health and social care as result of which they
have to face many challenges (Bedard et al., 2017). In order to remain healthy, the health
and social care system has provided the health care facilities to the old age communities. It
has been recorded that the volunteers can improve the patients experience in hospitals and
promoting the health in hard to reach groups. This can be supported by the integrated care
and meeting the multiple needs of the people which has been integrated in the study.
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REFLECTIVE PROFILE
While working as a Private volunteer in the areas of East Ham and Gants Hill, I have
contributed in helping the old people in their communities to live healthier lives. I have
been engaged in wide ranging roles in health and social care settings of East Ham. This has
to be complied me for managing more than 100 patients at the health and service care
(Fook and Gardner, 2012). It has probably met with the strategic roles and participation of
the volunteers in planning and consultation of the organization.
There are many opportunities for me while handling the patients at Gants Hill but it
requires a thorough training to associate with the patient. This might include many task
such as transporting patients from one to another, Clerical duties, change linens, restock
closets and other. I was responsible to apply injections to the patients (Kinsella, 2010).
There are certain unique opportunities that are associated while working as a private
volunteer.
They are receiving orientation and training, free flu shot and periodic in-service training
and workshops. The volunteers at the East ham are liable to have inside knowledge of new
found desire gone into a healthcare profession. This may expose to the desirable medical
and professional opportunity (Bedard et al., 2017). The study highlights on the working
practices and problems faced when volunteers are placed in hospitals. This can limit the
pools of volunteers and challenges they faced while handling the patients.
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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF EXPERIENCE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION
The volunteers are responsible for providing support and extra care to the individual and
groups present in the social care. This can enhance the care and support to the staff with
the permanent roles. The employers can develop resources through which organization
recruit and manage the volunteers (Ishmael and Ingram, 2015). This might also include
sharing time and talents, induction presentation, certificate and gaining feedback from the
patients. The key difference between the role of volunteers and paid workers is that they
direct on their support and personal needs in administrating medication of the patients.
For this purpose, I will use Gibbs Reflective learning cycle in order to reflect on the aspects
of the individual volunteer’s professional practice. This requires development in
preparation of my role as Private volunteer in health care (Carrel et al, 2016). The Gibbs
reflective cycle encourages a set of description of the situation such as handling the old
people, analysis of the feelings, evaluating the work performance and analysis of the
activities that are learnt. This can set on the clear description to examine what actual the
condition of the people.
Description
Whilst on placement working on a general ward during the final year I was asked to inject
the needle to the old people in order to treat him positively. On my way to research, I was
approached by the seniors at the social care who asked me if I could assist him with a
patient and apply injection to him. Therefore, I chose to help them as I thought this was
prior work for me. I was hired as private volunteer who could look up to their patients at
any point in a day (Shang et al., 2016). My mentor then advised me that I need to improve
on my way to apply the injection. He explained me about the types of the injections such as
Intramuscular injections, intradermal injection, subcutaneous injection and endovenous
injections. This situation left me questioning to which type of injection needs to be applied
to the old people. As my patients needs or my own professional learning and development
is questioned.
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Feelings
I automatically assisted the senior in making the patient comfortable. However, old people
are likely to face the problem in the way they are injected insulin. At first, I remember that I
could practice and search about this at home as seniors were busy. Later on, I felt annoyed
in handling the situations and taking the right decision to help patients (Redmond, 2017).
This is likely to concerned about the old people comfort and I felt without proper
information I should not inject them any kind of the drug. This would help me to justify the
decisions that I have made.
After the incident, I was guided by the mentor to improve the injection techniques for the
old people. They should not be hurt as their bodies are not capable enough to handle the
significant pain. I decided to learn and develop more regarding the injection ways and
other. This has helped me to improve my skills too (Fook and Gardner, 2012). I always
prioritize my work and handle patients with efficient care. This experience made me
question how I was prioritizing my area of injecting the patient such as on upper chest or
upper back or beneath the scapulae.
Evaluation
I chose to work as private volunteer in order to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene at the
workplace. I felt comfortable as the situation was accountable in terms of practicing the
first concern, treating the old patients as the first concern. This would undertake a
consideration that I need to develop the relation with the patients (Bedard et al., 2017). By
doing this, they becomes more comfortable and are accountable while providing them
medication. It is necessary that I must have the knowledge and skills for safe and effective
practice without direct supervision. I must keep my knowledge and skills up to date
through which appropriate learning and practices of injecting the medicines to the people
can be carried out.
I should opt for Z-track methods which help me in preventing from the leakage of the
medication into the subcutaneous tissue (Ishmael and Ingram, 2015). The procedure to
apply this is usually administered by nurse but being a volunteer, it is necessary for me to
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manage my work. There can be side effect of injecting Z-track injections such as swelling
and injection discomfort. Therefore, I must keep the knowledge about applying the
injection up to date with the new developments in practice. This can also enable me to
provide excellent framework for continuous development in the social care (Bedard et al.,
2017).
Figure1: Gibbs Reflective cycle
Source: Kinsella, 2010
Analysis
The key analysis to the concept of time, I had chosen to be private volunteer in the social
care in the East Ham and Gants Hill. This has helped to explore the value of nursing practice
from the point of view of practitioners. The importance of applying injection requires
effective skills and knowledge which can be a dynamic in nature (Redmond, 2017). This
tends to go hand in hand with the prioritizing the skills and deciding upon the priorities.
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The time management can be done efficiently with the accomplished goals and information
received to handle new patients. It is necessary to have entire information about the
patient and statement or proportion of the injection needs to be applied to them.
Conclusion
In this stage, the skills to handle the patients and build relationship with them can direct on
the efficient and inefficient practices. This can cause stress to oneself and fellow team
members. The potential harm to the patient can help in analyzing, prioritizing, intervention
and evaluation of the work (Carrel et al., 2016). This can be questioned to meet the
patient’s health conditions. The patient might suffer from the risk of skin excoriation which
would lead to uncomfortable and undignified practices. I will be accountable for the actions
and managing the future of the business. I will hold a position of responsibility and other
people to rely on me is not the part of the volunteer working style. This might be important
that individual must be treated well and must respect their dignity.
Action Plan
With the increasing range of the effectiveness in health care, It is necessary to manage the
time with the important consideration. This can be evaluated with the excellent measure to
handle the patients and applying injections (Shang et al., 2016). As a newly appointed
private volunteer, the quality improvement is the basic demand of the job role. This can be
recognized with the component of work and performance. Thus, it can be helpful in
meeting the demand of the work efficiently.
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CONCLUSION
The critical evaluation to the job placement at the position of volunteer has been
determined in the study. The area elected for the work is East Ham and Gants Hills. This
social care can help in finding out the certain task through which handling the old people
become easy. It can reflect on the experience and need of development in oneself. The role
of the private volunteer can outreach to assertiveness and confidence while applying the
injection to the old age people without any risk.
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REFERENCES
Bedard, N.A., Pugely, A.J., Elkins, J.M., Duchman, K.R., Westermann, R.W., Liu, S.S., Gao, Y. and
Callaghan, J.J., 2017. The John N. Insall Award: do intraarticular injections increase the risk
of infection after TKA?. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, 475(1), pp.45-52.
Carrel, F. and Barrelle, L., Becton Dickinson France SA, 2016. Protection device for
protecting an injection needle. U.S. Patent 9,457,157.
Fook, J. and Gardner, F. eds., 2012. Critical reflection in context: Applications in health and
social care. Routledge.
Ishmael, P. and Ingram, J., 2015. Volunteer Care: Affordable Health Care without Growing
Government.
Kinsella, E.A., 2010. The art of reflective practice in health and social care: Reflections on
the legacy of Donald Schön. Reflective Practice, 11(4), pp.565-575.
Martinez, V., 2017. Assessment of Patients Who Decline Volunteer Services in VNA Hospice.
Redmond, B., 2017. Reflection in action: Developing reflective practice in health and social
services. Routledge.
Shang, S.S., Julian, J.F., Li, C., Wozencroft, R.M., Bicknell, S., Dix, R., Tsvirko, E.N., Chim, E.,
Somashekar, S.C. and Ozdaryal, E., AbbVie Inc, 2016. Automatic injection device. U.S. Patent
9,408,973.
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