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Posted: October 11th, 2022
‘Effective reflection on relationships that develop in care work’
Day 1
Description:
When I started my first 2 days work placement I was working with “Shea” he is a HCA who has been working there for 6 months. He was has been working there on a CE scheme and loved his job “Shea” brought me around with him and showed me how the things where run on a daily basis and I got to put my theory into practice.
Feelings:
As I had never assisted a patient with their personal care before I felt a bit nervous and unsure but I found I learned a lot from observing and helping “Shea” in completing the tasks. I felt very nervous about starting work experience as I had never worked in a care position before and I only had a limited experience in working with the elderly. And after I finished my first two days placement I found that I really enjoyed the working in this area.
Evaluation:
When working alongside “Shea” I felt he was a very good worker who has great empathy towards patients and staff. He really helped me get on my feet working as a HCA and made me feel very welcome.
Analysis:
When I first started my work experience I did feel a bit nervous about helping patients with personal care but with practice over a period of time and with “Shea’s” help and the guidance of other staff members I was starting to feel more confident in assisting the patients with personal care.
Conclusion:
What pleased me was how nice “Shea” was and how he cared for the patients and he really seemed to like working in St. Johns. Every patient has different needs and different interests and each patient has very different care needs. The only thing I was unhappy about was my nervousness around assisting patients with personal care but I feel a lot more confident in this area now.
Action plan:
Even though I had learned a lot in class about patient care I still I felt nervous in my ability to care for patients. However with my work experience while working with “Shea” and other staff I know over time that will change. I found that putting the theory I have learned into practice is hard at first. I felt nervous because I was actually caring out these care tasks with real people. I feel that the more experience I get working in the area the more confident I will be.
‘Effective reflection on relationships that develop in care work’
Day 2
Description:
Over a period of time I got to know one of the patients called “Mick” he is 82 years of age and he has been in St. Johns for 9 months. “Mick” suffers with dementia. He used to live at home with his wife but know he has to live in the nursing home. “Mick” is independently mobile and has a very pleasant manner. His daily activities in St. John’s Hospital include walking and tending to the chickens in the garden. But he can also have days where he can get confused. When this happens I ask “Mick” if he would like to go for a walk or even just to sit down and have a chat with him.
Feelings:
Over time I have built up a friendship with “Mick” and I feel very empathic towards him as he can sometimes get confused and frustrated due to his memory loss. When this happens he tends to want to get out to his car and go home. “Mick” is quite competent in that he can dress, wash and feed himself independently. However he can have bad days where he needs assistance especially if he is anxious, disorientated and is finding it hard to concentrate.
Evaluation:
The good experience about meeting “Mick” is that I got to know loads about him and his life as a farmer. And I also learned how to help and care for “Mick” when he becomes anxious, disorientated and confused and asks constantly to go home.
Analysis:
I got to know “Mick” well since I started work experience and I have witnessed “Mick” becoming very confused, anxious and disorientated and when this happens I offer to take him to the to the garden where he tends to the chicken. I then chat to him about things that I know he likes to talk about and reassure him everything was okay and this helps him relax and feel more content
Conclusion:
In my opinion “Mick” should be encouraged to take part in more activities that he may choose himself throughout the day as these activities may keep his mind more occupied. I also think that if possible maybe discussions could be held with “Micks” family to allow him to go home even for just for a few hours once a month.
Action plan:
From working with “Mick” I have learned how to be patient with a patient who becomes fixated on something and keeps repeating sentences. I have also learned methods that I may use in the future to alleviate patients anxiety when they become confused and disorientated.
‘Effective reflection on relationships that develop in care work’
Day 3
Description:
I have a very positive relationship built with my head nurse “Hannah” I find that she has a very pleasant manner and she has been very helpful in showing me the right way to do things. She also taught me how to do things in in a safe and correct manner for example how to take a patients’ blood pressure and blood sugars and recording them correctly.
Feelings:
I felt very confident whilst working alongside “Hannah” because she gave me guidance and this has made me feel a lot more competent as a HCA. Also I am happy working with her because she is very understanding and when I don’t quite understand something she is happy to explain it to me.
Evaluation:
The best thing about working with “Hannah” is that she has lots of experience working in a caring position and is very competent at her job so therefore her advice and guidance is very valuable to me as it will help me to become a great HCA in the future. And as extremely busy as “Hannah” is she always tries her best to give her time to me. And she always made me feel very welcome.
Analysis:
From what I have experienced in working with “Hannah” I found that she is a very competent in what she does. And over time as I continue to work with her I will gain a great deal of knowledge and skills from her that can bring with me in my future as a HCA.
Conclusion:
Even though I have learned a lot from her I feel I could be less dependent on “Hannah” now and make choices by myself whilst caring for patients. I will of course consult with her over important things. I feel that now I can use the important knowledge she has given me to care for patients on my own as I feel more competent in myself rather than waiting for “Hannah” so as not to let my patients have to wait.
Action plan:
If in the future a situation comes up and I am competent enough to do it and “Hannah” is busy I could carry out the task and record what I have done and then report it to her when she is not busy. Therefore I can show that I can use my own initiative.
‘Effective reflection on relationships that develop in care work’
Day 4
Description:
I have a very positive relationship built with my head nurse “Hannah” I find that she has a very pleasant manner and she has been very helpful showing me the right way to do things teaching me how to do things in in a safe and timely manner such as how to take patients’ blood pressure blood sugars
Feelings:
I felt a lot more confidant by working alongside “Hannah” because she gave me guidance and made me feel a lot more competent as a HCA because she is very understanding and when I don’t quite understand something she is happy to explain it to me.
Evaluation:
The best thing about working with “Hannah” is that she had lots more experience than most HCAs as this would really help me gain more experience as a HCA. And as extremely busy as “Hanna” is she always tries her best to give her time to me. She always made me feel very welcome.
Analysis:
From what I can make of working with “Hannah” is that she is a very competent in what she does. And over time I will gain a great deal of knowledge that can he me in my future as a HCA.
Conclusion:
I feel I could be less dependent on “Hannah” now and make choices and do things on my own as I feel more competent in myself rather than waiting for “Hannah” so as not to let patients down.
Action plan:
If in the future a situation came up and I was competent enough to do it and “Hanna” was busy I would carry out the task record that I have done and then report it to her when she was not busy. Therefore show I can use my own initiative.
‘Effective reflection on relationships that develop in care work’
Day 5
Description:
I have a good relationship with a patient called “Ned” who suffers from dementia. He has only been in St. John’s for 5 months and he is not very happy to be living there. “Ned” seems to be very home sick and confused about where he is and can become very anxious and upset. “Ned’s” short term memory loss is affected so he cannot remember where he is and why he is a resident in the hospital. He sadly also cannot remember when his family visits and thinks nobody comes to visit him.
Feelings:
I feel very empathetic towards “Ned” as he seems to be so discontent with living at the hospital. I feel sad for “Ned” as he longs to be at home with his family and cannot remember when they visit so he must feel very lonely. Despite his confusion, disorientation and anxiety “Ned” never becomes aggressive and remains a gentleman at all times. I feel happy that when I spend time with him and listen to his stories about the past he seems to be content and the distraction seems to offer him some relief from his anxieties.
Evaluation:
The best thing about caring for “Ned” was that he is a gentleman who can relay great stories about his life and the good times he experienced. I feel good that by me taking my time just to listen to his stories his mood seems to pick up and this will make him have a better day. The disadvantage about working with “Ned” was that his difficulties with accepting his residence in the hospital can be difficult to experience; but I feel that by explaining the situation to him and offering him a distraction by changing the topic of conversation I can alleviate some of his anxiety.
Analysis:
I feel that while in my present work experience I am doing as much as I can to help “Ned” settle into his new residence in the hospital by explaining the situation to him and talking to him about topics that interest him. However, I feel that if I was employed as a HCA in the hospital I would report to my supervisor that more plans would need to be made in order for “Ned” to be supported in settling better in the hospital.
Conclusion:
I feel that I could maybe become more familiar with Ned and I could find out about his likes and dislikes and by doing so find more ways to make him feel more at home and also use this information to find new ways to calm him down when he gets very anxious.
Action plan:
In the future I plan to get to know my patients well and try figure out the triggers for their anxiety so as to prevent and deescalate highly anxious outbursts which are not good for the patients themselves and also the staff caring for them.
‘Clear identification of interpersonal issues that can arise in care work such as recognising diversity and individuality in clients, families and care workers’
Day 1
An interpersonal issue that came up in my work experience occurred while I was helping another HCA care for patients and assisting them by helping them getting dressed. When I finished that I changed bed sheets and made the beds. And just before dinner time I noticed that one of the patients wasn’t in good spirits so I sat him down and asked him if he was okay he said he was tired and didn’t really want to be out of bed. So I tried to think of an activity for this patient to do that he would enjoy and that may take his mind off what was bothering him. I then remembered that there were new planting beds and flowers outside in the garden. So I asked him if he would like to do a bit of gardening and he said he wouldn’t mind doing so. We then set out and gathered all of the materials that we would need for the job and I helped him to plant a few flowers in the new raised beds. He really enjoyed been out and planting all the new flowers and his mood improved greatly. I chose this activity for the patient as I knew it was an activity he would enjoy. When we finished planting the flowers the patient was so proud that he went around and asked a few patients if they wanted to go out to see the good job he had done. It was great to see him in a totally better mood compared to before. This experience has taught me that getting to know your patients well helps to recognise there individual likes and dislikes so that they can be offered care that suits their personal needs.
‘Clear identification of interpersonal issues that can arise in care work such as recognising diversity and individuality in clients, families and care workers’
Day2
An interpersonal issue that came up in my work experience was a resident who was fairly new to St. John’s Hospital. He had only been living there for 5 months and he seemed to be very home sick and repeatedly asked to go home. I felt very empathic to this gentleman as he is such a nice man and seemed to be so unsettled living in the hospital. This patient suffers from dementia and can be quite confused at times; however he really enjoys talking about his past and his home and his family. His wife regularly visits him and one day while she was visiting she said in conversation to me that she felt that her husband really missed his home but she had no way of bringing him home for visits as she would have issues with transporting him as he has mobility issues. I mentioned this to my supervisor that I thought that trying to help this couple with transport might be a great idea as the patient would really enjoy getting home for even a few hours every so often. And maybe these regular visits may allow him to become more settled into St Johns. My supervisor then set about organising these visits with the patient and his family.
‘Clear identification of interpersonal issues that can arise in care work such as recognising diversity and individuality in clients, families and care workers’
Day 3
An interpersonal issue that came up in my work experience was a resident called ‘May’ who does not want to take part in any activities during the day. May suffers from dementia and spends her whole day asking to go home and trying to leave the hospital. May tends to stay around the doors trying to make her way out of the hospital. She is fitted with wondering tag to prevent her from leaving the hospital for her own safety. What I find upsetting about caring for ‘May’ is how unsettled she seems to be and how anxious she can become when she is preoccupied with the idea of going home. ‘May’ also doesn’t seem to have many visitors to come to see her. In caring for ‘May’ I feel that a great way to lighten her mood is to find activities that she finds soothing and that may alleviate some her anxiety. So if I come across her in an anxious humour I tend to talk to her calmly and guide her to the activities room where some of the HCA’s do her hair and nails and she finds this very relaxing and seems to relax a bit more. My experience from this leads me to feel that all patients are different from each other and learning how best to care for each patient is very important for offering them great care and this also makes my job easier as I know how to keep my patients moods light and keep them content.
‘Clear identification of interpersonal issues that can arise in care work such as recognising diversity and individuality in clients, families and care workers’
Day 4
An interpersonal issue that came up in my work experience was that I found that some of the agencies HCA’s were very reluctant to do their share of the workload on the ward. From my experience with working with the more permanent hospital staff they seem to do a lot more of the share of the work on the ward. I noticed that some of the agency staff would not feed patients and spent most of their time in the activities room entertaining patients. While this is also an important activity other work also needs to be done as well such as assisting patients with washing, dressing, feeding and changing beds etc. While not all of the agency staff were as bad some of them were very reluctant to carry out these duties. I feel that all staff should share out the workload evenly so that no other staff members feel hard done by. I know that I plan to carry out my fair share of the workload in my future work as I will not allow my co-workers to have to do more work because I am not pulling my weight. I did not report this issue to my supervisor as I fund that the other HCA’s did not seem to be up for reporting the issue and as I am only on work experience it was not my place to say. However, if I experience a similar situation in my future employment I would not say nothing and allow it to happen.
‘Clear identification of interpersonal issues that can arise in care work such as recognising diversity and individuality in clients, families and care workers’
Day 5
An interpersonal issue that came up in my work experience was with a patient called ‘Mary’ who is obsessed with country music and wants to listen to it all the time. In the activity room she repeatedly asks us to play country music on the CD player. However, the rest of the patients in the activity room prefer to listen to Irish music and this can cause arguments in the activity room during the day. So in order to keep the peace I have to explain that everyone gets a choice of what music to put on and that everyone has to take turns. So I then started a game that they all seem to enjoy where I ask each patient what music they want to listen to and while I play this music ask them to tell a story that the music reminds them of. The patients really seem to enjoy this game and it has also stopped any tensions building in the activity room. Some patients love to tell stories while others love to just listen to the music and enjoy hearing the stories. This experience has thought me how to deal with a situation where patient’s individualities clash and how to think of ideas that will enable all the patients to participate in activities. It has also helped me to think of ideas of ways to encourage different patients to socially interact with each other when they usually do not.
‘Effective reflection on own interpersonal skills and personal effectiveness as a care worker and highlight personal strengths and weaknesses’
Day1
Description
On my first day first day of work experience I was very nervous so I was not as effective in completing my work as I would have liked to be. The whole caring role was all very new to me and as I was dealing with real people I found this very daunting. As a result of this nervousness I was not able to be as effective at my work as I should have been.
Feelings
My feeling about my first day was that I was disappointed with myself because I was afraid I would make mistakes or do something wrong, when in fact this should not have been the case as I was only learning and just needed more time to get more comfortable in the position. And in future in my work experience I would not hold back as I know I am under the supervision of other more experienced HCA and that they are there to support me when I am not sure of what I have to do.
Evaluation
As the day went on I really started to find my bearings and I found I enjoyed it a lot more and felt more comfortable in my role caring for patients. I started to have conversations with the patients and staff and found myself starting to come out of my shell. And as I got to know a lot more about the routine and work of the ward on my first day I knew the next today I wouldn’t be half as nervous as I was on my first day.
Analysis
What I have taken with me from my first day working on the ward is that anything that I try for the first time is going to be a challenge. However I just need to recognise my nervousness as normal and deal with it. As I am working with a lot of vulnerable and elderly people that depend on me to care for them I know in future to be confident and offer the best care I can. And if I am unsure I should not feel nervous as I am under supervision and have lots of support.
Conclusion
I feel that when it comes down to it feeling nervous on my first day was a normal feeling. And in the future I now know that there will be someone there to supervise me and teach me how to do things the right way.
Action Plan
My plan is to not be so nervous around the patients.
‘Effective reflection on own interpersonal skills and personal effectiveness as a care worker and highlight personal strengths and weaknesses’
Day 2
Description
Today while on my work experience I was assisting patients with eating there dinner in the dining room of the hospital. As I was making my way out of the dining room with one of the patients I noticed that one of the other patients had not eating his food and did not look very happy. After I helped the patient I was with to the activity room I returned to the patient and asked him if everything was ok. He told me that he did not feel well today so I helped him back to his bed and found a nurse to assess him who then called a doctor as he had a very high temperature.
Feelings
I feel that I handled this situation very well as I found that even though I was assisting one patient with feeding and helping him to return to the activity room I was still also aware and observing the other patients in the room to ensure their needs were being met. This is not something I would have been able to do when I first started work experience. I also think that I handled the situation as well as I could as I got the bottom of the patient’s problem, I made him comfortable and found my supervisor to get him the care he required.
Evaluation
I am enjoying that I am now becoming more confident and efficient in my role as a HCA. I feel that the more time I spend in my work experience I am learning the correct procedures to follow when I experience issues with patients. And I am also happy that I am getting better at assisting and keeping an eye on a few patients at the same time.
Analysis
On reflection I showed good interpersonal skills by noticing that one of the patients I was caring for was not in great form and I also demonstrated good interpersonal skills by making the patient comfortable while I called for assistance. I demonstrated my personal effectiveness as a care worker by handling the situation professionally and with confidence.
Conclusion
In conclusion I am becoming more confident in the role and I am also more effective at making decisions in my work relating to patient care.
Action Plan
Continue learning in my work experience and to build my confidence in my ability to be a good HCA.
‘Effective reflection on own interpersonal skills and personal effectiveness as a care worker and highlight personal strengths and weaknesses’
Day3
Description
Today I helped my supervisor Claire to do blood pressure readings on all the patients on the ward. Firstly, Claire showed me how to take the readings and how to record them correctly. Then I got the opportunity to take readings by myself and record them.
Feelings
I felt good about learning a new skill and I also felt confident that I was well able to do this task correctly and efficiently. I felt that my strengths in completing this task were that I was able to listen to instruction from Claire and learn from her very quickly so that I was confident enough to complete the task myself.
Evaluation
I enjoyed learning this new skill and I also enjoyed going around to all the patients and having a little chat with them while I was doing it. I think I showed good interpersonal skills by learning this new skill from Claire and by making the patients at ease with a little bit of chit chat while I took their readings.
Analysis
By learning to take patients’ blood pressure readings I have become more aware of the importance of taking these readings regularly to monitor the patients to ensure that their blood pressure does not get too high or too low. I also learned a new skill that will be important for me as a HCA in the future.
Conclusion
I feel that I am good at learning new skills and this will be important to me as a HCA. I also feel that my ability to chat away to the patients while I am taking their readings helps them to stay at ease and also demonstrates my effectiveness as a care worker.
Action Plan
I plan to continue to learn new skills in my work experience and to continue to develop my interpersonal skills.
‘Effective reflection on own interpersonal skills and personal effectiveness as a care worker and highlight personal strengths and weaknesses’
Day4
Description
When I first started on work experience I didn’t feel comfortable assisting a patient who is non mobile with toileting as I did not feel comfortable using the hoist. So when this patient asked to use the toilet I had to call other HCA’s to do it. However, now I am a lot more confident and I just have to call another HCA to assist me with the hoist.
Feelings
I feel that I may have been a bit nervous at first about using the hoist even though we had learned how to use it correctly in class I still felt a bit more nervous using it with a real patient. However, now I am a lot more confident in using the hoist correctly and with ensuring the maximum comfort for the patient.
Evaluation
While I may have demonstrated my weaknesses at first by being nervous about using the hoist I think I dealt with it well by asking for assistance instead of carrying on with the task even though I was unsure. Also I am very confident with using the hoist now as I have gained a lot of experience using it. I only need another HCA to assist me as required for safety reasons.
Analysis
What made me happy about this situation is that my confidence is building in my ability to be a good HCA as I build and improve my care skills.
Conclusion
While I may have felt uncomfortable in my ability to assist the patient using a hoist in the beginning I handled the situation correctly and professionally. I also gained a lot more confidence in using a hoist since I started work experience.
Action Plan
I plan to continue to learn new skills and to build my confidence in my work as a HCA. I also plan to continue to call for assistance if I am unsure of how to deal with a situation while I am caring for patients.
‘Effective reflection on own interpersonal skills and personal effectiveness as a care worker and highlight personal strengths and weaknesses’
Day 5
Description
While I was in my work experience today I came across two patients who were not getting on very well. What I could get from the situation was that one patient wanted to sit quietly and listen to music; while the other patient was insisting on chatting loudly in her ear. Tensions were starting to rise and both patients were beginning to shout at each other and become very anxious. In order to alleviate the situation I assisted one patient out of the area to leave the other patient in peace to listen to her music.
Feelings
I feel that I handled this situation well as I alleviated the tension immediately by helping one patient away from the situation so that tensions did not rise further. I also feel that I got a good understanding of the situation quickly and this demonstrates my good interpersonal skills.
Evaluation
I feel that I dealt with this situation correctly, efficiently and professionally so as to ensure that both patients were safe and as comfortable as possible and I feel this demonstrates my effectiveness as a care worker.
Analysis
What I have taken from my situation is that the best way to deal with a situation like this is to remain calm and get to the bottom of the situation quickly and alleviate the tension as quickly as possible. I have also learned that I have a great ability to think calmly and remain calm in a highly anxious situation.
Conclusion
I feel that I acted correctly and professionally in this situation so that both patients were giving the opportunity to remove themselves from a stressful situation and calm down. I acted as as calmly as I could to ensure I did not escalate the situation.
Action Plan
I will continue to learn how to professionally deal with the different situations that will present themselves to me in my work as a HCA.
| Skills I hope to learn /improve upon in the workplace | How I will improve these skills | Benefits of these skills to an employer or to a workplace |
| Personal Skills | ||
| 1. Punctual | Better time Management set your alarm an hour earlier | Getting to arrive on time means a more efficient workforce |
| 2. Flexible | Be more flexible with my time Been willing to work flexible hours | Me been willing to work more hours makes the organisation safer |
| 3. physical healthy | Go walking, running more and eat healthier | More energy leads to a better workforce |
| 4. Sleeping pattern | Go to bed earlier, turn of the TV phone etc. | More energy ,focus, and be more aware |
| Interpersonal Skills | ||
| 1. Team player | Positive body language | |
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