VI. Health Policy and Advocacy (AACN, 2011)
"Graduates of master’s degree nursing programs have requisite knowledge and skills to promote health, help shape the health delivery system, and advance values like social justice through policy processes and advocacy" (AACN, 2011, p.20). Health policy and advocacy are essential to the curriculum of an APRN. In essential six, I completed a cultural competency case study, wrote a letter to government to advocate for the passing of an act into congress, and through a journal entry regarding one of my patients seen in primary care clinicals presenting with abdominal pain.
First, I met essential six through doing a case study that examined my cultural competency. The case study involved a Hispanic female diagnosed with type II diabetes. The project made me consider special circumstances such as religious beliefs and spiritual practices. Some cultures are known to have misconceptions regarding members in the healthcare and it is important for the provider to always remain culturally competent. During the case study, the situation was able to be diffused using the Health Belief Model and Self-Efficacy Models to provide teaching to the Spanish speaking families. Through doing this case study, I learned to incorporate the family into the patient's care by participating in making meals together and exercising together. I learned to use open ended questions during the visit and to always offer language assistance to families.
Culturally Competency Case Study
In addition, I met essential six through advocating for an act to prevent domestic violence. The act proposes a domestic violence and child abuse task force through the TBI. The act would advocate for victims through increased transparency, as well as increased check-ins from state or local law enforcement. I advocated for this act by writing a letter to our senator, Marsha Blackburn. Thousands of healthcare dollars are spent on domestic violence cases each year. With this act, local police and TBI would be able to get help to these families quicker and prevent further abuse. "Master’s-prepared nurses will use their political efficacy and competence to improve the health outcomes of populations and improve the quality of the healthcare delivery system" (AACN, 2011, p. 20).
Letter to Policy Making
In a journal entry for this semester, I wrote about a young teenage girl that presented with abdominal pain to primary care clinic. The teenage girl was suffering from not just abdominal pain but from psychosocial problems such as being bullied from being overweight. The patient began to tell me how stressed-out school makes her due to the constant bullying. I began to see that the patient's abdominal pain was rooted in her anxiety and stress. The provider sometimes must treat the patient’s anxiety in order to manage GI symptoms. I feel like I was able to sympathize with the patient by creating an open and judgement free zone to get her to open up to me. I feel like as the provider it’s important to treat the patient’s symptoms and come to a diagnosis; however, I feel like sometimes that is all the provider focuses on and forgets to just listen to the patient. I hope to carry this attitude in my new role as an APRN to help patients live up to their highest level of health and well-being.
Journal Entry One
Finally, I met essential six by advocating for a patient that presented with acute abdominal pain. I find that sometimes in primary care providers get caught up in quickly seeing acute visits as soon as possible due to patient volume. I followed my intuition and evaluated the patient's subjective and objective exam findings. As a provider you can always take the easy way out and either send them to a specialist or to the ER without properly evaluating the patient. I voiced my opinion and advocated for this patient to my preceptor. She agreed with my plan of care and the patient was send for an ultrasound of her appendix. The ultrasound later revealed an inflamed appendix and was caught just in time before the patient suffered any further complications. An important part of the master's prepared nurse is advocating for patients. Children are one of the most vulnerable patient populations and sometimes the provider is the only person that can seek to advocate for them.
Soap Note Acute #3
Strengths
&
Weaknesses
My strength for essential six is advocating for my patients. I make it a personal goal of mine to be a superior advocate for all my patients. I believe that the true meaning of being a great provider is how they advocate for their patients. God instilled in me the fight to never give up on my patients and I hold that virtue very close to my heart and in my future practice. I am a strong advocate for cultural competency and always make sure to offer translator services. I can't imagine being in a foreign country not understanding the language faced with health problems. I always seek to remain understanding during these situations and with the blind and deaf patient populations.
My weaknesses during essential six include me always wearing my heart on my sleeve. I tend to go to battle a little bit too hard for my patients sometimes and some people may misconstrue my emotions. In contrast, I believe that this principle makes me a better provider. Ephesians 6:7 states "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does."