Author: acrawford4 (Page 4 of 7)

I think that there is so much stigma surrounding mental illness as there is a lack of understanding from many regarding mental health and mental illness. Mental illness is also stigmatized because you cannot physically “see it” like you could with someone who has a cast for a broken leg. People with a mental illness are often regarded as “crazy” or “insane” due to the stigma surrounding it. Many people don’t want to learn about mental illness or don’t believe mental health is equally as important as physical health, which further contributes to this stigma. People who are experiencing mental illness may be reluctant to get treatment or tell people about their mental illness as they may be labeled as “dangerous” or “unpredictable” if they are open about it with others.  Stigma surrounding mental illness is one of the biggest roadblocks to recovery for those experiencing mental illness.

            How people respond to mental illness can also be affected by their culture and religion. In certain cultures, mental illness is seen as a sign of weakness, so it is less common for people to get treatment. For example, Asian cultures traditionally do not acknowledge mental illness and it is seen as “unnatural” so treatment may not even be accessible. In Native American culture people may try herbal medicine first before seeking professional help or taking medication. Religion also plays a factor in the stigma surrounding mental illness. For example, some religions may view mental illness as the fault of the person experiencing it or as a sign of weakness. Some may try to use prayer to treat their mental illness as well. Cultural and religious stigma surrounding mental illness makes it much harder for people to understand and appropriately treat it. Continuing to not acknowledge mental illness can make people feel very isolated and discouraged when trying to seek help.

Service-Learning Activity #1: Portland Jetport- Full Scale Emergency Drill

• 9/18/21
• 7:30 am-12:30 pm (5 hours)

The priority focus of this activity was prepare first responders on how to triage and treat patients in a mass disaster situation, such as a plane crash. In this activity I was a “patient” who had an experienced an injury. By having “patients” it made it more realistic for the first responders when simulating the plane crash. One social determinant of health for this activity would be healthcare quality. The first responders taking part in this drill were learning how to triage patients efficiently so by doing that they are improving the quality of their care. If the triage and treat procedure is running smoothly the first responders would be able to provide safe and efficient medical care to the patient. The second social determinant of health would be community safety. By having first responders do this drill, it helps keep them prepared and competent in the skills and care they need to keep the community and/or population affected by the disaster safe. I would advocate for doing this drill at least once a year to promote quality healthcare and community. The disaster drill is done every 2-3 years, so I believe doing it more often would give first responders an opportunity to keep practicing their skills in the case an event like this occurs. Interprofessional collaboration is essential as many different healthcare professionals are working together to care for many severely injured patients. Healthcare providers will need to communicate with each other and make decisions quickly to provide care.  Making sure that everyone knows their role and that the hospitals in the area can accommodate to take in a quick influx of patients will help ensure more positive outcomes for the patient. (IPE Competencies 3 and 4).

Service-Learning Activity #2: Preble St. Soup Kitchen

• 11/2/21
• 10 am- 1 pm (3 hours)

The priority focus of Preble St. Soup Kitchen is to distribute food to people experiencing homelessness in the Portland area. The population they work with ranges from adolescents to older adults. As a volunteer I packed lunches to be distributed later that day and helped sort donations in the food pantry.  One social determinant of health affecting the homeless population is economic stability. Without having economic stability, it is much harder to consistently have a source of food. I would advocate for this population by continuing to provide consistent food services and provide resources (such as helping with resumes and interview skills) to help clients get jobs. Another social determinant of health affecting this population is healthcare access and quality as they may not be able to get access to affordable health care or may not have health insurance. People experiencing homelessness may be more at risk for experiencing addiction and violence, so it important to consider that as well. I would advocate for this population by suggesting that the clients could receive hygiene and first aid kits along with their meal services. Interprofessional care is essential to continue providing various services to the homeless population (IPE competency 4). For example, social workers and public health professionals can continue to help the clients find work, addiction counseling, and housing, while nurses and doctors could provide covid testing, and basic healthcare services

            Throughout my first semester of clinicals I was able to see many different patients, and I learned a lot through each interaction. Many of these patients I only worked with once, but one patient I was able to work with multiple times while I was on the floor. I often helped this patient with eating or kept her company before she got ready for bed. I really enjoyed talking with this patient and spending time with her. As I often helped this patient eat, we talked about her favorite foods and meals she liked to cook. This patient had some trouble eating independently so I would also help get her meal ready and get her cleaned up afterwards.

            Something that really stuck out to me was when I worked with this patient the first time.  I helped her eat in the hallway and talked with her for a while. Afterwards the patient thanked me for doing that and said that she didn’t usually have company when eating so it was nice to talk to someone. This really enforced to me how important using therapeutic communication with your patients is, and how even the smallest things can have an impact on the patient. I got to work with this patient again on my last day of clinical. She was usually a bit confused so I wasn’t sure if she remembered me at first, but she mentioned the last time I had helped her eat, and how that was fun for her. On this day there were a few more patients eating in the hallway, so we moved the tables to face each other so they could all talk to each other, and it seemed to lift up the mood of these patients. The patient that I usually worked with was very happy about eating near the other patients, was very talkative, and seemed to be having one of her best days since I had first seen her. 

            I really enjoyed working with this patient as she taught me a lot. This experience made me realize how being in the hospital can be very isolating for the patient, and it is so important as nurses to do our best to make our patients comfortable and happy in a time that can be scary for them. I’m very happy that I was able to bring some positive moments to this patient’s stay in the facility, and I will not forget the kindness that she showed me as well.

After doing my medication reconciliation with my patient, I did notice a few safety concerns. These were mostly related to adverse reactions that could potentially compromise how effective the medication would be; for example, a migraine medication causing a new headache. The patient did know why he was on each medication; he was able to explain to me why he took each one and how and when each different medication should be taken. Knowing why you are taking a medication is important to ensure it is being taken correctly and safely, and it helps minimize any adverse reactions. This patient was on five medications: two of them were to treat migraines, two others were to treat hypertension, and the fifth one was to treat hypothyroidism.

This patient was on a few medications that were being taken for the same purpose. However, he explained that his migraine medications are to be taken together to minimize symptoms, and that he was prescribed two different antihypertensives to manage his blood pressure. There were a few minor medication interactions, but the patient was aware of them and explained his providers reasoning for prescribing them. Overall the patient was very knowledgable about all of his medications, and had a good organized system for how to take them. It was interesting to me how certain medications are prescribed together even when there is a chance of them interacting in a negative way. By doing this project I became much more aware of the importance of drug-drug interactions, and how important it is for the patient to have a solid understanding of how to use their medication.