St.

Paul University Philippines

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan 3500
MSN- Philosophy of Education St. Paul University Philippines- Quezon City Atienza, Mille- Audrey Maria S. Student No.: 2013-01-07525 I. A. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BASED FROM YOUR EXPERIENCES AS A HEALTH PROVIDER? 1. What experiences as health provider will better enable you to meet the challenges of the real world? I have been a Registered Nurse for only three years, and I could be classified as an advanced beginner. I have been working as a private nurse since my registry to my profession, and so the experiences I have encountered may not be as profound as the veteran nurses. However, those superficial yet meaningful circumstances in my professional career have taught me very much in life. For one, the most basic of all is being able to associate and deal with people in various social strata which includes accepting and respecting their values and ideas. It can sometimes be very detrimental for a nurse when some learned behaviors by the patients would be contradicting to his/her own and the end result is the nurse being less effective in delivering the precise healthcare to his/her patients. With this, I have learned to set aside my own values, as long as it does not break the code of ethics in order to be more effectual to my patients. Never argue. That is my own simple mental rule when I deal with my patients. Like what they say, Customers are always right. You can always state your mind in a manner of setting a compromise between you and your patient that in the end would make a harmonious nurse-patient relationship. Secondly, my professional experience has taught me to see my patients individually, one being different from the other. It is hypocritical to say I do not wish my patients to be very cooperative with my nursing interventions, but that is where the adept communication tactics take place. How you make a very disagreeable patient agree is an accomplishment, and it took me a while before learning how to deck my cards right. Third, and most importantly it taught me two most important virtues: patience and humility. In all fairness, patience is a virtue I have been trying my utmost to learn for a decade and a half and only through my profession that I began to play with it so well. When the situation becomes very demanding, I just close my eyes and brace myself though my internal thought and devious self sometimes would

just like to physically and forcefully restrain and tranquilize my patient. I know its clich to use the Im only human phrase, but it is very applicable. There are times when you just think of bolting through the doors and escape your patients insults, profanities and demoralizing words. Yes, I have experienced it and it took me a big deal of humility to maintain my composure and proceed with my job. That is why, for some reason, it is the love of my profession that enabled me to overcome these very demanding situations. I still view my patients as my family member and someone who needs special care and attention despite the adversities. As a whole, I may not be able to account all of the lessons I have learned through my experiences but those aforementioned were the three most vital. I believe, those experiences molded me to become a stronger person. It taught me to accept my own weaknesses and acknowledge every constructive criticism. I know there are still more challenging events that are yet to come, but I believe those lessons have equipped me to somehow prepare myself to what the world has yet to show me. 2. What is the validity of Nursing Diagnosis in terms of Data Analysis and Problem Identification? This is a very interesting question. In nursing, we have a so-called nursing process namely: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. Prior to nursing diagnosis, you must have an in depth history taking and a very good clinical eye and judgment. For this reason, our voluminous books come in handy. You have to be very knowledgeable and skillful in outlining your patients signs and symptoms as well as his/her clinical manifestations. Upon taking these nursing cues, you formulate the diagnosis. Nursing diagnosis may either be an actual or a potential problem, depending of course with what has the highest priority. With one patient, you could already have several nursing problems, requiring specific interventions for each. The validity of the nursing diagnosis being made by the nurse is relatively dependent upon the outcome of your patient care. So if the patient responded very well in your nursing care, the probability of having a valid and definite nursing diagnosis is high. However in some circumstances, when your interventions do not work, you have to revise your nursing care plan and go back to the first step. You could not just jump from one problem to the other. It has to be very systematic and precise because it determines the result of your nursing plan.

3. What process should a researcher use to determine the value of health practices to program participants?

Qualitative data collection may be more effective in determining the value of health practices to participants because it deals with experiences, meaning and more subjective approach. In line with this, observation and interviews may be advantageous. However, the validity of the results may not likely be plausible because the conclusion only relies with what you observed and assimilated and there is no supporting quantitative and tangible evidence. 4. How can you be an aid in developing ethics among your fellow health providers and your patients? This is another fascinating question and a complex issue. For one, I believe no matter how effective the communication skills a person may possess if the receivers of the information are close-minded; everything is prone to disagreement. With that, the basic rule before becoming an ethics advocate is to determine whether you have an optimistic recipient or not. If the dice turn out to be good, then the channel of communication is very open. You can integrate your own values, beliefs and ideas without colliding with him/ her. It is sometimes very intricate to make someone see your own point of view that will not result in a vehement argument, especially with healthcare providers. I have encountered health professionals exchanging blatant discussions that are sometimes overheard in the whole hospital wing. I suppose you have to deal with own personal issues prior to developing ethics in your co-workers. You have to know where you stand and what you believe when a situation arise, and hopefully you can impart to your colleagues your values and ideals and it will make them see your point. All it takes is the right choice of words and a good manner of delivery. 5. Is there beauty in sickness? Merriam-Webster defined beauty as the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. What a grandiose definition it is. However, I have my own definition of beauty. Beauty for me is a sense of intrinsic gratification. Whether it came from ones own personal reference or from an external source. It is attributed on how one sees the other or his/her own self. It may be in a form of physical aspect or a social grace in dealing with people. While one may view his/herself as an exceptional, voluptuous human being, but his/her ability to interact with people is poorly executed, then that person is stigmatized to be a very subjective definition of ugly. Beauty is not all glam and fashion. It is the inert ability to impact other peoples lives in a manner that they are remembered extraordinarily. The same applies to the beauty in sickness. It is very crucial for some patients to accept the physical deformity that often result from their medical condition. How they are able to surpass this still remains a mystery. Nevertheless, I have a hypothesis. It is their own abstruse definition of beauty that made them withstand those particular predicaments. Sometimes, those patients see their plight as an opportunity to

reconcile and make the most of their time. Often, it brings people together. Sometimes it could be a bridge between communication gaps and towards reconciliation. Yes, it is a substantial Maalaala Mo Kaya event. For some, they believe sickness is atonement for their transgressions and the hospital bed is their purgatory. Being in a medical facility would really make you expose to various life dramas like last minute forgiveness and untold feelings. In an Intensive Care Unit, it is a feat whenever a patient is transferred to a regular room and is progressing to recovery, but often you could see the patients gasping every crucial breath and watch them as life is slowly fading away and families outside the unit are in arms crying shoulder to shoulder. Very heartbreaking. It is a situation none of us would want to experience, but it is usually inevitable. Nevertheless, no matter how much the anticipatory loss is, none could prepare us for the worst especially the aftermath of a loved ones death. This is a bitter life reality. Life is a cycle of having and losing, of sickness and health. The beauty of sickness depends on how one perceives this upsetting truth. Personally, I admire those people who seem to cherish the last few moments of lives instead of sulking at it. People whom, despite the hardships and turmoil they may be undergoing still smile and find the beauty of their condition. For me, the strongest people are the most beautiful and I admire them so much for the courage they exhibit amidst lifes bitter blows.

II. B Answer the following questions and justify: 1. Is doing good to others the best medicine to maintain your health? In all fairness my answer would contain both yes and no. Yes, in a way that sometimes seeing the altruism in you brings absolute and inexplicable joy. It often makes the disruption of your normal body clock worthy, especially when youre dealing with patients as a healthcare provider. I, for one have a vivid example for that. I have been used to working for 12hours everyday. Sometimes I do not have a rest day. It seemed like the days are never ending, like the time becomes fairly unnoticeable. I deal with my patients problems one after the other. Often, they come simultaneously and I do not know which to attend first. Very frustrating. There were times that I just do about anything in order to keep my patients from further complaining, and those methods are oftentimes outdated like rubbing my palms together to create heat, and apply them over their abdomen just to relieve stomach cramps. Those things really do not support medical evidence as to alleviate pain and that does not happen to appear in any nursing books. However, it did pacify my patient. At least for a while, it surprisingly worked. Well that was just one of the few things I sometimes orchestrate to resolve my patients unnerving whims. At the end of my shift, or at the end of my entire care, seeing them up and about gives me an accomplishment especially when they regard me to have a great deal in the improvement of their health condition. On the other hand, it is also a no. True enough that having participated in your patients overall progress gives a sense of satisfaction but it also pays a lot. For a workaholic like me, my fulfillment in my profession gave me fibromyalgia (chronic,

systemic muscle pain even at the slightest pressure), migraine and hyperacidity due to lack of sleep, skipped meals and stress combined. I love seeing my patients well, but I know in time if I overexert we may be switching places. People outside medical profession overlook the gravity of workload we have. Our only consolation is seeing patients exit the hospital with a clean bill of health but it does not give a concrete therapy to our internal ailments. There are times when we smile in front of our patients despite the fact that our backs are almost breaking from lifting up to 200lb patients. I would also like to connote that it does not apply that being a nurse always make you less than a patient yourself. It is even harder to nurse oneself than to nurse people back to health. So kudos! To my fellow hardworking nurses around the globe and of course to me! 2. Why do nurses need a CODE OF ETHICS? Do you think it is necessary? If Moses had Ten Commandments, Nurses have Code of Ethics. It is the guiding principle in determining what is right and wrong. Situations in the medical unit can be very compelling; like having to decide who to save-the mother or the baby, the young or the elderly; whether to hook a person with multiple morbidity to a mechanical ventilator which in reality only prolongs the agony on the part of the patient and family, not to mention the foot-long list of hospital bills. I believe that not all that is necessary are always applicable to be right. For instance, having a post vehicular accident patient with brain death and multiple organ failure. That persons survival is next to impossible. Now, the question goes: is it truly necessary to do resuscitative efforts and do a traumatic endotracheal intubation and chest compressions just to prolong his/her life in a matter of an hour or two just to say that at least you have done something as if his injuries are not evidence enough that he/she has suffered a lot. That is a considerable argument between what is right and just. All just depending on the matter of perspective of the person. Every situation is unique like every person is. I trust that the code of ethics oftentimes a subject of debate, depending on the presentation of events. However, it is always good to abide by the accepted norms in dealing with lives because I know, people generally aim for the good of the other. III. A. Which among the following commonly heard sayings are you interested in? How does it affect your life as a person and as a health provider? IV. B. How does it affect the life of your fellow health providers and your patients?(Choose at least 2) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Honesty is the best policy. The end justifies the means. Be the best you can be.

Answers:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. For one, I believe in karma. Doing good begets good and vise versa. It affects my life in a way that I do my job proficiently especially in delivering care to my patients because I somehow expected the same form of treatment for me in the event that the situation is reversed. I treat my patients as family or someone in which I have a close affinity to. I see them that way most of the time. I always try my best to do everything I can for my patients at the best of my ability. Be the best you can be. I have been an achiever since I was small. At the age of two, I already showcased a talent in drawing. At three, I could read and write even a small dedication letter for my parents. I was a consistent honor student. I was always in the top three of the class. I always believed that sometimes the achievement of a person depends on the combination of his abilities, wit and sheer luck. I never aimed for perfection (aside from exam results) and best is an overstatement, but I strive to be better than I was yesterday. Everyday is a chance of improvement and I wanted to surpass myself everytime. They say, the one who is able to win against himself is the greatest victor. Everyday is a battle. Everyday is a constant clich. It gets tiring and frustrating at the same time. I think that every person should step out from his or her box and discover what is more from them than what meets the eye. Life is a constant struggle, and only the best and strongest people stay on the game. It is a lame excuse to say that you could never be something without even trying. Regrets happen when some things were not done when it could have been. I have experienced a lot of difficulties in my walk of life. People just do not seem to get tired of testing me. I am almost at my wits end. But that is life. People come even if you do not want them in your life, and continue to be the antipathetic antagonists. It is inexorable. You just have to learn how to play it right. Be the best you can be, even if people are telling you otherwise. I encountered one time during my college years a clinical instructor who told me I am not smart, that I am an average person. Fair enough. I did not argue, nor did I contradict her. I know my capabilities and myself. No one is ever in the position to define me. I know I am far from being perfect and I am not always the best, but I see to it at the end of the day I could sigh and console myself by saying, at least I tried. Being a medical professional has a tremendous risk. There is no room for errors. Therefore, being outstanding is an advantage because it is beneficial for the patients if you know too well the job you enlisted yourself in whether it is from ascertaining medical conditions to providing the optimal nursing care. For this reason, I figure that since I am dealing with people it is only fair that they have the best quality care because everyone is entitled with it. V. What is your greatest achievement in life as a person? Is this achievement guided by your philosophy in life as a person? The greatest affectation of this question for me is in accordance with what transpired in my life four years ago. My father had been a chronic hypertensive. He suffered major stroke and several heart attacks for the past 30 years of his life but because God never failed to showcase a miracle for us, he kept on surviving. Until one day it came to a point when his kidneys failed and the doctors said he would need dialysis so we consented. Four years on dialysis. Four years of in and out hospitalization. Four years of labored

breathing, of sleepless nights and long list of medical expenses. I watched him fighting every breath a minute after the other. I was always on his bedside. He was my first patient before I even graduated in the nursing school, even before I became a licensed nurse. When he drew his final breath I promised myself I would do everything I can to give almost the same care I had given my father because I knew what it felt to be helpless in seeing a love one struggle because of a medical condition. My filial obligation for my father that time is my greatest achievement. Amidst the numerous awards and medals I received in all my scholastic years, I never felt this fulfilled. I had not been a good nurse if it were not for my father. It did not only teach me bedside techniques, but it also taught me to be empathetic with my patients and their family. Up to this point, when I commemorate my fathers struggles I could not help but cry. However, I do not regret anything. I took care of him and given him the best care only it was already time for him to go. Of all the things I did not do but could have done, this does not count. I may have regretted several things and wished for playbacks, but not this. I know my old man is very proud of me wherever he is and I owe it all to him and to my mom who is my forever clinical instructor and supervisor. I trust that my achievement is guided by my philosophy in life like doing to others, as I would have them do unto me and being the best that I can be. I would have not reached this point in my life if it were not for my philosophies, and I would not have attained my greatest achievement for the same reason. At present, aside from being a Registered Nurse, I am also a Certified Renal Nurse with rank one in the accreditation exam. I am also a certified Cardio-Pulmonary Nurse and Critical Care Nurse. If I did not endeavored to be more than ordinary and be the best I can be I would not earn these merits. Lastly, if I did not do good to other people, I believe God will not reward me with the graces I am experiencing now. Life for me now is not utterly unpleasant. Some unwanted people just make it difficult, but I keep on surviving and that is good enough for me.

If I could love again, I would love like a child: wanting, needing, understanding too little but feeling too much. If I could rewind my life, I am not even sure which episode I would like to be at and what I would do then. If I could have one ability to possess, I would choose for people to read my mind so they would stop trying to surmise who I am. If I could have anything in the world, I would choose peace of mind. I am tired having to ponder one thought after the other. If I could give anything to anyone, I would give a piece of myself that is worth remembering. If I could be anywhere now, I would be sitting on a beach facing the sunset. Like watching the day come into conclusion and await the next day that is to come. I may have made mistakes but I am thankful because it means I am still alive and I still have a chance to remake them. I may have been a wayward in a lot of things; at least it is consoling that people still stay in my life. I may have lived an imperfect life, but I have the prospect of making things right one day at a time. I may have few friends, but they are the people who know me best. I may have cried too many tears, but after which I smile and know I deserve better. I may have been broken too many times, but importantly I could reassemble myself back again. Some people would tend to define me. Some say things they think I am or I am not. They would assume they know me, but I do not know how much. Life at present is very tedious, but somehow it is consoling that most of the people make it

relatively interesting by giving me induced tribulations. I have watched people come and go in my life. Oftentimes, it is unnoticed. A bitter fact remains that people who stay in my life are half unwanted, and those who left are the ones I am missing. It is now becoming very exhausting in trying to reason every unbidden circumstance. -M.A.M. ATIENZA