Reflection: A Dangerously Low Blood Sugar The scenario presented in the reflection assignment, describes an encounter with managing a complex Type 1 diabetic patient 's blood glucose level. Upon assessment, I discovered the signs and the symptoms of a low blood glucose level such as, fatigue, tachycardia and diaphoresis. The clinical manifestations warranted further investigation and immediate intervention. Specifically, in the case of a patient who is nothing by mouth, the administration of intramuscular Glucagon. The problem that occurred was, that there was no order at the time to check the blood glucose level. This led to a need to apply theoretical knowledge to identify the …show more content…
I demonstrate the ability to assess the patient 's change in condition from the baseline. I applied the skill of knowledge integration by taking into account the adverse effects of Albuterol noting it causes a rapid heart rate. Furthermore, I used critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning to efficiently communicate the findings with the physician using the SBAR tool.
Benner’s Stage of Clinical Competence In this scenario, the stage of clinical competence reflected is the competent level of practice. Benner describes the competent performer as one that has a “feeling of mastery and the ability to cope with and manage the contingencies of clinical nursing” (Benner, 2001, p. 27). The competent level of practice is validated in this scenario in two areas. The first area of competence is the detection and documentation of critical changes in the patient 's condition. The objective changes in the patient 's condition in this scenario were the restlessness, agitation, and the significant increased heart rate, a change from the patient 's baseline. The second area of competence in this situation, requires an effective demonstration of the skill of getting an appropriate and timely response from the physician (Benner, …show more content…
In this scenario I demonstrate, the ability to judgment and integrate multiple patient needs and requests without losing information or missing significant needs (Benner, 2001, p. 144).
Benner Competency III: A Lesson Learned In the third scenario of the Benner competency assignment, I explain my first encounter caring for a post surgical cardiac patient with a chest tube. I had to rely on the theoretical knowledge of chest tubes to guide my assessment. This scenario demonstrates the lack of experiential knowledge in the management and care of chest tubes. I was familiar with the steps of draining a chest tube, and knew the fundamentals, but I had never done the procedure before. I sought out a mentor to provide guidance.
COPA Competencies
Lenburg (1999), emphasizes the concept of integrating theoretical knowledge into the clinical practice stating, “it is not enough to merely possess nursing knowledge, in order to be competent a nurse must be able to integrate this knowledge into practice” (Smith, 2012, p. 4). In this scenario, I demonstrate the ability to apply theoretical knowledge of chest tubes, learned in nursing school to guide care for my patient. Furthermore, I demonstrate competent nursing practice by knowing my limitations and seeking out a mentor (Smith,