Blog Evaluation

Congratulations, students!  You have completed the online blog assignment. 


I enjoyed reading all of your posts, and feel you are all on the path towards nursing excellence.  Good work!

Please take a moment and complete the following short, 4-question survey regarding your experience. 

Survey Link

Thanks for all of your hard work!
Michelle Summers

Definitions and Examples....the 3 D's

Hello Students!

In keeping with our upcoming class on Delirium, Dementia and Depression, let's change our focus and begin discussing these three disorders.

Your assigned reading (located in Angel and the course syllabus) covers the descriptions of these disorders, along with the etiology and nursing interventions/diagnoses.  What I'd like us to do is discuss our own experiences dealing with these disorders.  Think back to the last 2 years of clinical, and identify a patient that you feel was exhibiting one of these disorders.  Which disorder do you feel the patient was exhibiting?  Why?  What nursing diagnosis, and interventions, were appropriate?  Lastly, do you know the outcome of the patient, or if not, what do you suppose the outcome was?


If you have not experienced a patient with any of these disorders, please attach a link to a case study and answer the questions listed above.

Remember HIPPA, and keep all information "hypothetical" and avoid any information that could be used to identify a patient.

Thank you all in advance.

Resources and Support

Good Friday Morning!

Now that we have talked about some of the risk factors, we need to plan interventions that will assist the client, and their family, in suicide prevention.  There are many local and national organizations, along with therapists and counselors, who provide support to clients and families dealing with mental illness and suicide.

For this discussion, I'd like to see what resources you can identify (either local or national) that offer support to clients or families dealing with suicide.  The resources can be focused on prevention, education, or post-suicide support.  Please provide a link to the resource, along with a brief description of the services they offer.

Here is an example link for you to read:http://raraavis.com.au/web_documents/pats_publication.pdf

I'm looking forward to learning (along with you) about the resources available to our patients and their families.

Risk factors of teen suicide

Class,
Please watch this video discussing the risk factors of teen suicide.  I would like to make a post concerning your reactions to this video.  What surprised you?  What didn't surprise you?  Would this information be helpful to share with a specific population?  How would you educate the parents of a teen?

These are some suggested questions.  Feel free to share your opinions and thoughts with your fellow students. 

Suicidal Ideations

Good Morning...

Let's shift gears for a moment, and add on to our previous post regarding the importance of assessment.  Knowing what questions to ask, and how to ask them is an extremely important skill of psychiatric nursing.  At times, it almost feels like we have to "read between the lines" in order to understand exactly what our patients are telling us.  Complicating this further is the use of non-verbal cues during an assessment. 

Assessing a patient's suicidality is number one.  It is our responsibility to assess the patient's thoughts of self harm, and then provide interventions to maintain the patient's safety.  But what about when a patient doesn't come right out and say that they want to kill themself?  What if the patient only says, "I can't do this anymore."  What do they mean by that?  How can we evaluate the lethality of that statement?

For this blog, please read the following research article on suicidal patients visits to the ER.
http://www.touchbriefings.com/pdf/2459/Claassen.pdf

After reading the article, please post some examples of passive suicidal statements, and subsequent questions staff could ask to clarify the patient's level of suicidality.

Get creative...and feel free to add to other students' questions or statements.

Enjoy the day!

How do we assess?

Good evening everyone!  Just a reminder, make sure that you are all contributing according to the requirements in both your syllabus, and the first blog.  I would hate for anyone to lose points for lack of participation.

We've discussed several scenarios, and examined a variety of signs, symptoms, and nursing diagnosis.  However, in order to obtain a clear picture of what we can do for our patient, we first have to get a clear understanding of what is going on with our patient.

Take a look at the Voki I created.  Jayne is a new patient on the adolescent psychiatric unit.  Listen to her story, and determine what additional information you need in order to determine which nursing diagnosis, or care plan you would use.  Also, think about what information you will want to obtain before calling the doctor for any additional orders.

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=5617655&height=400&width=300

Good Morning, and TGIF!

Thank you all for your discussions on the case studies.  Anxiety can effect anyone, and sometimes professionals are the last ones to seek treatment.  Why do you suppose that is?

Carrying on with the anxiety theme, let's take a look at phobias.  What is a phobia?  The Mayo Clinic (2011) defines a phobia as an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger.

What types of phobias are there?  Do some research and post on a certain phobia.  Each one of you must choose a different phobia.  Include the name of the phobia, the fear associated with it, who is affected, and what treatment is helpful.  Include links to case studies if you read any.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you discover!

Michelle

Reference

Mayo Clinic.  (2011).  Phobias.  Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phobias/DS00272

Anxiety

Good morning to everyone!

Townsend (2009) defines anxiety as, "Vague diffuse apprehension that is associated with feelings of uncertainty and helplessness" (p. 852).  Anxiety effects patients both in, and out, of the hospital setting. 

The following case study, taken from Kelly (2012) pertains to three lawyers, each exhibiting different signs and symptoms.  After reading all three, select one (1) and discuss the signs and symptoms, along with various treatment options available.  Please include nursing interventions that would help to decrease anxiety, and those that should be avoided as they may increase the patient's level of anxiety.

http://www.cba.org/cba/practicelink/bwl/anxiety.aspx

Have a great week!
Michelle

References

Kelly, O.  (2012).  Lawyers and anxiety:  Three case studies.  Retrieved from http://www.cba.org/cba/practicelink/bwl/anxiety.aspx

Townsend, M.C.  (2009).  Psychiatric mental health nursing, concepts of care in evidence-based practice (6th ed.), Philadelphia, PA:  F.A. Davis.

Children are not things to be molded, but are people to 


be unfolded--Jess Lair


Good evening class!  We examined the frustrations that can accompany living as an adult with OCD, but what

about a child living with the same disorder?  Please take a moment and think about life for a child exhibiting the symptoms of OCD.  How do you think the parents may feel about the diagnosis, or the symptoms that go along with it.  What about any sibilings?  See if you can identify some nursing diagnoses that may be used for family members of a child with OCD.

Good Morning Students!


Please watch the short video clip from As Good as it Gets (1997).  In this clip we see a glimpse into the routines that surround a patient living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  According to our text book readings, there are several ways OCD manifests itself, some more bothersome than others.

Take a minute and create a scenario of a fictitious patient living with OCD.  What symptoms does your patient exhibit?  How is your patient's life altered by these obsessions or compulsions?  Finally, as your patient's nurse, how are you able to assist them to increase their level of functioning?

Reference


Ziskin, L. (Producer), & Brooks, J.L.  (1997).  As good as it gets [Motion Picture].  United States:  TriStar Pictures. 

Welcome Students!

Beginning this week, we will be reviewing case studies on the course blog site.  Utilizing a blog will allow us to communicate outside of the classroom, and discuss aspects of care we will encounter in both the classroom and clinical environments.  The subject matter will vary from week to week, and will correlate with the class objectives listed in your syllabus. 

The rules of the blog are simple:  Be courteous, respectful and active.  The blog will be updated 1-2 tiems per week, anytime between Tuesday-Sunday (prior to class on Monday).  Each student is expected to post one reply to the blog update, and must be prepared to discuss the case studies in class.  Videos, or other multimedia, may be posted to the blog.  Students are required to view all material posted on the blog site prior to coming to class.  Don't be afraid to post questions or comments to the blog, as we will all learn from each other. 

This blog should be a fun way to interact with each other, and learn more about the psychiatric population that we are studying. 

I will be posting the first case study shortly.  So...let the fun begin!


Thanks,
Michelle