NorQuest College-PN Program

Assignment: Professional Portfolio

Student Name: Amy Nicolas
Course: NFDN 2003, A02

E-3-1
Competency: Category
Letter, Number and Demonstrate knowledge and ability to manage elimination: bladder
Subcategory capacity assessment, catheter flush, distension, urethral and coude catheter
(insert and removal, and residual urine.
Significant Learning A large competent of this course is based around proper intake of fluids and
Experience: Describe what can happen when there is too much or too little fluid and catherization
one significant learning and elimination are two very important components of monitoring this.
experience in this Whether that’s making sure a surgery client who is NPO gets proper fluids or
course related to the a person who is unable to urinate gets a catheter to drain the urine. We learn
CLPNA Competency that proper hydration is important for healing and maintaining the body’s acid-
identified. Provide an base levels. There is a clear connection between a vast majority of the skills
example in this course and elimination.

Coming into this course I was probably the most uncomfortable with the idea
of inserting a catheter because this is one of the most vulnerable areas a person
has on their body. We spent a vast amount of time learning how to insert a
What you Learned: catheter and recalling the peri care from 1002 so by the time we completed the
Describe what you elimination labs and had one integration lab I felt much more comfortable
learned and how it with this skill. I found that the catheter and fluid retention skills carried
relates to the through to almost all of the skills in lab. Proper input and output is key
competency identified. component in healing and many of the skills require nurses to monitor in’s and
out’s. Even things like IV fluids or blood products that are inserted into the
body it’s very important for the client to eliminate the extra fluid through the
urinary tract system. When this does not occur then inserting a catheter is very
important.
Proficiency Rating:
Use the “Proficiency I think that I would rate myself a good to excellent. I am able to understand
Rating Categories” the importance of hydration and elimination in all aspects of nursing. There is
(excellent, good, fair, a very clear connection between all of the skills and elimination because of the
poor) to rate your amount of skills that require us to keep track of the inputs and outputs of a
proficiency in the client and assess hydration and the urinary system. We spent a lot of time
identified CLPNA practicing putting in and taking out catheters as well as many of clients in the
competency. Explain mock scenario’s in lab had catheter that we had to either assess, take out, or
what was done to monitor.
achieve the competency
and to support your
rating.

May 2017-final
 NorQuest College-PN Program

Significance of
Learning: Explain how I think monitoring fluid intake and output is going to be imperative in my
the identified practice as a nurse because so many different skills and conditions rely so
competency enhanced heavily on making sure that there isn’t fluid overload or retention in the
your learning (was system. I also know UTI and bladder infections are some of the most common
meaningful) in this infections to get with catheters so making sure that I follow the principles of
course sterility will be vital to my practice.
Nursing Practice: I will be able to apply what I have learned in class to my future careers as a
Describe how you will nurse because I have been told catheters are very common in everyday
be able to apply this nursing. I’m sure that I will have to put in quite a few as well as monitor ones
learning in your current that are already in place. My strength will be in my sterile technique as we
and future nursing have practiced this so much and the repetition has created some really good
practice (What are your habits that will carry through into lots of different areas of my nursing
strengths and what are practice. My weakness will lie in being uncomfortable inserting catheters into
your future learning a real client in the beginning but I’m sure the more I do it the more
needs). comfortable I will become.
Canadian Licensed Practical Nurse Association. (2015). Competency profile
for licensed practical nurses. (4th ed). p 45. Retrieved from
APA: Reference https://www.clpna.com/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/doc_Competency_Profile_for_LPNs_4th_Ed
_2019.pdf

May 2017-final