Portfolio D 1

Portfolio D

Shayna Mutter

Practical Nursing program, Vancouver Island University

PRNU: 115 professional communication

Hanna Kelly

July 20, 2021

Portfolio D 2

This professional communication course has had many important topics related to our
upcoming nursing careers. LA 2 we discussed culture as a class and took a good look into our
own cultural awareness while completing an online assessment questionnaire.

I have lived in Nanaimo my entire life. I love home made spaghetti, daily walks, hot
baths and camping in the summers. Family is important to me, friends and my pets. I love my
pets as much as my family let’s be honest here. I do my best to be kind to others, recently been
drinking more water and taking my daily vitamins. Much passed these few things mentioned I
really don’t have any deep rooted traditions, spirituality or culture in my life. I do visit Tim
Hortons more than three times a week on average, so I guess that’s pretty Canadian eh?

Our instructor had us complete a cultural assessment a few weeks ago that scored
ourselves on a large list of questions to see how well we were doing on our cultural awareness. I
felt I scored a lot lower than I would have initially thought. Growing up in a smaller community
and attending a very guarded elementary school, there was very little if any teachings on
diversity. I treat people with respect and don’t believe I’ve ever treated anyone different based on
how they look or what they believe in. High school there was a focus on aboriginal culture
practices a few times a year, but unfortunately it seemed to create a large segregation between
aboriginal students and other students. I think it's important to never make anyone feel different
unless it's something they communicate and they can comfortably share and be forth coming
about.

At the start of this this program cultural differences have seldom been on the forefront of
my mind. I generally try to look at people the same no matter their skin colour, relationship
preferences, spirituality and beliefs. I didn’t spend as much time as I should have considering
people’s preferences on different treatment options in relation to their cultural beliefs and
traditions. When considering culture, something even like food preferences could be a potential
obstacle for people who only use to or enjoy a certain diet. During a hospital stay or discussing
dietary changes following a health crisis, it is important to discuss these matters with patients and
find what’s important to them. If there is any family dynamics, being polite and professional,
aware and asking questions for clarification.

I’ve gained a far better understanding of the importance of exploring and discussing ideas
with patients. Realizing people of different cultures may share different ideas or have alternate
practices I have little familiarity with. I am open to learning and hope I can gain a bit more
experience over the coming year. I have worked on finding any bias that I may have had in the
past. I found that there was people close to me with different views on things that I had grown up
around that I needed to be aware of and form my own opinions on. I have continued to work on
furthering my knowledge on many cultures while finding ways to discuss and have an
understanding approach with patients in the future. I believe in treating everyone as an
individual, discussing their medical preferences, diets and routines with sensitivity and
understanding of their beliefs. I hope to take this assessment questionnaire again in a few months
and score a lot better in the near future.
Portfolio D 3

During my reflection I learned that I tend to put my cultural awareness down to how I
was raised or where I went to school when in reality its my job as an adult to become informed
and gather my own information. Many people go through life with bias and do very little to
become more informed or potentially open their minds to others religions, cultural practices or
beliefs different than their own. It's our job to find out what we can do help others heal in the
most comfortable productive way possible, specialized to the individual that they are. Even if
their beliefs or cultures differ from our own.

I need to know more about different cultures, I have been working on a couple sites,
learning more about religions and culture practices common in Canada. It is an ongoing project,
amongst everything else. I guess my specific need to know would be the right to refuse treatment
for your children or yourself if you’re an adolescent based on your religion or beliefs. I find this
to be something I would struggle with and not be able to feel right with in an acute setting as a
care team member. Every person (including minors) capable (i.e., able to understand relevant
information and reasonably foresee consequences) may give or refuse consent to treatment.
(Canadian Paediatric Society. n.d.). From my understanding healthcare professionals can get
court ordered approval to go forward with life saving treatment for adolescents if parents refuse
care. (Canadian Paediatric Society. n.d.). Something like an ear infection or vaccine can be left
up to the parent or children’s wishes. I would still like to look more into this and or discuss in
class with our instructors more on this topic or any experiences the may have encountered.
Portfolio D 4

Reflecting on our third LA I spent a lot of time thinking about the practical nurses role in
the care team, particularly a close team member with the HCA’s in long term care.

Working in long term care for the last four years I’d thought I had a strong understanding
on the HCA and PN relationship. Every nurse you work with has a different approach and seems
to do their job a little differently. When there is a lack of communication from nurses the HCA’s
may feel that they are bothering the nurse, important health related matters can be missed.
Generally in LTC this is the residents home, though often there are health related changes that
need to be reported to the nurse, this relationship should be open and helpful for both sides.

During this program we have learned that as the nurse we will be completing
assessments, observing skin and managing wounds on patients. Speaking to residents, caring for
their mental and physical needs is also an important part of the job. Much of my experience in
long term care is the majority of LPN’s do very little resident assistance or interaction during
their shift. There is not typically an assessment until an HCA notices something during care or
after a fall. I have enjoyed visiting other long term care homes during practicum where nurses
may have more time to help and interact with the residents in-between med admin and
documentation. Acute care I’d imagine is a lot more interaction with patients and will be a
completely different experience all together. I hope to push myself outside of my comfort zone
and work in a hospital as well as LTC after completing this course.

The relationship between the practical nurses and HCA’s often feels strained when there
is a lack of support by the LPN’s. LPN’s asking HCA’s their opinions and discussing how
residents are doing and appreciating their role in the team leads to a supportive and flourishing
environment for everyone. Respect for your co workers is needed in any work environment to be
successful. Everyone brings an important role to the team of care staff from doctors to nurses,
HCA and support services. I am excited and nervous all at once to change roles but hope I'll have
a strong understanding of both positions. I wonder what my co workers and other HCA’s would
describe as a great nurse, I’d like some feedback from them on what they find helpful as it may
differ slightly from my own opinion.
Portfolio D 5

During my second reflection I learned that I may have a bias based on my experiences
with the LPN’s at my work. As I was reflecting most of what I could think about involved the
lack of communication and teamwork between some PN’s and HCA’s. Or the superiority feeling
some nurses project onto HCA’s which is fine in some circumstances but doesn’t make much of a
team atmosphere. Especially when everyone is working hard. I hope to be a nurse that helps
others, communicates affectively and never makes someone feel unappreciated. I hope to meet a
lot of nurses to aspire to be like one day that put fourth their very best effort and put the residents
first. I understand sometimes the work load does make things challenging, but all we can do is
try our best with what we are given.

I need to learn more about the role of the LPN’s especially in acute care, hospital settings.
How much say do we have, do we have very little say in treatment plans? Does the RN do a lot
more of the planning while PN’s complete assessments and give prescribed medication we have
orders for. LPN’s are guidance and leaders for the HCA’s when they need it, or if it's out of their
scope. How much say do we have over what they do? If we feel we aren’t being listened to or
respected after speaking with them first what other resources do we have? I found some really
helpful information on conflict resolution for nurses in the workplace, topics such as ego based
conflict, de-escalation and communication techniques to resolve an issue or prevention of one
even starting. (Trusted Health. RSS. 2021, April 20)
Portfolio D 6

References

Canadian Paediatric Society. (n.d.). Medical decision-making in paediatrics:

Infancy to adolescence: Canadian Paediatric Society. Medical decision-making in
paediatrics: Infancy to adolescence | Canadian Paediatric Society. https://www.cps.ca/en/
documents/position/medical-decision-making-in-paediatrics-infancy-to-adolescence.

Conflict In Nursing: Types, Strategies, and Resolutions - Trusted Health. RSS.

(2021, April 20). https://www.trustedhealth.com/blog/conflict-resolution-in-nursing.