Nathalia Julianne A.

Garcia February 14, 2023

BSN 2-3 Group 2 (Tuesday only)

Journal Duty #1: Community Health Nursing

Tuesday, February 14, 2023, valentines day. It is also the day that I and my
groupmates unlock another experience in our nursing journey. That day is the first day
of our 1st rotation duty for the second semester at Mauway Health Center,
Mandaluyong. When I arrived at the center I felt excited and at the same time scared
and there were strange feelings. Since it is the first time we had exposure to real
community settings and we know nothing. After we got oriented by the head nurse and
made an introduction for us to build teamwork as we went down to our station.

On my first station, I and my two teammates were assigned to list patients and
get their body temperature and blood pressure. Before we go to our next station, I have
this one male patient who has a mild stroke. He went to the center just to get his
maintenance medicine but I only find out that the reason why his blood pressure taken
by me is 137 over 98 is that he never stops drinking alcohol as he is supposed to and
he ate a lot of rice in a meal. The center refers the patient to Mandaluyong City Medical
Center to update his laboratories and prescription. In the afternoon, a couple came to
the center for their family planning. Their first choice is implants but because of certain
stances, they weren't able to avail of them. Instead, the mother chooses depo
injectables that last up to 3 months. So that after 3 mothers they can switch to implants.

Before that day ends, I've learned that mastery of the vital signs is very important
in all settings of health facilities. I've also learned that there are some situations that a
center cannot handle. It requires help from a bigger health organization. To sum up that
day, communication is key in providing care, especially to marginalized people in the
community for them to encourage them to take care of their health. Nothing will happen
if the nurses won't approach people in the community because a lot of them are scared
and shy to initiate about their conditions. As a first-timer in the real community setting, I
learned a lot and I know that there is a first time for everything and there is room for
improvement. Until next time, Ciao