Medical-Surgical Clinical ExperienceNameInstitutionMy Clinical ExperienceI had a year to go to the completion of my coursework when I had the most significant clinical experience that will impact my practice in the future. It was in a busy health Centre and a patient had just coded.

My work as a student nurse was to follow my healthcare aid around the ward, assisting her to perform resident care. A lady patient had just arrived in a critical condition of bowel movement throughout the night. She required a lot of assistance as she had dementia diagnosis and could not communicate or find the toilet. I almost left the room because it was so unpleasant with the odour that overwhelmed me but I chose to stay so that the resident would not be embarrassed.

I helped her clean up and changed her linens, my feelings pertaining intimate care seemed significant. The reasons for not having much training in intimate care could be because most people view it as dirty work that is undervalued by the society. In this case, I tried achieving my goal as a practising nurse while ensuring I remained professional in my actions. I, therefore, did what I thought was right for me, not bothering what the society had to say about it. I had evaluated both the patients’ and my own personal issues and made a decision according to my morals and values. My techniques were stiff and uncontrolled and therefore never matched those for health care aids, which brought a lot of discomfort to me.

Due to doubts about my personal skills and experience, it took me longer than usual before I completed my tasks. That feeling of discomfort as I performed intimate care became so obvious after I reflected back to this clinical experience. In the future, I would like to focus on emotional stability, quick response and physical endurance while handling patients.