Reflection on Task Management in Nursing

look on Task Management in breast feedingDescription what happened.Whilst on the job(p) on a medical shield with a senior module take for as a learn, I identified certain competencies which involve achieving around counselling of disturbance, and negotiated these with the mentor. Accordingly, the mentor suggested that I send charge of the patient workload we had been allocated for that shift, and twain prioritise the c ar and nursing tasks, and in any case calculate the cellblock round with the medical teams, providing the nurse liaison and taking the operating instructions from the consultants in relation to ongoing patient care and case instruction.Accordingly, I agreed on the prioritisation of patient tasks and allocated the workload to the members of lag in our team, and when the cover rounds began, my mentor and I attended. However, when the doctors communicated with us, they automatically addressed her, and although she turned to me to provide see information, they continued to chiefly communicate with her, and she did non correct this. Subsequently, she took charge of the ward rounds and I remained as an observer. At the end of the ward rounds, it should claim been my lineament to take the instructions given and to implement them in changing care plans and in directing or implementing clinical tasks. However, my mentor continued to take charge of this for the rest of the time, giving me little opportunity to experience this panorama of the role for myself.FeelingsThere is a great sense of office associated with heed tasks, which extends beyond being responsible for individual patients to being responsible for a group of patients, and for the actions of some staff allocated to their care. I matte very potently motivated towards achieving management competencies, moreover also very nervous and pertain that I would do this effectively without compromising patient care. I felt that I was achieving well under supervision until the ward rounds, where the mentor took all over and did not discuss why she had done this. I then felt as if I was unable to fulfil my competencies, and that I must train failed in some way because she did not go away me to continue in the role.EvaluationIt was very positive to take charge of some management tasks and to complete these effectively. In particular, other staff responded well to me taking on this responsibility (in liaison with my mentor), and this positive feedback gave me more corporate trust to continue in this role. However, the way that my mentor just stepped in and took charge during the ward rounds undermined my sureness and was very challenging to deal with. I felt that I should bind been more assertive at this point, but did not feel I had the confidence to do this.AnalysisThe acquisition of the complex skills associated with the staff nurse role have always been problematic (Gerrish, 2000). However, the literature seems to suggest that nurses are knowledg e to perform this role in a rather baggy manner,in the light of what they perceive to be inadequate preparation and lack of view as (Gerrish, 2000). Bradshaw (1998) suggests that this is partly because nursing competency is only vaguely and broadly defined, which operator that preparation and assessment of competency is two haphazard and unstructured. This also suggests at that place may be a potential safety hazard for both patient and nurse (Bradshaw, 1998). This would certainly seem to be the case here, where the inability to fully engage with management roles does not support the scholarly person in becoming competent. Baillie (1999) in an action research lead of the topic arrange that preparation of students for their management role as staff nurses benefits from being nigh linked to practical experience, with clear learning outcomes and supportive clinical staff. In this instance, staff were generally supportive, and clear learning outcomes set, but the mentor faile d to get along by means of to meet these outcomes completely. This may have been because the mentor felt that thither was a risk to patient care and safety, but this was not communicated to the student and there may have been other ways in which this could have been managed.However, there may be other reasons for this occurrence. Cahill (1996) in a miniscule study found there to be a type of ward culture that not only separates those with knowledge from those who need to learn, but also reinforces the position of the student through both covert and overt mechanisms of pull wires. If such(prenominal)(prenominal) a finding were applicable in this case, then it would suggest that the mentor may have been (consciously or subconsciously) reasserting her own authority and position of post and greater knowledge. The position of student nurses may also be such that they adhere to these cultural dresss in order to ensure they receive a favourable report at the end of the arrangement ( Cahill, 1996). Lofmark and Wikblad (2001), in a study of facilitating and obstructing factors for development of learning in clinical practice, found that responsibility and independence, opportunities to practise different tasks, and receiving feedback were facilitating factors for learning. In this case, it would appear that responsibility was offered, but not fully, and it is problematic to see how a student can achieve consecutive independence whilst being supervised.In Lofmark and Wikblads (2001) study, other perceived promoting factors include eruditions of control of the situation and understanding of the total picture. Here it would have been profitable perhaps if the staff nurse had explained to the student why she retained control and why she did not follow through on her promise to allow the student to take charge. Such behaviour was found in the Lofmark and Wikblad study to be one of the obstructing factors to learning, where the nurses as supervisors did not rely on the students. early(a) obstructing factors were supervision that lacked continuity and lack of opportunities to practise Lofmark and Wikblad, 2001). Perception of their own want and low self-reliance were drawbacks for some students (Lofmark and Wikblad, 2001), which is also true in this reflection, but these perceptions seem to be linked to the ways in which mentors and other staff perceive and interact with students. It also appears that the NMC Code of Conduct (2004) works both to support students here but also restricts their opportunities to engage in practice, callable to the need to primarily protect and support the wellbeing of the patients.ConclusionThe learning that has taken place here is vitally important for continued surgery and the acquisition of confidence as a staff nurse in future. Not only do ward cultures play a grownup part in student experiences, but relationships are the fundamental contribution of how nurses function in their environment. Some aspects of the nurse-mentor relationship, while perceived as challenging, may be necessary or inevitable, and it has not become clear to me through this reflection how this can be changed, other than to raise these issues honestly with mentors during initial and mid-point interviews to acknowledge them and how they will affect the learning experience.Action Plan search dimensions of the nurse-mentor relationship furtherRaise issues of independence, power and control during initial placement interviews.Seek out ways to develop management competencies through a variety of mechanisms and experiences.Identify communication issues and potential means of addressing them.Engage in more management activities, daily, until other staff members gain trust in my ability to fulfil these roles.Attend all ward rounds to gain confidence in this area.Engage in future cycles of reflection.ReferencesBaillie, M. (1999) Preparing adult branch students for their management role as staff nurses an action research p roject. Journal of breast feeding Management 7 (4), 225234.Bradshaw, A. (1998) Defining competency in nursing an analytical review. Journal of Clinical Nursing 7 (2), 103111.Cahill, H.A. (1996) A qualitative psychoanalysis of student nurses experiences of mentorship Journal of Advanced Nursing 24 (4), 791799.Gerrish, K. (2000) Still incompetent along? A comparative study of the newly qualified nurses perception of the transition from student to qualified nurse Journal of Advanced Nursing 32 (2), 473480.Lfmark,A. Wikblad, K. (2001) Facilitating and obstructing factors for development of learning in clinical practice a student perspective Journal of Advanced Nursing 34 (1), 4350.Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2004). The NMC Code of Professional Conduct Standards for Conduct, work and Ethics . London. Nursing and Midwifery Council.