Social Work Professional Foundation and Nursing - Essay Example

Nursing Practicum Student’s Name Subject Professor University/Institution Location Date Nursing Practicum Australian health care sector has been under pressure to provide improved services for increasing health care demands. Due to Australian increased ageing population and prevalence of chronic diseases like diabetes, kidney disease and heart failure disease health sector seeks qualified providers. It has also witnessed increase of residential aged care industry to focus more on formal aged care rather than cottage industry. Most residential aged care services are offered by personal care assistance or assistance nurses with limited skills and knowledge in complex health care needs especially for older people. Most of professional nurse students are deployed in health sector to establish practical foundation of knowledge and skills. While in practicum many students fail to recognize their short comes in some areas thus complicating the situation further. Nevertheless, through social work skills and knowledge obtain in both theoretical and practical realms such professionalism is achieved (Kiser 2008). Social work practicum offer students with learning experiences in order to integrate and apply class work theory to practical situations. In the first few weeks students are more eager to demonstrate their competencies through serving in a wider range of practice areas. But after sometimes are settling down to reflect on their services and how to better them to improve patients health care (Sweitzer, et al. 1999). The paper discusses social work practicum practiced at Milpara home nursing care for aged. The work was challenging due to various dangerous risks involved in caring the aged especially mentally challenged. Some of challenging areas included caring for older people; Aboriginal Australian people, people with diverse culture and language, acute health care settings, mental health care, additions, homelessness and domestic violence. At the end of the day the work was fulfilling and rewarding (Baird, & Brian 2011). According to Garthwait & Cynthia (2008), the social work practicum exposures one to such diverse range of issues in order to learn on how to apply theoretical knowledge acquired into practical settings. It prepares students to enter into field of practicing social work as professionals. The paper demonstrates how social work theories learned in class were useful in practicum settings in Milpara home care for elderly. Systems theory is an interdisciplinary field that emphasizes the way in which a prearranged systems answer in an adaptive way to deal with considerable changes in their external surroundings in order to sustain their fundamental structures integral (Skyttner 2005). Concept of system theory in social work is derived from the general system theory in biology, where it recognizes that all groups are system (Park & Lee 2003). As the above statement suggests, a system is a set of elements that are prearranged as well as connected to make a functional entire. In comparison with other people in the society, people living in nursing home are the vulnerable individuals who need care. Additionally, their right could not be sustained because of the problems that exist in the society, in the family as well as in themselves. These people who include elderly people with dementia, mentally ill people need support and care. As a social worker working in a Milpara community nursing home in Australia, the ecological system theory is proper for the protection of these people. This is because the community nursing home take care of old people who are not economically productive, have no carers at their home and the people who are disabled or suffering from different diseases. Due to their different problems, these people in nursing home have difficulties in interacting as well as social adaption. In regards to this, the people in nursing home have different behavior problems and emotion pressure in adapting to the environment they are living in because of lack of proper care by their families. Therefore, connecting the elderly people living in nursing home to the environment in which they live is the important as a matter of protecting them. As stated above, the families of the people living in nursing home are not stable and lack the resources of taking care of their loved ones at home. This result to them being taken care of at the nursing home, which is the surrounding in which they live in, therefore social public communities should assist the families to find some easy way in getting finances which could assist them in taking care of their persons. As they look for the resources for help, they need the economy and the values support of the system. Ecological theory, which is also known as development theory or human ecology theory recognizes environmental systems which a person interacts (Pickett et al 2010). It gives a structure from which psychologists study the relationships with peoples’ perspectives within the community as well as the society in general. Human are ecological organisms inter-reliant with other organisms in the surroundings. Humans cannot be considered as separate from other organisms or the surrounding. People as well as group are both biological and social in nature, which are comprised in ecosystem in interaction with the surrounding. Ecosystem is founded on holistic ground that transformation in any part of the system influences the system as a whole and the parts of the system. This presumes the entire system and the elements are interdependent as well as operate in connection to each other. The ecological systems viewpoints are a popular and broadly used structure in social work. The ecological structure targets for transformation all people as well as community systems and the relations that play part in development and maintenance of the people’s problems. As a social worker in milpara nursing home, ecological theory framework assists in viewing individuals through different social systems and to incorporate techniques in different practices. Best practices in the nursing home helps in designing effective interventions as well as systems of care. This emphasizes the development of the elderly people as well as the maintenance of strategies within the nursing home, to ensure that the people are progressing well. As Zastrow (2010) states, the theory descript and analysis the human as well as other existence systems and the interface and relation between them. When applying this theory in caring for the people, the social worker need to incorporate all the subsystems and look for the resources to help these people to adapt to the environment, as well as solve all the problems they are facing. The most important thing with the social worker is to pay attention to the environment that the people are living in, which entail the past and the present and. On the other hand, the surrounding that the people living in nursing home are living in, will also have an impact on each other; this is by changing resources as well as emotions, which could also affect their living situations. In regards to this, nursing home is the place where these people live; therefore, it is the most closely surrounding with them, and the social worker should make the place comfortable to them as possible. As Yu (2004) states, strength theory is a social work exercise, that accentuates individuals self willpower and strengths. This is a client led theory that focuses on future results as well as the strengths that people take to a crisis. In regards to this, the theory deals with the yield as well as failure of materials under a composite stress state. Strength theory can also be defined as any theory in which the subject’s option of answer from a set of possible responses is established with a probability of unity by the precise values of some number of unsystematic variables having nonstop circulation functions on the real numbers (Teodorescu 2004). The set of assumptions such as a deterministic decision rule working on one or more unsystematic variables is what makes a set of assumptions a strength theory. There is no need of more to the theory than the decision rule with its particular input variables; this means that there is a need for little theory connecting the values of the intervention variables to experimentally influence or computable stimulus variables. Strength theory involves making confident judgements. The theory is important to a social worker working in a nursing community; this is because it helps in making confident decision regarding the people in the nursing home. In regards to this, the theory assists in decision making regarding any crisis in the nursing home and how the social worker handles it and its outcomes after solving it. It also gives one a determination to give the best care to the individuals. A social worker should apply strength theory when working; this is because the theory assists in making interventions to different issues with different individuals. The theory emphasizes on the result of a crisis or a problem. According to Turner (2011), empowerment theory enables people to access resources that are within their environment as well have the power to control their lives and also to use these resources. Empowerment theory enables people to enhance personal and interpersonal power so as to effectively improve their living conditions. Before engaging in social work studies on empowerment theory are necessary so as to empower the nurses or any person involved in social work in the community. Empowerment theory promotes a multi-dimensional approach to social work such that the social workers are able to empower the people they are giving their services to so that they take control of their life. This means that the people once empowered are able to control their own lives and also to make use of the resources around them to better their lives. Application of empowerment theory in providing service to the aged in Milpara nursing home involves the nurses being to awaken their clients to be in charge of their lives and their environment. This comes through enhancing their power to make decision on situations in their lives as well as their ability to make use of the resources around them to make their lives better. The theory enables the old in Milpara nursing home integrate the community, themselves and the professional help they get from the social workers and make the best of them by improving their living standards. As social worker in Milpara nursing home one must have gone through the theoretical part of empowerment theory during their training and is thus expected to practically apply these knowledge in empowering the aged so that they are able to have power over their lives and the resources in their environment (Walsh 2010). Empowerment of the old people in the nursing home will be achieved if the nurse can be able to support the decision they make and showing them that if the decisions are implemented they make their lives better especially for people suffering from dementia supporting them in implementation of their decision facilitates in boosting their esteem and thus improving the quality of their lives. As a nurse taking care of the old in Milpara nursing home one should also support them in initiating activities that will make use of the resources in their environment thus helping the old make their lives better because they are not idle and can even create some income to support their lives from that (Melkote & Steeves 2001). Personal centered theory encourages the nurses and health care providers to offer care that is patient centered. It involves patients, physicians, service users, carers, and family members in decision making. The healthcare providers guide them to make proper choices about their health care. Australian government policy on health care seeks to provide a care which is perceived to be good by the patient himself. That is, health care that focuses on patient well being but not only his/her health care problems. However, health care providers such as government, nongovernmental organisations often express the desire to deliver services which are person-centered but are challenge to achieve and sustain it. It requires professionalism, specific skills, sustainable strategies and shared practices by clinical team. Person-centered care also demands organizational support and sustainable workplace culture. Major challenge to provide person-centered care is the ability to create rapid relationship between the nurse and patient and maintain patient’s privacy and continuity of care. Person-centered theory values the patient’s aspirations, values, beliefs, health and social needs preferences. This will ensure patient is informed to make his/her choices from better options. Person-centered care promotes patient’s independence and freedom. It also enables the nurses to share decision making with patients rather than dictating to them. Health care providers meet patient’s expectations and preferences by providing specific services. In Milpara home care I offer advices for patients to understand technical information, complex terms, evidence, options and consequences of his/her choice. Patients were able to decide on questions like what, where, when and who regarding their basic health care activities which improved their care. It is by allowing patients to access support from other health and social care professionals. On the other hand, health care leadership is significant in promoting effective person-centered care. Person-centered care is attained by modeling patient centered culture to create sustainable values. Person-centered care also demands implementations systems which encourage receiving feedback, systematic evaluations and patient’s involvement in decision making on his/her health matters. A person-centered theory has been very useful in my nursing experiences at Milpara nursing home for aged. It is the best approach to foster therapeutic relationship with old people. I was able to develop rapport through respecting and valuing their personal rights, listen to their beliefs and wishes. In addition, I applied person-centered theory I learned to enlighten the Milpara leadership and entire nursing staff to recognize the importance of person-centered culture for our aged patients. After the management accept to develop and implement it the aged patients health care provision improved. The person-centered theory assisted in changing my perceptions about caring from technical viewing of patient care to non technical dimensions of caring which is more important. It has changed feeling of rejection, despair and hopelessness to instill self-worth, determination and hope among the aged. Many were able to open up and speak about their expectations and preferences for their care. This gave me a great opportunity to serve them in line with their wishes. The aged care services improved as well as enable the aged to trust and believe in care than before. I advised them accordingly to make sound decisions from a range of choices. Due to good rapport the aged people feel more connected and develop a sense of belonging. I have initiated various activities according to their preferences to have meaningful engagement with patients. The main aim was to know the patients in person to create that important connectedness and belonging. Person-centered theory has been a success by creating good relationship between staff and patient. It has also successfully enhanced team-work, intentionality, language, facilitation of more choices, minimizing routine and ritual in Milpara home care. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a problem-based, present oriented and highly-structured method of psychological therapeutic. It focuses on patient’s challenges to assist them to know and change their evil feelings, concepts and behaviors to a more logical, rational, realistic and balanced way. CBT consists of cognitive and behavioral therapies. Main presumption of CBT consists of behavioral theory, which states that behavior can be learned or change with situations facing an individual. Cognitive process seeks to know how person feels, behaves, thinks, faulty thoughts and distorted beliefs leads to negative results. The main schemas and beliefs grow in early stage memories raising automatic concepts and might be reflected in old age. Through cognitive process a presenting activity results to behavioral and emotional consequences (Susan & Hurst 1993). By use of CBT in my assignment in Milpara nursing home I was able to assess feels, behaviors, thoughts and beliefs of my aged patients. Since BCT states that, an individual thinking pattern determines his/her emotional and behavioral responses to present problem I finding it helpful. I use it to focus on present events as well as searching proper ways of sustaining the current situation. BCT has enabled to learn that people’s eternal environment, cognitions, behaviors, emotions and beliefs mutually overlap each other. My main duty was to direct the process in collaboration with patient’s preferences. I found it easy to operate and evaluate its efficacy by observing patients social pattern. This is because it seeks personal voluntary acceptance of the process to promote dignity and confidentiality of an individual to trust (Kramer 2004). The CBT theory is more useful in assisting my aged patients whose current behavior and emotional feeling originate from their cognitive early memories. Through directive process the patients are able to re-discover themselves to live happily. Patients are able to share freely and voluntary their bad feels and thoughts from bad experience which affects their current behavior (Williams & Mark 1992). The patients who attend for therapy come out more fulfilled and changed positively. Some are emotional when sharing their own experiences to a point of crying which is part of therapy. I have also learned that some negative feeling which causes depression end up in chronic and mental disorders. Due to unbalanced thoughts and emotional feelings at early stages of life depression is common for older people (Kramer 2004). Using CBT in therapeutic process in my assignment, patients with chronic diseases and mental disorders are able to understand and accept their current situations. Through accepting their current events are healed and feel more relaxed. The process has also helped them to believe in the process in order to change their behavior and emotions to improve their health care. The process normally takes 14 to 16 weeks except for few cases which forces me to extend the period a bit longer. Most of aged people are responding well and are ready to share their personal problems due to trust and confidence created by CBT process (Susan & Hurst 1995). Narrative therapy is a non-remorseful and respectful approach used to externalize personal problems. The approach does not focus on problems as such but views them as challenges of life. Narrative focuses on people’s capabilities and techniques to tackle their life’s challenges. Personal attitudes, perceptions, values, competencies and objectives are promoted as a strategy to reframe problem stories (Morgan 2000). The main focus of narrative therapy is to identify a problem and then start the externalizing process of it. While externalizing a problem, a person is able to distance him/herself from it. Individual is also able to seek alternative stories to face individual rapport to the problem. When a problem is externalized an individual is able to found an alternative story for the problem (Morgan 2000). Narrative therapy theory has helped in my assignment in assisting the aged people at Milpara nursing home to externalize their problems. Majority of patients were depressed due to internalized thoughts and feelings as problems. Internalized problems are conceived as personal downplay and negative perception of one’s ability and worthy. Through narrative therapy am able to shift the conception of self-identification with problem to externalize problem (Jeon et al. 2010). Patients are able to discard the feelings like “I am the problem” to discover their knowledge and skills at present. Narrative therapy has made me to develop de-centered sharing with patients to avoid risk my sense of guiding role in the process. Most of patients were filled with negative attitudes and feelings from their early experiences from domestic violence, linguistic diversity, cultural difference and other historical events (Yanos et al. 2011). By use of narrative therapy I guided patients from personal guilty to outside world by externalizing their experiences through stories. I start by seeking their preferences, wishes, personal values and desires. After a patient had given his/her story I guide to relate it with another alternative story to help him/her plot common meaning from it. Narrative therapy has really helped me to care for patients with chronic complications and mental disorder in Milpara home care. The process in involves story telling of personal past experiences to discover reason behind such behavior and feeling. After that patient is able to understand his/her behavior and feels which influence much the care. Then patients are ready to view the problem as positive attribute through alternative story. I found narrative therapy very vital in aged care because of its healing ability when apply effectively and professionally (Morgan 2000). Communication is a process of transferring information from one place to another usually from a sender to a receiver. This is done through medium that the information transferred is well understood by the receiver of the message. The mode of communication helps in exchange and at the same time allows organisms to use visual and expressional signs to make the information more relevant and well understood. The message conveyer plays an important role; this is because distortion of the message changes the intended meaning. As such, it is important to maintain the original meaning of a message to avoid distortion and change of meaning. Every person needs communication skills in order to send some information to audience in a way that is efficient and receive information correctly. Communication skills will help me to take all fields of activities in this Milpara nursing home. To know and understand what patients and elderly people want, good listening habits are very important. This is equally important, as such; application of theoretical perspective to practice is helpful in this practice. To ensure that all persons in this nursing home get and understand me properly, communication skills are hence very essential. The timing of delivering directives and using communication facial and gestures determines how the elderly people and every other person Milpara nursing home will interpret the message. Good communication is increasing confidence among the persons in this nursing home. This is the application of wide ranging skills for targeting any size of systems. It is also working in an organizational structure, which is under supervision. Some of the skills used general practices are micro skills, macro skills and mezzo skills. Generalist intervention models involve critical thinking skills and planned changes where needed. This, as learned in class, are helping me in providing the best forms of interventions to the elderly people in Milpara nursing home. To make changes, I follow engagement and assessment to all persons involved and concerned. Planned changes in general intervention model are, engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, termination and follow up. These are very important in GIM and in providing the best care in Milpara nursing home holistically. As a worker and practitioner in Milpara nursing home, I do not choose which issues and problems to solve or address first. Rather, I see an issue or a problem and try to solve it and help persons affected solve the issues, no matter how difficult they are. As a social worker, it is essential that I possess a wide range of skills. Importantly, I possess these skills from the knowledge in college. These skills have prepared me to help persons with personal issues and with broad problems that affect the completely nursing home or the whole community. Essentially, generalist intervention model help healthcare practitioners, nurses and regulatory authorities to understand families, know how to work with families, understand and practice ethics, values and resolutions when in a dilemma. They also help them to be racially and ethnically sensitive practitioners, gender sensitive practice, to be advocates, brokers, good case managers and possess recording skills. To exhibit professionalism in providing care for the aged in milpara nursing home leadership skills are very essential. These skills enable one to approach social work with a lot of understanding as well as positive approach even the complex and challenging issues that may face one in the course of their service. That is why, while studying, as a nurse, it is necessary that I integrate knowledge on leadership skills. It is important this knowledge enables one to approach care for the aged y applying and playing leadership role. A leader is a person that is able to influence groups and organize people so that they are able to collectively achieve the set goals and objectives. A leader should also be able to respond to a situation by providing a solution. This is only possible if one is equipped with the right skills for a leadership role in the course of their service Rooney et al (2011) Brueggemann (2013) leadership when providing social services in a nursing home is necessary so that one is able to create ample relationship between with the aged one is providing care to and among them. For one to effectively carry out leadership in nursing home, they should be able to effectively delegate. Roles among those they are working with. Having the right leadership kills make one capable of cultivating a spirit of teamwork in the practice of social service to the aged in a nursing home. A good leader should be able to motivate those you are providing care to. Leaders should be able to operate in a multicultural environment such that they are able the cope with the diverse personality and character of those they are providing care to. This means that in providing care to the aged in nursing homes they should nurses should be tolerant, understanding and patient so that they can establish a good relationship between them and the aged in this nursing home. Ability to motivate is a key aspect among social work leaders so as to effectively play their role in leadership by motivating the employees in social work they also should have the strategies to enable them motivate their clients in nursing home by establishing a good rapport with them and rewarding their behavior so as to keep them positive about being in the nursing home. When the leaders in social work manage to keep their employees motivated they enhance productivity. This can be achieved by effective application of the different theories of motivation. The acquired leadership styles should be combined to make the role effective Epstein & Blumenfield (2012). All these acquired in study on leadership should be put to practice in Milpara nursing home so as to establish the right working environment. Those in leadership should apply all theories possible to ensure that their employees are motivated. Those in the leadership position should also have the right qualities to so that they can effectively attend to the needs of their clients. They should be understanding and problem solvers so as to deal with each situation accordingly. The nurse leader should also enhance an ample working environment in the nursing home through good communication, dealing with any situation that may spur up conflicts and adequately meeting with their clients’ needs. In conclusion, Social work professional foundation is changing due to modern forms of practice in day to day activities in nursing care. During the practicum a student is faced with many challenges which call for rapid responses to meet the patient’s needs. Professionalism which is based in theories learned in class should help the student to build rapport with patients. Despite these challenges serving patients better is more rewarding. There is a need for professionalism to deal well with emerging health challenges in future. Nursing practicum exposures the student to learn from such situations and more practicum should be introduction in future. References Baird, & Brian N, 6th ed. (2011), the internship, practicum, and field placement handbook: a guide for the helping professions, frustrations, lesions, discoveries and joy, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Ch. 11, p. 185-188. Brueggemann, G 2013, the practice of macro social work, Cengage Learning, Epstein, I, & Blumenfield, S 2012, Clinical data-mining in practice-based research: Social work in hospital settings, Routledge. Garthwait, & Cynthia, L, 4th ed. 2008, the social work practicum: a guide and workbook for students, personal safety, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, Boston, Ch. 6, p. 55-65. Hurst, A, & Genest, M 1995, Cognitive-behavioural therapy with a feminist orientation: A perspective for therapy with depressed women, Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, Vol 36, Iss 3, p. 236. Jeon, H, Glasgow, J, Merlyn, T, & Sansoni, E 2010, Policy options to improve leadership of middle managers in the Australian residential aged care setting: a narrative synthesis, BMC health services research, Vol 10, Iss 1, p. 190. Kiser, & Myers, P 2nd ed. 2008, the human services internship: getting the most from your experience, Learning to learn from experience: the integration processing model, Thomson Books/Cole, Belmont, Calif, Ch. 4, p. 69-91. Kramer, H 2004, CBT with older People: alterations and the value of the therapeutic alliance. psychotherapy: theory, research, practice, training , p. 276–291. Melkote, R, & Steeves, L 2001 Communication for development in the Third World: Theory and practice for empowerment. Morgan, A 2000, what is Narrative Therapy? - An easy to read introduction, Dulwich Centre Publications, Adelaide. Park, C, & Lee, J 2003 Adaptive instructional systems, Educational Technology Research and Development, 25, 651-684 Pickett, T, Kolasa, J, & Jones, G 2010 Ecological understanding: the nature of theory and the theory of nature, Academic Press. Rooney, H, Rooney, D, & Strom-Gottfried, K 2011, direct social work practice: Theory and skills. Cengage Learning. Skyttner, L 2005 General systems theory: Problems, perspectives, practice, World Scientific, Sweitzer, H, Frederick, King, & Mary, A 1999, the successful internship: transformation and empowerment, experiencing the “what ifs” the anticipation stage, Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole pub, Ch. 5, p. 69-79. Teodorescu, P 2004 Review of “Unified strength theory and its applications. Berlin: Springer. Turner, J 2011 Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches, Oxford University Press. Walsh, J 2010 Theories for direct social work practice. CengageBrain, Com. Williams, J, Mark, G 1992, the psychological treatment of depression: a guide to the theory and practice of cognitive-behaviour therapy, Croom Helm, London Yanos, T, Roe D, & Lysaker H 2011, Narrative enhancement and cognitive therapy: a new group-based treatment for internalized stigma among persons with severe mental illness, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Vol 61, Iss 4, p. 576. Yu, M, 2004 Unified strength theory and its applications, Springer Zastrow, C 2010, the practice of social work: a comprehensive worktext, Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, Belmont, Ca. Read More