NURS FPX 6112 Assessment 5 Description of Practicum Hours

Student Name

Capella University

NURS-FPX6112

Professor Name

Submission Date

Description of Practicum Hours

Through the 50-hour nursing practicum experience at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, I engaged in well-organized clinical learning experiences that aimed to reinforce patient care, communication, leadership, and professional nursing practices. The practicum site also presented experience with a wide range of patients and an interdisciplinary healthcare setting. With the help of an advanced registered nurse preceptor, I was able to observe and be involved in the work with patients, their evaluation, drug administration, care plan, documentation, patient education at discharge, and service organization.

The orientation, hospital policies, infection prevention, patient privacy, safety procedures, and the application of the electronic health record took the first 10 hours. Within the following 20 hours, I was engaged in direct patient care, such as checking vital signs, studying laboratory results, detecting any changes in the patients, and discussing the results with the healthcare team. Another aspect that I noted is that the nurses applied evidence-based practices to avert falls, medication errors, pressure injuries, and hospital-acquired infections.

One more time was spent on patient and family education (10 hours). I helped clarify medication schedules, treatment plans, follow-ups, precautions when moving around, and self-care guidelines. The rest of the 10 hours was spent on quality improvement and leadership. I participated in interdisciplinary conversations, observed handoff of shifts, reviewed staffing duties, and acquired insights into prioritization of care by nurses in busy shifts.

In sum, I developed my clinical judgment, confidence, teamwork, and communication skills that were improved through this 50-hour practicum. It also taught greatness of compassionate, culturally responsive, and patient-centered care. The experience allowed me to bridge the gap between nursing theory and actual clinical work and equipped me with the ability to care about patients and the environment in a safer, more orderly, and evidence-based way in future professional work and environments.