The Importance of Self-Improvement for Healthcare Practitioners

Developing the personal skills and professional efficiency is one of the major tasks that should be performed by every healthcare practitioner. The self improvement plan will not only improve my personal ability and professional efficiency,  it will also influence the work culture and practice around me while keeping the proficiency of my co-workers uplifted (Timminset al. 2013). Therefore, introducing witha useful and effective self reflection or self improvement tool is chiefly essential in this section. In this paper, the self reflection and improvement plan have been discussed while analysing its efficiency with a real-life event.

With the help of Gibbs’ Reflection Cycle, the self assessment and improvement process have been done. The understanding of the self reflection cycle and its appropriate implementation in personal and professional skill development have also been described from self and alternative aspect.To analyse and understand the use of Gibbs framework as a self reflection tool the individual stages of the cycle have been considered. Required action and appropriate operation to enhance the professional practices of myself and others have also been analysed. The proper understandings of personal and professional practices that conserve the health policy, protocol and regulation have been examined.

In this section, a detailed and concise description of the situation is required to describe. This case study is about a middle aged patient who was admitted to the hospital with respiratory problems. The patient was a 42yearold male, and his wife had brought him to the hospital. At that time the environmental temperature was quite lower than the normal scale.

As per the description of his family members, the cold weather has led to the asthma attacks occurring repeatedly. Along with this the patient also complained of chest pain, tightness and restlessness during the asthma attack as well as the pre and post occurrence period. The respiratory problem was causing the patient to experience shortness of breath (Chung et al. 2013). When the emergency team reached to the patient, he was wheezing, coughing continually and waving his body very frantically. As a result, the patient also had the problems in speaking. Hiswifetold us that he had tried to use theprescribed inhaler medication. However, the consistent asthma attack had continued for almost an hour.

The patient had been diagnosed with asthma at his age of 20. As per his previous pathophysiological report, he has a Chronic Pulmonary Infection problem that is usually triggered by cold season and even in seasonal change.He was prescribed with combinational inhaler contain an inhaled corticosteroid plus a long-acting beta-agonist.When the patient had been admitted he was on his 3^rdAsthma Attack of that day while having a rapidly increasing heartbeat patient’s heartbeat had increased rapidly. The patient had been given beta agonists through the nebulizer that helped to speak about his existing experience properly and also allows him to take some oral medication as well (Wenzel 2012). He had been provided further care and observation until heconfirmed me that the condition had been normalizedenough.

Gibbs’ reflective cycle (1988) is a tool that is used for self assessment and evaluation process. Gibbs’ model was developed from an earlier theoretical model named David Kolb’s 4 stages experiential learning cycle (1984). Gibbs reflective model is widely used the tool by numerous health professionals, education workers and business leaders (Bulmanet al. 2014). The purpose of Gibbs; the reflective cycle is to assist practitioners in reflection by involving the person in a continuous personal development plan.

Using Gibbs’ Reflection Cycle for Self-Reflection and Improvement

This reflection and self assessment process help to ensure that a person is in the continuous learning process while improving the ability to perform some tasks or activities. The main idea of this model is to systematically reflect on a particular situation in a cyclic or repetitive formation to ensure that all parts and potentials of the requirements have been evaluated (Fakude 2013). Along with thatit alsoassists the reflector to understand and determine what to do next time while experiencing a similar situation.

To analyse and understand the use of Gibbs framework as a self-reflection tool the individual stages of the cycle have to be considered.  

In Description part, I have to give a concise description of experience using specific and relevant details. In the Description stage, the internal and external environment of the patient has to be identified. The patient was a male of age 42 and had a Chronic Pulmonary Infection or Asthma causing temperature change. At the very initial stage, I and my co-workers help to lay him down on a bed with a slightly inclined angle. The patient was experiencing the extreme level of breathlessness and high heart rate as well as blood pressure. We have been initially provided with a puffer and given 4 separate puffs. After that, we provided a quick relief and a controller medication to reduce the clamping tendency of the pulmonary tube. A Turbuhaler 600/3 mg has been given whilekeeping him in the upright position.

In the Feeling section, I have to describe the feelings and emotional condition before, during and after the experience. In the Feeling section, the situational feeling has to be identified and examined. When the patient and his family members have admitted him to the emergency respiratory word being a junior caregiver I was feeling little anxious and puzzled.However, I was determined that .

I need to take immediate action to secure the patient’s normal respiratory process (Patersonand and Chapman 2013). During the process, I was unable to communicate with my peers because of experiencinga litte bit nervousness. In that situation, unfortunately, I lost the emergency puffer that made me angry and I expressed my anger to my peers. Finally, when I was able to minimize the trouble and pain of the patient by ensuring the proper respiratory cycle, I became calm and relaxed.

In Evaluation part, I need to judge the performed activities to ensure whether those are positive or negative during the experience and how the experience has come to an end (Tashiro et al. 2013). In Evaluation section, I have to judge my overall performance during facing that situation. From the above discussion, it is very clear that my performance was not optimum. At the sometimes, I continuously lost my patience and burst my anger to others. This inefficiency was affecting the performance level of my peers as well. However, after finding that the patient was becoming stable due to have Quick relief medication, gradually I gained the control over my mind.

In Analysis part I have to discuss and critically analyse the performed activities and how and why they have regulated the situation negatively or positively. At the same time how these performed activities contributed to the event has to be examined. In Analysis stage the critical analysis of my activities is required. The unexpected deterioration of the patient was causing my hyper anxious state of mind. At the same time, I have never tried to control my feeling; rather I was continuously blamed, my peers and co-workers. This restlessness was continuously providing feedback my excited state in a cyclic motion (Howatson-Jones 2016). At the same time, I had chosen comparatively higher medication for the patient because of my boosting excitement. Apart from that I completely forgot to increase the inclination of the bed where the patient was laid down that was causing additional respiratory distress.

Case Study: A Male Patient with Chronic Pulmonary Infection

In Conclusionpart, I need to determine what should be avoided in next occurrence and how the negative influencers can be stopped in next time while doing this. It also includes the current learning about positive and negative factors and regulators from case related and wider aspects (Bulmanand and Schutz 2013). Firstly, I need to keep calm and relaxed state of mind throughout the process. For this, I need to be sincere in making sure that I am not getting emotionally involved with the patient excessively (Reid 2013). At the same time, I have to be more cooperative and sympathetic towards my patient as well as my co-workers. Despite that, I have to always prepare for this type of emergency where I have to perform the Task in a more  relaxed and sincere way.

In Action plan section I need to develop a further plan to perform the activities again while keeping the conclusive determinations and decisions in mind. As Action pan I have made some essential arrangement that will stop me from repeating the same wrong practices. For this, I have made a checklist that will be very helpful for this type of emergency case where I have to make a quick decision.

For next time I will choose medication of lower dose while keeping the dose high if needed. In next occurrence, I will prefer Raplihaler 100/3 over the Turbuhaler. It will allow me to have more control over the patient’s condition as well as the need for medication (Chong 2012). Despite that, to control my anxiousness I will learn some mind relaxing psychological techniques.Instead of runaway I have to face this type of condition more often that would help me to make me habituated with this type of emergency condition.I will also ensure that all the potential types of equipment are organised in a specific space where I do not have to search for the required equipment when needed.

In personal and professional improvement I need to maintain and follow the regulation, protocols, practice and policies that are related to healthcare and workplace accordingly(O’Reganand and Nestel 2015). From personal and professional perspective healthcare system should enforce much regulation within the regular practices involving team management, staff handling and treating the patient. As healthcare and social worker, I have to always keep these factors in mind while involving in healthcare premises personally and professionally.

From both specific and wider aspects, any healthcare facility should abide by three types of regulations namelyHealthcare policies, Workplace regulation, Consumer rights. The Australian government has proposed and enforces many healthcare and treatment related regulations, such as Aged care ACT, Australian Immunisation Regulation, Organ and Tissue donation Transparency, Radiation protection, Insurance regulation and other. These regulations propose some specific practices and policies for the healthcare organisation as well as for the staffs while maintaining a transparent and secure healthcare environment.

There are some other policies and regulation that regulates the work policies and practices of healthcare organisation from workplace aspect. Considering the healthcare organisations as a workplace, the worker should abide by the workplace policies like Anti-discrimination, Health and safety of the workplace, Anti-harassment and other regulations. By concerning about this regulation and policies, I can reconfigure my existing approaches and practices as a healthcare staff that will allow me to improve my professional efficiency as well as my personal skill of improvement and personality management (Finlay 2016).

Description of the Patient’s Situation

At the same time, a healthcare organisation and the responsible staffs should always remember that the patients are their consumers where they need to provide transparent, legitimate and adequate services to satisfy them. As a healthcare staff, I have to always keep the consumer rights and provider responsibilities in my mind. On the other hand, the Australian government has incorporated many regulations and acts regarding the consumer protection and business transparency (McCarthyand and Murphy 2016). Though the healthcare services are considered as social work, because of the monetary transaction within it the business-client concept is also evident.

There is some essential action is required to enhance the efficiency of the practices of me and other. I need to change some of these practices for the improvement of my proficiency. As an example, I need to keep the calm and relaxed state of mind throughout the process. It will help me to control my behaviours that can lead to a violation of workplace culture. At the same time, it will also allow me to maintain the Consumer Protection Acts, and other Healthcare acts simultaneously.

For this, I need to be sincere in making sure that I am not getting emotionally involved with the patient excessively. At the same time, I have to be more cooperative and sympathetic towards my patient as well as my co-workers. It will help to conserve the work place culture and environment as well. Despite that, I have to always prepare for this type of emergency where I have to perform the Task in a more relaxed and sincere way (Beam, O’brien and Neal 2012). I have to build my mission and vision clear to build the self-improvement plan where Gibb’s reflection cycle will be the most beneficial tool.

The self-improvement plan will not only improve my ability and professional efficiency, it will also influence the work culture and practice around me while keeping the proficiency of my co-workers uplifted. If I can be an ideal example of an efficient healthcare practitioner, it will also improve the efficiency of my other team members. However, the most secure way of performing this improvement process is to collect relevant and realistic feedback from my co-workers,

subordinates and superior about myprofessional efficiency, collaborative behaviour and helpful approach (Wilding 2016). Moreover, in future, I will aim to develop my assertive skills while working with my colleagues, in order to guarantee that the well-being of consumers or patientsis maintained. In my subsequentsituation, I will make this goal for my knowledge and will converse this with my advisers to work out strategies to identify how I can achieve these objectives of personal and professional efficiency.

In conclusive part, it can be said that the self improvement plan will not only improve my ability and professional efficiency, it will also influence the work culture and practice around me while keeping the proficiency of my co-workers uplifted. Therefore, introducing with a useful and effective self reflection or self improvement tool is chiefly essential. The detailed and concise description of the situation that I have experienced is required to understand the core significance of the initiation of the self improvement plan.

Gibbs reflective model is widely used as the tool by numerous health professionals, education workers and business leaders. The purpose of Gibbs’ reflective cycle is to assist practitioners in reflection by involving the person in the continuous personal development plan. Apart from that, it will also assist the reflector to understand and determine what to do next time while experiencing a similar situation.During this process, I was unable to communicate with my peers because of experiencing little bit nervous.

This inefficiency was affecting the performance level of my peers as well. This restlessness was continuously provindingfeedbackto my excited state in a cyclic motion. I have to be more cooperative and sympathetic towards my patient as well as with my co-workers.On the other hand, Healthcare system should also enforce some regulation within the regular practices involving team management, staff handling and treating the patient. Moreover, healthcare facility should abide by three types of regulations namely Healthcare policies, Workplace regulation, Consumer rights.

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