Position: Graduate Registered Nurse Transition to Practice Program

Marie-Therese Stephen

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Why is clinical handover important and how will you ensure that your handover
is effective?
Clinical Handover is a vital means of communication of the daily and recent medical/
nursing intervention that patient has had for that shift. The concept of handover is
part of continuing of patient care and flow, which should be maintained by every
clinical teams during and end of shifts.
Handover allows smooth transition care from nurse to patient. It should include any
relevant and objective clinical and mental health information in a concise and timely
manner. As part of the hospitals ethos and that of Australian Health Practitioner
Regulation Agency (AHPRH) care and collaboration are highly recommended. The
sharing of knowledge to colleagues relating to patient data should be factual and as
accurate as possible for the safety of patients care. Also Staff should strive for
continuous care for patients by being attentive to the data they provide on handover.
I ensure my handover is effective by providing concise and factual information with
accurate documentation of medical data collections, i.e. Vital signs, fluid balances
and the like. Additionally I ensure any Doctors orders or medication regimes are
clearly communicated to staff taking over my patient load.
An example of this practice, one of my roles/responsibility as a team leader in an age
care facility I had to give handover for 60 residents with different care needs.
Providing information had to be acted upon by the next staff member to ensure
residents care was followed through. Appointments with different allied health
services, any test that had to be done, organising transport or addressing wounds
that may have occurred or had to be changed has to be given. If residents were sick,
doctors needed to be called in to address health issues data had to be handed over
to the next team leader and it was concise and accurate.
Describe your responsibilities and accountability as a registered nurse around
safe administration of medications?
As a Registered nurse I adhere to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation
Agency (AHPRH) professional standards, Poisons Regulation 1965 and the Poison
act 1964, incorporating the 5/8 rights of administration. I am aware of the limitations
Registered Nurse scope of practice.
My responsibilities as a registered nurse administrating medication, using the 5/8
rights of administration is check the right name on the order and the patient. Ask
patient to identify himself/herself. Make sure it is the right medication, by checking the
medication label against the doctors order. The right dose, by checking the
prescribed order to make sure it is the right route; again check the order for
appropriateness of the route order. The right time, by checking the frequency of the
ordered medication. The right documentation, by documenting what medication has
been administered, time, route, after giving the medication. The right reason, Confirm
the rationale for the ordered medication and the right response, for example if a
patient has high blood pressure is the medication given is improving his/her
hypertensive problem.
To take accountability in ones action, is by focusing on getting it right all the time. If an
error does occurred when administering medication, the right thing to do is to look up
the hospitals policies on what appropriate action to take when administering wrong
medication, if need be look up the Poisons Regulation.

Position: Graduate Registered Nurse Transition to Practice Program

Marie-Therese Stephen

___________________________________________________________
Ensuring any errors are reported and rectified immediately. Above all show integrity
by being honest as a registered nurse we need to be accountable in providing care to
our patients
How will you provide patient centred care in your nursing practice?
I would adhere to Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRH)
Professional and Ethical code of Conduct, which encompasses a holistic and
comprehensive patient centred approach.
This means being aware of the cultural diversities to which many patients have and
being sensitive to these needs in a potentially vulnerable environment. For example
when I was on clinical placement a patient I was caring for was concern of her son
who was admitted to hospital while she was in hospital. Her concern was the impact
it would have on her husband worrying about her health and that of her son. How
was he going to visit her has well as visit her son? I was aware how anxious the
patient was becoming in relation to her family I approach the nurse in charge, as I did
not have the correct answers to address the problem. I express the concerns I had
for the patient I was looking after. The nurse in charge directed me in areas I can go
to help my patient i.e. get a telephone number for the patient to communicate with
her son in another hospital and /or when the husband visited his wife I can talk to him
about his concerns in relation to visiting his wife and son with the patients agreement.
By being compassionate and conscientious and taking that extra step in delivering a
service for a patients showed support and centred care.

Describe how you have used current evidence to improve your practice?
I have found the Joanna Briggs Institute of Evidence Based Practice a sound source
of information in regards to wound care. I collected information in regards to best
wound dressings available when I was on clinical placement. When I was working in
a wound care clinic all the experience I gained regarding wound care was shown to
me by the nurse in charge of the wounds clinic. As a general rule I was taught that
flushing the wound with sterile water does cleansing of the wound. It was deemed the
best practice according to evidence shown through research.
Wound dressings were used to promote healing and protect the wound from further
injury and infection. Wound care also maintained moisture in the wound area
promoted and speed healing i.e. putting medicated gauze in/on the wound will
promote healing. Dressings were in the form of bandages, gauze, films, gels, or
foams. Some of these contain substances to help with healing.
Understanding the importance of wound healing I use my knowledge I gained from
my clinical placement and addressed it in my work place as a caregiver under the
direction of a registered nurse in the community to look after clients with pressure
sores.
Continuous learning and quality improvement helps to promote better care for
patients. Learning from colleagues, Team leader, wards persons and nurse in charge
on ways to better care for patients must be a plus and creates a positive outcome
and promotes excellence for the hospital.
Keeping up with current trends is a responsibility of the Registered Nurse; this is why
Continuous Profession Development (CPD) is a requirement of the Annual
Registration board.