Introduction
The clinical practice scenario selected for this essay is a prenatal woman scenario in the Exam room of the Bloodvein First Nation in Northern Manitoba, Canada. The guidelines and the clinical staff’s narration, where they describe their roles and demonstrate skills, help better comprehend the clinical functioning and organization. They also provide a diverse insight into the everyday life of a Community Health Nurse.
Prenatal Scenario: Examination Room
Maggie is a prenatal woman who came for a clinical check-up at the Bloodvein Nursing Station because she was feeling sick every morning, and her last period was three months ago. This indicates that she might be pregnant, and it is Maggie’s first pregnancy. A nurse was nicely asking a woman about her symptoms, general experience, and whether Maggie’s partner is involved. The main symptom described by the woman was having a lot of nausea.
First, a nurse decided to check on the vital signs, including her blood pressure and related analyses. According to Maggie, she did not have many headaches, no history of fever, no spots, and no pain down below, which are good signs for the prenatal check. A nurse also mentioned the importance of the right nutrition both for Maggie and her baby, as well as the severe outcomes of alcohol consumption and smoking.
A prenatal patient has adequate blood pressure with no numbness in the hands or the feet (a nurse checked a woman for swelling). She was never diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure, which are critical questions a nurse must ask. As the general standard for the first prenatal check-up, a nurse felt the belly of a woman and checked the position of the fetus. She also measured the growth of the belly.
After that, a nurse performed the first ultrasound that revealed a good healthy fetal heartbeat and the 15th week of the pregnancy. A nurse helped the woman check the expected date of confinement. Most importantly, a nurse warned Maggie about the importance of a healthy diet for a pregnant woman, including more meat and vegetables, and quitting smoking. The prenatal woman also requires a significant amount of rest. A patient must come back to the nursing station for a full examination, which is crucial for examining the vital signs, weight, urine test, and glucose challenge to check that a woman is not pre-diabetic.
Cultural Awareness
Considering the aboriginal community as the target population for the Bloodvein Fist Nation services, it is essential to analyze the cultural understanding of the healthcare workers. As described by Hart, Cavanagh, & Douglas (2015), the cultural awareness and competence training of nurse practitioners facilitates “cross-cultural knowledge and skills” (p. 246). The important determinants of health of the Aboriginal patients include access to healthcare, cultural knowledge, the sensitivity of health practitioners, environmental conditions, and food supply (McDonald et al., 2018). Therefore, aboriginal health placement is considered a crucial strategy to establish the capacity of the health workforce.
Conclusion
The Journey North (2014) provides a valuable opportunity to observe and understand the fundamental role of a Community Health Nurse working in a remote and isolated environment. Despite the skillful check-up provided by a healthcare professional for a prenatal woman in the Bloodvein First Nation Nursing Station, there is an important emphasis on the cultural understanding issue. To conclude, nurses are at the core of the healthcare of such communities regarding the primary care treatment of the aboriginal community patients.
References
Hart, B., Cavanagh, M., & Douglas, D. (2015). The “Strengthening Nursing Culture Project” – an exploratory evaluation study of nursing students’ placements within Aboriginal Medical Services. Contemporary Nurse, 51(2-3), 245–256. Web.
Journey North (2014). A virtual nursing experience. Red River College. Web.
McDonald, H., Browne, J., Perruzza, J., Svarc, R., Davis, C., Adams, K., & Palermo, C. (2018). Transformative effects of Aboriginal health placements for medical, nursing, and allied health students: A systematic review. Nursing & Health Sciences, 20(2), 154–164. Web.