The aim of this assignment is to review a reflective account of events that occurred during a clinical placement, whilst on operational practice in an out of hospital environment. This incident involved a physical assault on a young woman.
Siviter (2004) defines reflection as gaining self-confidence, identifying when to improve, learning from good or bad mistakes and behaviour, being self-aware and improving the future by learning the past. Therefore reflection can enable the Paramedic to use the critical incident analysis to enable them to analyse their past incidents to promote learning, improve safety and improve one’s own clinical understanding, in the delivery of health care, in practice. In this assignment the term; ‘reflection’ will be defined briefly, with emphasis on communication and the effectiveness with members of the public and professional colleagues. Similarly, it will recognise the factors that precipitate in violent and or aggressive behaviour also the general principles when moving and handling the patient and the practices underpinning infection control. All names in this assignment have been changed, to respect the confidentiality of the patient and all healthcare professionals and colleagues involved. NMC (2008)
There are many different reflection models which differ in emphasis and depth on how individuals should or can reflect on an experience they have encountered. The model to be used for this reflection is the; Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle (Appendix 1)
The Essay on Be Able To Improve Performance Through Reflective Practice
3. Establish a process to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan Lifelong learning is a major part in growth and empowerment with a personalised action plan which is designed to help achieve your goals .The personal development plan should be regularly evaluated, actions agreed and changes made if required. As the plan develops the SMART model is ideal for ensuring goals and progresses are met. . ...
This cycle consists of sequential questions to help retell a story which may lead to a deeper understanding of the incident.
Returning to the experience that was mentioned above, on route to the home address, more information was given; it was a patient who was conscious and breathing that had been assaulted, no more information was given other than this. Upon arrival, a young woman answered the door and we entered the house. We found the patient sitting upright on the couch and owing to a poorly lit room, it was difficult to ascertain the patients injuries. The paramedic 1 asked her what had happened and she replied that she had been attacked by a group of women round the corner. There was quite a lot of blood covering her face and all of her hair.
Paramedic 2 radioed over to control to request for the police. The young woman who had answered the door became very agitated and hostile by this, so without any hesitation we assisted the woman who had been assaulted to the ambulance for further assessment. As this call was my first call of the morning and my first call to an assault, I felt anxious, apprehensive and out of my depth, therefore I felt this situation to be both personally and professionally challenging. However, due to the situation we were dealing with, my mentor took the lead and attended to the patient. This made me feel at ease knowing I could shadow her which helped on a positive note.
