Discussion 7 clinical reply to Anna Kassandra
Dear writer i need a discussion reply to a fellow classmates clinical week experience. Please, do not critique their paper but rather expand on their original point and add your opinion if warranted. below find the classmates post to reply to:
My clinical experience this week was great, the nurse practitioner and I had a 60-year-old patient with Hypothyroidism condition. During the clinical process, the nurse practitioner used the patient’s lab results to check for hormone imbalances that might cause the underlying condition. Further examinations had to be conducted because of the symptoms that the nurse practitioner and I had evaluated.
During the clinical rotations, I was able to see how patients with Hypothyroidism condition are diagnosed. Underactive thyroid test was the first examination to be conducted because the patient showed symptoms such as constipation, dry skin, weight gain, and fatigue. Hypothyroidism condition is diagnosed depending on the lab test results of the patient and also the symptoms. A lab test was conducted to measure the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine which is a thyroid hormone. The patient was diagnosed with Underactive thyroid because TSH in the body system was high, whereas the thyroxine hormone was low. The whole diagnosis process made my clinical experience great. However, one thing I learned during the clinical rotations is that when diagnosing a patient, one has to have critical thinking ability. Critical thinking, also known as reflective thinking, is the process of analyzing all viable possibilities before making any conclusions (Dunphy et al. 46). Advance practice nurses need to use their critical thinking ability during clinical rotations. After significant therapeutic and diagnostic advancements in the early 20th century, it was determined that Hypothyroidism is a condition that can be managed successfully by implementing practical and safe therapies (McAninch & Bianco 50). The nurse practitioner diagnosed the 60-year-old patient with Hypothyroidism condition based on the symptoms and results of the lab test.
The clinical nursing process has several steps that include data collection, hypothesis generation, planning, pattern matching, critical reflection, and problem-solving. I was able to learn all these processes during the clinical rotations. Research shows that the nursing process is used by several clinicians, nurses, physicians, and occupational therapists (Dunphy et al. 47). The approach that I used was systematic and organized, following all clinical guidelines. Research shows that someone might be diagnosed with Hypothyroidism condition if insufficient hormones are produced in the patient’s thyroid gland (Pelúcio et al. 1). In the endocrine system, there is a butterfly-shaped gland called thyroid. Since the thyroid gland produces thyroxine and triiodothyronine hormones, the 60-year-old patient needed further checkups to determine the most appropriate plan of care. The patient was prescribed levothyroxine 50mcg we informed the patient to take the medication in the morning to avoid nighttime insomnia that would help to increase the production of the two hormones and regulate metabolism within the body system. The TSH level should be measured every 4 to 8 weeks after initiating therapy and before each dosage increase (Dunphy & Winland-Brown, 2015). We also educated the patient on the importance of follow up visit and routine lab exams. However, the clinical experience was a success for me because the advantages outweighed the limitations.
Dunphy, Lynne M., et al. Primary Care: The Art and Science of Advanced Practice Nursing. 4th ed., F.A. Davis Company, 2019.
McAninch, Elizabeth A., and Antonio C. Bianco. “The history and future of treatment of hypothyroidism.” Annals of internal medicine 164.1 (2016): 50-56, //www.acpjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.7326/M15-1799. Accessed 21 September 2020.
Pelúcio, L., et al. “Psychiatric disorders and quality of life in patients with hypothyroidism: A narrative review.” J Depress Anxiety 5.241 (2016): 1-7, //www.researchgate.net/profile/Antonio_Nardi/publication/306028434_Psychiatric_Disorders_and_Quality_of_Life_in_Patients_with_Hypothyroidism_A_Narrative_Review/links/57aedd7208ae15c76cb7b8b0/Psychiatric-Disorders-and-Quality-of-Life-in-Patients-with-Hypothyroidism-A-Narrative-Review.pdf. Accessed 21 September 2020.
“Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 7 Jan. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350289. Accessed 21 September 2020.
