A pessoa em situação crítica enquanto ser holístico

: processo de aquisição de competências especializadas em enfermagem

Abstract

This essay, based on an expository, descriptive and reflective methodology, was developed as part of the “Final Internship and Report” Module, which integrates the 14th Master’s Degree in Nursing with Specialization in MedicalSurgical Nursing – Critically ill person, from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa of Porto. It aims to expose the personal journey during the final placement, carried out at the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department of a Regional Hospital in the North of the country, describing and reflecting on the activities developed for competency acquisition as a Specialized Nurse in the area of Critical Care. After the introduction, the second chapter is dedicated to the acquired learning in the first year, which occured in pre-hospital context, which served as a differentiating basis for the remaining placements. In the third chapter, we start by contextualizing the different placement settings and, afterwards, we appraise the acquired skills in each competency domain of the Specialist Nurse. In each subchapter, we describe the activities developed which enabled the achievement of specific objectives in each service. Lastly, we carried out a reflection of the placement experience in the summary section. All activities were developed with the aim of optimizing the care of the critically ill person, in an holistic and humanized way. In that respect, we highlight the development of a critical reflection piece about patient’s privacy in the Emergency Room, and a literature review on pressure ulcers associated with medical devices, and the subsequent implementation of an intervention protocol. Throughout the course, we developed and refined skills in interacting with the critically ill person and their family, demonstrating professional, ethical and legal practice; in the domain of quality, by being part of continuous improvement programs of the respective services; in the nursing care and care resources management domain, by preventing possible complications inherent to each person’s clinical situation and, in the development of professional learning, basing individualized care on scientific evidence. We conclude that this was an enriching experience, which allowed the acquisition of technical and personal skills, with the development of an holistic and integrative care practice for the critically ill person.

Date of Award	27 Jun 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sílvia Coelho (Supervisor)