Contributos da enfermagem especializada para a melhoria da prática de cuidados

Abstract

This Internship Report carried out within the scope of the Master's Degree in Nursing with Medical-Surgical Nursing specialization, from Health Sciences Institute, of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, shows the path taken at the internship placement locations with the goal of acquiring new competences in this area of speciality. The internships were carried out in an emergency service, an Intensive Care Unit and at the National Institute of Medical Emergency from May 3, 2019 to January 26, 2021. This document is structured in three chapters: 1) introduction; 2) description of the internship locations; 3) the Specialist Nurse’s acquisition of skills; and 4) conclusion. These chapters aim to: describe the internship locations and the learning path as a Specialist Nurse in Medical-Surgical; carry out a critical-reflexive analysis of the experiences lived in the context of clinical practice; describe the objectives that I set out to achieve and, consequently, the skills acquired within the scope of Medical- Surgical Nursing Specialty; the formalization of an assessment document which are explained the main difficulties and the impact that these stages had on my personal and professional development. To achieve these objectives, a descriptive, analytical and critical-reflective methodology was adopted. Issues related to professional, ethical and legal responsibility, continuous improvement of quality, care management and professional development were also explored. In the domains of professional, ethical and legal responsibility, I addressed issues related to human dignity, duty of professional secrecy, duty to inform, the right to informed consent and presumed consent. In the domain of continuous improvement, activities have been recognized to enhance the quality and safety of care, as well as opportunities for improvement in infection control. In the domain of care management, the entire process underlying the service management is presented. In the domain of professional development, all activities with the aim of developing professional, personal and communicational skills are presented, as well the ability to react during unforeseen and complex situations. It is during their day-to-day tasks that the Specialist Nurse, by being exposed to new experiences, acquires new knowledge and overcomes the challenges they face, so that their practice is differentiated and of excellence. Along with this professional development, there is also personal development which results in the development of human skills and consequently, improve performance in the provision of care.

Date of Award	10 Sept 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Vasco Silva-Neves (Supervisor)