disorders that affect people

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Post 1; Benny

The course has been an eye-opener on several disorders that affect people. The nursing practice is complex, and understanding all the concepts mandates taking an extra step in conducting evidence-based research. Achieving each of the course’s core competencies has led to more knowledge that will significantly impact my nursing practice. In the first core competency, caring for clients with oncological disorders, I read all about the disorders that relate to the other organs, growth, and replication. After understanding these disorders, I researched the intervention programs currently being utilized in the nursing practice to manage such disorders. Selecting the most appropriate interventions depends on their effectiveness to manage the disorder with minimal side effects on the patients. From this core competency, I gained the clinician’s emphasis on promoting primary and secondary prevent methods, multidimensional care to detect and prevent the complications (Saunders, 2022). Managing such disorders will be effective through health promotion, early diagnosis, and screening.

In the second core competency, Identify disorders that influence fluid and electrolyte balance, I read all about the kidney’s ability to function effectively and the factors that can impact its functionality. There was much to gain from completing this core competency. In essence, mineral levels within the body, such as calcium, sodium, and potassium, significantly impact the body’s function, muscles, and heart rhythm. Imbalances in such minerals can further cause other illnesses, including hypertension and diabetes, which significantly affect the kidney’s ability to function well (Saunders, 2022). More evidence-based research on the impact of fluid and electrolyte balance on the body, including interventions for the resulting disorders, also helped understand this core competency.

As earlier noted, the nursing practice is broad and complex. The core competency, Differentiate factors that affect acid-base balance, has been a testament to the above statement. While I never imagine that the blood has so many elements, the core competency reaffirmed how complicated the human body functions. Achieving this core competency followed reading the course materials and conducting further research to understand all the concepts. Further, brainstorming among group members was essential in highlighting how different factors can affect the blood’s acid-base levels. Through these discussions, I learned that respiratory acidosis, the respiratory system’s inability to remove excess carbon dioxide when breathing out, can increase the body fluids’ acidity level. The kidney is tasked with maintaining the acid-base levels within the blood, and any complications within the organ can be fatal to the person.

Achieving both core competencies of Explain care for clients with upper gastrointestinal diseases and disorders and Explain care for clients with lower gastrointestinal diseases and disorders involved much reading and discussion with my peers. There was much to learn and differentiate between the two levels of the gastrointestinal tract. I first understood how the tract functions then explain all the health conditions that impact both gastrointestinal tract levels. A significant lesson from the core competency is that any symptom displayed within any gastrointestinal tract level, whether it is bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea, or constipation, can signal a more serious underlying health condition (Ignatavicius, 2021).

Lastly, the core competency Describe nursing care for the client with endocrine disorders mandated extensive reading, brainstorming, and note-taking to achieve. Several endocrine disorders impact different glands, including the pituitary gland, hypopituitarism, and hyperpituitarism. After extensive evidence-based research on endocrine disorders, I learned that failure to produce the required amounts of hormones could have life-threatening implications for patients. Ultimately, all this new knowledge gained from all the core competencies has shifted my understanding of the nursing practice. Patients face many complications, and early diagnosis and screening can play a huge role in preventing the onset of other underlying illnesses (Ignatavicius, 2021). Therefore, health education and promotion will also form part of my nursing practice.

Post 2: Clav

During the nursing class lessons, I learned many competencies that have enhanced my understanding of nursing. The first-course competency I achieved is the principles of care for patients with oncological disorders. Oncology refers to the study of cancer and tumors, which is vital in understanding how to deal with various types of cancer and offer support to the patients (De Mello et al., 2015). I achieved this competency by understanding the core concept of oncological care, which entails a proper understanding of the specialist cancer knowledge and relevant skills in offering professional, supportive care, screening, and referral of the cancer patients. This knowledge will impact my nursing practice significantly, particularly in enforcing evidence-based tactics for education and relevant material.

The second competency entails identifying the components of safe and effective nursing care for patients experiencing fluid and electrolyte imbalance. Fluid and electrolyte imbalance occurs when the body has too low or high electrolyte levels. I achieved this competency by understanding what electrolytes entail and which parts of the body helps balance the electrolytes. The knowledge of fluid and electrolyte imbalance enhanced my understanding of the necessary components that help augment fluid and electrolyte balancing in the human body. This course competency will impact my nursing practice greatly because I understand the basic principles of caring for patients with fluid and electrolyte imbalances.

Thirdly, I achieved effective multi-dimensional nursing care for patients with acid-base imbalance competency, which shaped my understanding of what causes acid-base imbalance and what can be done to manage and treat such patients. According to Lewis (2021), acid-base imbalance describes a medical condition resulting from a blood PH imbalance, which leads to a patient developing acidosis or alkalosis. The knowledge of acid-base balance impacted my understanding of how to offer care to patients, particularly those suffering from various illnesses that could disturb the acid balance in the human body. This knowledge will help me assess how to test for the patient’s acid-base levels and apply for the relevant management and cure program.

The fourth competency I achieved in the course involves selecting the best interventions for patients with upper and lower gastrointestinal disorders. Gastrointestinal diseases affect the gastrointestinal tract, which begins in the mouth and ends in the anus (Fikree & Byrne, 2021). Various conditions associated with gastrointestinal disorders include diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, and epigastric pain. The course has taught me that most gastrointestinal disorders could be caused by lifestyles, mainly from daily food intake. The knowledge gained will greatly impact the primary care I will give to the patients and the proper interventions to apply when offering care and support to the patients.

Nursing interventions for patients with endocrine disorders are the last core competencies I achieved in the nursing course. Endocrine disorders are diseases that affect the endocrine system, which is vital in producing hormones for the proper functioning of the human body (Chaney & Clarke, 2014). Patients with endocrine disorders elucidate various signs and symptoms, including the possible development of tumors