Answer:
Reflection on Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) performance  
Description

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is very important tool for the assessment of healthcare professional while performing actual practice. I was assigned to administer intramuscular heparin to a patient who underwent cholecystectomy. Cholecystectomy was performed to remove gallbladder. This surgery can relive from pain due to gallstones and this surgery is with minimum risk. These patients with pre-existing cardiac conditions require anticoagulant treatment. I was monitoring prothrombin time of the patient to prevent haemorrhage. Cardiopulmonary functions of the patient were carefully monitored. 

Feelings

Due to OSCE, I was nervous prior to administration of the heparin. However, I was sure about my best performance. I was worried about the pain to patient at the time of injection. Hence, I took him in confidence and asked him to divert his mind form the injection. It gave me confidence and patient also felt comfortable at the time of injection. I felt relived after the completion of the procedure. I was thinking, whether I could have done in better way ? . I strongly believe that, there is always scope for improvement in the nursing practice. 

Evaluation

Even though, I was nervous prior to the procedure, it was in mind that I can perform this procedure accurately. Nervousness is obvious before certain important assessment. However, my skills and interest in patient care gave me confidence. I was aware that nervousness can be effectively managed by effective communication. In nursing practice, effective communication plays important role in providing holistic care. It was evident during my OSCE.  Non 

verbal communications can inform you about your accuracy. Through non-verbal communication with my evaluator, I understood that my procedure was correct.

Prior to administration of the heparin to the patient, allergic reaction to the patient need to be assessed. However, as I was more focusing on the administering heparin, I forgot to administer patient with antibiotic.  Medication administration error specifically antibiotic administration is not acceptable in the nursing practice. Hence, it was important learning for me.     

Analysis

One can understand importance of effective communication, by understanding its need and importance either in the verbal or non-verbal form. Coping with certain conditions can be achieved by effective communication. Both nurses and patients are crucial in effective communication because it is helpful in providing and receiving information (Bramhall, 2014). It is evident that, communication is the only skill, each nurse should possess. Most of the patients may have phobia about the hospitals. This phobia can be effectively managed by the effective communication. Patient phobia not only affects treatment of patient but also distract nurses from their nursing intervention. It would be difficult for the nurses to work with positive attitude those patients with hospital phobia. Patients with hospital phobia may be anxious about the communicating with nurses, hence nurses should initiate communication. I also did the same thing (Andrews, 2011).

Conclusion

OSCE is the important platform for the disclosing medical error. It taught me, how a little negligence can affect patient treatment. It may lead to more detoriation of the patient because medication error in the antibiotic treatment can lead to uncontrolled spread of infection.  Specifically, in this patient I should have taken more care because patients with potential haemorrhage are more susceptible for the infection (Karthikeyan and Lalitha, 2013’; Brown et al., 2015).     In this OSCE, I understood that, if you have adequate skills, nervousness would not affect your nursing procedure. Most important learning for me from OSCE, is that nurses should not display their nervousness in front of the patients. In this OSCE, I understood that, if you have adequate skills, nervousness would not affect your nursing procedure. Most important learning for me from OSCE, is that nurses should not display their nervousness in front of the patients. 

Action Plan 

In this OSCE, I understood that, if you have adequate skills, nervousness would not affect your nursing procedure. Most important learning for me from OSCE, is that nurses should not display their nervousness in front of the patients. 

References:

Andrews, G.J. (2011). ‘I had to go to the hospital and it was freaking me out’: needle phobic encounter space. Health Place, 17(4), pp. 875-84.

Bramhall, E. (2014). Effective communication skills in nursing practice. Nursing Standard, 29(14), pp. 53-9.

Brown, D., Edwards, H., Seaton, L., & Buckley, T. (eds). (2015). Lewis’s medical-surgical nursing: assessment and management of clinical problems, 4th edn, Elsevier Australia.

Chatswood, NSW. Crisp, J., Taylor, C., Douglas, C. & Rebeiro, G. (eds). (2013). Potter & Perry’s fundamentals of nursing 4th edn, Elsevier Australia, Chatswood, NSW.

Karthikeyan, M., and Lalitha, D. (2013). A prospective observational study of medication errors in general medicine department in a tertiary care hospital. Drug Metabolism and Drug Interactions, 28(1), pp. 13-21.

Kellett, P., and Gottwald, M. (2015). Double-checking high-risk medications in acute settings: a safer process. Nursing Management, 21(9), pp. 16-22.

McCarthy, B., Trace, A., O’Donovan, M. (2014). Integrating psychology with interpersonal communication skills in undergraduate nursing education: addressing the challenges. Nurse Education in Practice, 14(3), pp. 227-32.

Newell, S., and Jordan, Z. (2015). The patient experience of patient-centered communication with nurses in the hospital setting: a qualitative systematic review protocol. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 13(1), pp 76-87.

Schwappach, DLB., Pfeiffer, Y., and Taxis, K. (2016). Medication double-checking procedures in clinical practice: a cross-sectional survey of oncology nurses’ experiences. BMJ Open, 6(6), e011394.

Sisson, H. (2015). Aspirating during the intramuscular injection procedure: a systematic literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 24(17-18), pp. 2368-75.