For my third practicum I was selected to go to the “Living room Drop in” in downtown. This was not my first selection, but I am very glad to have experienced it. The living room drop in is a facility in which members who are going through some mental health issue come and enjoy a nice warm meal in the morning and afternoon and who hang out. This is a place where everyone is seen as being unique and are not labelled as mentally ill. When chosen to go to downtown, I was extremely scared. It is sad to say that I too was a person who was judgemental and thought that these individuals were just lazy and addicted to substances and could easily quit, but spending three weeks here opened my eyes. Not only were these members intelligent and educated with degrees and masters, they were individuals just like everyone else unique in their own way, living with a mental illness.
Working there did not require so much of the medical aspects of nursing as much as it did the communication aspect of it. There were health care facilities a walking distance from the drop in, so when individuals were hurt or had concerns we just referred them to the medical health clinic. Stenberg’s curriculum emphasizes the importance of communication. What I learned in the classroom, I had put to use during this practicum. For example I had individuals who were intoxicated come talk to me about their problems and what had happened throughout the day. Knowing body language and using appropriate tone of voice got them my trust and they opened up to me more.
Conflicts did arise when I was working there. They were mostly between the members themselves and all we did was separate the groups. The members are old enough to realize that there are consequences for their actions. If they cause a disturbance and depending on what it was, we would refuse them entry to the drop in for a certain amount of time. I learned that communication is not only essential in a mental health facility but it is also essential in every aspect of nursing; more than the medical treatment itself. Good communication skills earns the trust of your patient which in turn helps you make a better care plan with them for their treatment. If there is lack of communication, no matter how hard you try to take care of your patients, your efforts will be rendered useless unless your patient is involved in their own care as well.
Check out this video of our Practical Nursing Program.
