Bi-weekly Practicum Journaling

Every two weeks, you will submit a reflective journal to the discussion forum for review by course faculty and your classmates. All are expected to engage and support one another by sharing these experiences in a supportive, constructive, and professional environment. Journaling is an active learning technique that is meant to enhance reflective practice (Blake, 2005). Reflective practice involves looking back over what has happened in the practice setting in an effort to improve performance or to encourage professional growth (Ruth-Sahd, 2003).

Your Weekly Practicum Journal is:

• A personal, introspective subjective account of your practicum experience and how your practicum experience relates to Healthy People 2020 and course objectives. Include events that occurred in your practicum experience, and be sure to describe your thoughts and feelings about those events. How did your perceptions change? What did you learn that was unexpected? Describe your thinking about your thoughts and feelings regarding the new learning you experienced.
• Connected to South University’s College of Nursing Conceptual Framework Pillars (Caring, Communication, Critical Thinking, Professionalism, and Holism).
• Connected to prior coursework and experiences through reflective analysis.
• Written in a scholarly, academic style using APA style format. Two or three sentences are not sufficient nor are daily logs/reports of activities.

Citations should conform to APA guidelines. You may use this APA Citation Helper as a convenient reference for properly citing resources or connect to the APA Style website

Below I have copies a paper on an Arkansas hospital which this journal has to reflect this hospital and the assignment should be about a telemetry/cardiac unit and the scenario should be something related to covid and older adults. 

Week One

Arkansas is a community that is living in the US.  They have inhabited the eastern side of western Memphis.  The Arkansas lean medical center is the primary health facility in the community. The facility serves as the main acute health care center.  The town is located on approximately 1000 acres of land with a population of more than 7000 people. There is limited landscaping in gardens and very few animals in the area. The unavailability of space for decoration has reduced the threats from poisonous plants and soil. This has reduced the risk of animals and children from being exposed to plants and soil-borne illnesses. Besides, there are only a few stray dogs. I didn’t see a dog or cat, and this made me conclude that there is a low risk of animal spread diseases. There are many private schools and a few public schools. There is no case of overcrowding in public schools. Both public and private schools appear in good repair with well-structured buildings (Arkansas, 2017). There is clear evidence of civil protection, with numerous EMS services and ten volunteer ambulance services. There is one police precinct in Arkansas. There is a new fire department in Villa Park.

​Arkansas has a crude birth rate of 8.7 births in comparison with 1000 inhabitants. This is the second-highest birth rate in the whole district of West Memphis. As per the end of last year, the community recorded an infant mortality rate of 3.11 percent as per a thousand live births. The leading cause of death, especially among the elderly, is chronic heart diseases. Diabetes, as well as cancer, is additional potential threats in the community. Among the youth, drug overdose is has been responsible for several deaths. There are more than 200 people in Arkansas living with HIV/AIDS. Also, more than 300 people are asthmatic. Concerning the new coronavirus, Arkansas has reported 400 confirmed cases with 20 deaths. One percent of the total children under the age of 10 years have been reported to have the acute respiratory syndrome. The problem has been said to be brought by an iron facility that poisons the air (Alexander, Maxted, & Vaughan, 2015).

Why I selected Arkansas for my windshield

My first reason for choosing Arkansas for my research was its overall environment and culture. The community is well centralized with a relaxed atmosphere. Besides, there is little interference in politics since very few campaign rallies were carried out there. I was also anxious to know the aspect behind the low numbers of COVID-19 cases in the area. The community is also under strong leadership with rapid development going on in the area (Jantel, 2017). 

Secondly, I choose Arkansas because of the industrial revolutionin the area. The community comprises of Dyke Iron Company, which has offered employment to more than 700 people in the area. I had also to study the economic, political, and industrial revolution in the community. The city is even more technologically advanced. It had noted that ninety percent of the total population was very active the social media. The town was also utilizing modern farming methods as well as excellent rearing facilities. Besides, the hospitals were well technologically advanced with modern equipped ICU and emergency services.  I was also determined how the rate of health care’s access to the elderly (Arkansas, 2017). 

Characteristics of the aggregate

Environment:  there were several large factories in Arkansas. Several of the companies which affected the climate include the dry cleaners, artisan stores, and the paint manufacturing organizations. The chemicals used in those companies affected workers and people living in nearby apartments. The roads were marked well. Despite that, they weren’t able to accommodate the high number of traffics passing by.

Housing: apartments, as well as multifamily homes, were most common in the area. There were no vacant houses, and there was a limited retail space. There were no advertised apartments for rent.  The homes in the city looked quite old. However, most of the flats and houses looked conducive to excellent renovation (Jantel, 2017). 

Use of space: The land in Arkansas was primarily residential as well as commercial. There were large industrial buildings with numerous public parks.  Most of the area was privately owned. There were rare open spaces, even on the spacious residences.

Transport status: most members of the community-owned their private cars. However, there was a valuable use of public transport. Besides, there was work for a hike or walk around. The roads and spaced streets were able to facilitate community transportation, although as a result of the high-density population, congestion was frequent on the roads (Alexander, Maxted, & Vaughan, 2015).

Quality of streets and sidewalks: I experienced several remodeled houses and newly built buildings, which included apartments. There were freshly completed street repairs. There was no littering and garbage on the sidewalks. However, there were several abandoned houses, real estate signs, and old non-functioning cars. There was a lot of noise from car engines and the company’s machinery. Many homes contained bottom and basement floors.   

Stores: many of the residents shopped locally.  There was a myriad of restaurants, food shops, and cloth music, clothing, toys, artisan, and supply shops. There were more than 200 stores which served the outlined purposes. Members of the community walked, drove, and utilized public transport to access the stores, carry out their businesses, and shop their household goods (Jain, 2019). 

Services: there were numerous community-run agencies as well as health care facilities. Besides, the county health department offices were based in the area. There were additional private hospitals and several offices for doctors. Dentists and medical specialists carried out their activities in the area whose offices were mostly located on the first floors of multifamily residences. There were no palmists, herbalists, and spiritualists. Pubs, swimming pools, and sports grounds were available as recreational centers. 

People in the community: the majority of the people in the city were mothers, women, babies, and little lads. Besides and near the hospitals, men and women wore scrubs. Plainclothes also existed in hospitals. People were out in the streets at around 4 pm. People were appropriately dressed concerning the time of the day and their locations.

Race and ethnicity: the community mainly comprised of white people. However, there were several black men. There were also a few Chinese and Indians who were primarily seen carrying out businesses in the area.  

Common recreational areas: the main hangout places appeared to be restaurants and pubs. Yeshiva Park and sidewalks outside the residences were also frequent. People were also seen to hangout around pizza and ice-creamshops. Hangouts differed from social-economic status. Sidewalks, parks, and restaurants were considered public and were open to a stranger (Alexander, Maxted, & Vaughan, 2015).

Places of worship: there were more than 50 churches in the area, which indicated that most people were Christians. However, there were a few mosques and shrines for other religions.  

Neighborhood hangouts: the primary type of neighborhood hangout was outdoor dining. Mathews in was ubiquitous for this purpose, especially at night. People also enjoyed meeting in bars and recreational centers. 

Media: there were few political posters on store windows and houses. There was also a wide range of newspapers, which included the Jewish press. Magazines such as banyan were also available. There were advertisement displays and a large number of party affiliations (Windshield, 2016).

Cleanliness; There were no litters and garbage on the town. The streets did neither smell. It was a good feeling walking through the avenues, and the roads were more pleasant. 

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References

Alexander, H. M., Maxted, M. C., & Vaughan, M. L. (2015). Laws relating to social welfare in Arkansas. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, 10(3), 299. doi:10.2307/40024260

Arkansas. (2017). Arkansas statutes, 1947: Comprising statutes of a general and permanent nature.

Jain, P. (2019, May 17). Characteristics of aggregate. Retrieved from https://www.civilknowledges.com/characteristics-of-aggregate/

Jantel, Q. (2017). Aggregates. Retrieved from https://www.cement.org/cement-concrete-applications/concrete-mater

Please follow the instructions below

Zero Plagiarism

5 references not more than 5 years 

Program/policy evaluation is a valuable tool that can help strengthen the quality of programs/policies and improve outcomes for the populations they serve. Program/policy evaluation answers basic questions about program/policy effectiveness. It involves collecting and analyzing information about program/policy activities, characteristics, and outcomes. This information can be used to ultimately improve program services or policy initiatives.

Nurses can play a very important role assessing program/policy evaluation for the same reasons that they can be so important to program/policy design. Nurses bring expertise and patient advocacy that can add significant insight and impact. In this Assignment, you will practice applying this expertise and insight by selecting an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation and reflecting on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program/policy.

To Prepare:

• Review the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template provided in the Resources.
• Select an existing healthcare program or policy evaluation or choose one of interest to you.
• Review community, state, or federal policy evaluation and reflect on the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the program or policy described.

The Assignment: (2–3 pages)

Based on the program or policy evaluation you selected, complete the Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Analysis Template. Be sure to address the following:

• Describe the healthcare program or policy outcomes.
• How was the success of the program or policy measured?
• How many people were reached by the program or policy selected?
• How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected?
• At what point in program implementation was the program or policy evaluation conducted?
• What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation?
• What specific information on unintended consequences was identified?
• What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples.
• Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not?
• Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not?
• Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after 1 year of implementation.