Essay: Learning disability placement reflection using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Introduction
This essay aims to reflect on an experience witnessed by self within. Health care setting, which in this instance is a learning disability school placement. Throughout this essay, The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle will be used to reflect back on my communicational skills as this is a common and thorough model of reflection. The definition of reflection is to the process of making sense of events, situations and actions in the workplace (Nursing Times) It is viewed as an important approach for professionals who embrace lifelong learning (Jasper, 2013). This method of reflection is viewed as a way of promoting personal and interpersonal, and professional skills of anyone communicating within any setting. This is most important within, Health care setting due to the imperative and crucial information being transferred daily. The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle encompasses six stages of reflection which which helps the person reflecting upon their actions and events that have taken place, to pin point and analyse each aspect of their interaction with an individual group (Gibbs, 1998). The ix stages included in the reflection cycle are; description of what happened within a situation, feeling, evaluation, analysis of the interaction, conclusion and an action plan of if the situation arises again, what would be carried out or done differently.
Description
The incident I will be reflecting on occurred whilst I was placed on a learning disability placement in a primary school during my first year of nursing training. In each class there are a maximum of 12 children as due to their learning disability status, they need extra attention and care so therefore, smaller classes give staff the opportunity to be able to give the children the help and support they need in both a one to one and group setting. This incident involved a child who has been diagnosed with Autism disorder as well as ADHD. Prior to this incident, I was aware of the difficulties this individual struggled with and had been given precautionary steps in order to approach or calm this child down if he was to get aggressive or distressed. Upon my arrival into this setting, the children were settled and playing a variety of educational games or building blocks to develop their kinaesthetic skills. I had already been warned that the individual I am going to discuss was anxious around new people being present in the classroom. Due to this, I entered the classroom with ease and in a calm manner, keeping my distance from the indium to avoid any unwanted distress. The main areas of reflection within this interaction was how both myself and the other staff used both verbal and non-verbal communication to calm the individual and show compassion of their needs, as well as how we adapted our care to address their individual needs which kept the child safe.
In this instance I am going to discuss, a new member of staff had joined the class for the morning session – the individual was very distressed and therefore, started to get worked up due to him not being able properly express his emotions and feelings. Upon the presence of a new individual within his ‘safe one’ of the classroom the individual became overtly distressed and began crying, shrieking and hitting his head with his hands. In this situation, I had been advised to let the individual burn off his energy, so let him outside not the playground so he could calm himself down without hurting himself or anyone else. The child ran up and down the playground in order to calm himself down. The teacher of the class had too me to leave him to calm himself down but keep an ye on him as he is still a child and it is our duty of care to make sure he is safe and out of harms way t all times. It took time; however, the individual calmed himself down and returned back into the class room. With prior knowledge of children behaviour from my Health and Social Care course in college, I was aware of the steps needed to talk in after a child has been upset. Due to this, I took the child off to the side and talked through what’d made the individual so distressed and analysed the source and ho next time it happens, how we can diffuse the situation faster and with ease.
Feelings
Prior to the incident occurring, I was mindful that each child reacts to change differently and that something changing would cause a stir within the group environment of in this instance a classroom. At the time of the incident, I had only been within this environment fora couple of days so I was highly unsure of how involved I could get within the incident. Ultimately, due to this, I did not feel it was my place to defuse this situation independently with confidence and certainty that what I would be doing was correct. I think that due to my level of anxiety of doing something incorrect, I struggled to intervene.
Evaluation
In hindsight, the experience had both positive and negative which has helped me increase my understanding of the individuals experience of distress and their triggers and my role as a student nurse within the classroom setting. My role was to interact with the staff and children with clear and effective communication, carry out educational activities with the children that fit within the national teaching curriculum in away that each child will understanding be able to carry out as weals helping them academically develop through literacy and numeracy skills and reading. I also helped in developing their interpersonal skills through promoting positive play when interacting with there children, reminding the children to share the apparatus and resources available as well as teaching them to take it in turns during games. I feel I fulfilled my responsibility completely within these areas of development.
On the other hand, I do not think that I fully fulfilled my responsibility when I came to calming an individual down as I was unaware f how involved I could get with the child and how to approach a situation safety for myself and the child involved.
Analysis
Individuals with learning difficulties often find it difficult and struggle with new experiences and therefore take longer to adapt to new situations in their life, which can result in problems within their behaviour as it will disturb their common aura of being calm and feeling safe within a particular environment due to the changes and how they will therefore impact them. Health care professionals should have knowledge of how to effectively interact with people of learning difficulty in a way that has a positive impaction them. Moreover, daily communication, verbal or non verbal, towards patients with learning difficulties should be patient-centred to which the patient has full attention and staff are fully attentive to them. As well as the need for holistic care in addressing patient needs and how they benefit or hinder them, which then incorporates both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication into their care plan. Therefore, professionals who are in contact with an individual with learning difficulties should make a conscience effort to keep eye contact, look and listen to show they are listening, allocate more time for the patient as they may need a little longer to explain themselves or to understand information they are being given. (Nursing Times Clinical, 2004).
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2015) state within ‘The Code’, that all registered nurses and midwives must abide by the professional standards which are to: prioritise people, practise effectively, preserve safety and promote professionalism and trust (NMC 2015). Compassion within health care setting is important as a patient will bounce off the attitude and presence of the individuals taking care of them. Therefore, if a professional has a cold and short attitude, the interactions between both the patient and health care professional may be hostile due to the patient feeling unwanted and a burden. Compassion is also one of the ‘6cs’ introduced in 2012 (Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage, Commitment) these are embedded in all values and behavioural decisions a health care professional makes (Department of Health, 2012). The 6Cs are all s important as one another and therefore, should be threaded into daily practice in all deliveries of service.
Conclusion
Due to this experience, I am now more mindful of the importance of putting an individuals needs asa Ain priority and to follow protocol that keeps the individual safe and defuses a situation instead f make it worse. so, if similar situations were to arise in the future, I am fully aware of what steps to take in order to carry out effective communication. The insight I have gained from this experience means that I am now more aware of the importance of acting in the best interests of the individual, even when this may take be complex and could put myself at some risk.
Action Plan
In the future, I aim to be more proactive and involved in dealing with situations of distress and upset and what the right action to take is. Moreover, due to me now having experience on these situations, I will address the needs of an individual and alter how I deal with them due toothier learning difficulties by ensuring I follow the care pathway of that single patient so they get the best care possible. I will not assume that all the children are the same and need the sae type of discipline or distractions in order to defuse situations. I will continue to undertake regular professional reflective practice as this will help me evaluate and analyse my professional values and help me to develop my skills as I learn, one way I will do this is to continually use and relate back to the on-going model proposed by Gibbs (1988). I also aim to consistently and confidently carry out the principles and values as set out by the National League for Nursing.
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