After interacting with Mary the learning experience taught me that with communication, skills are necessary and that acquiring them is much learnt by actual practice as well as reading a book or taking notes in a lecture.
It was very satisfying to have been able to help Mary to have a bath, choose her clothes and discuss issues she wanted to talk about.
In reflecting I have learnt to treat everyone equally and respect a persons autonomy. I have found that spending time to listen and build a relationship with Mary has advantages for me as a learning student nurse as well as for Mary as a resident.
Helen Taylor (1997) sited research by Sumaya-Smith (1995) suggests close inter-personal relationships between staff and residents is part of keeping staff happy as a member of the work team. These bonds are referred to as "surrogate family bonds" and involve emotional involvement for staff but are greatly valued by residents and staff.
Using models of reflection can help the practitioner to learn through reflective practices, they are relatively uncomplicated to understand and give step-by-step cues on how to reflect and learn through experiences.
To learn from experiences we need to give experiences meaning, this is aided by reflective models. By reflecting on an experience we can open up the questions why and how to come to reasons, explanations and understanding of the way we act.
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