For my practicum experience, following my completion of the degree course, I focussed on catheter-related Bloodstream infections (CBIs) which are among the leading killer diseases in the United States. Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections are caused by the central venous catheters. In the U.S., there are approximately 80,000 such infections occurring annually with at least 28,000 of them being fatal. Apart from causing an increase in mortality, CBIs lead to increased hospital stays that result in high medical costs. The cost of medical care for an infected patient is estimated at $ 45,000. This gives a figure of approximately $ 2.3 billion annually (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 2004).
For my practicum experience, the main challenges that I faced were time allocation and scheduling. For successful results to be obtained, enough time needs to be allocated to ensure that proper research is conducted. I was to conduct surveys about Catheter-Related Bloodstream infections and establish a proper method to prevent the deadly infections. I was lucky to get an attachment with an Infections Surveillance Centre that was conducting research aiming at getting interventions to reduce the cases of Catheter-Related Bloodstream infections acquired in the hospitals. Three intervention measures were suggested and the period required for the achievement of the interventions was set to be 9 months, each being 3 months. Since Catheter-Related Bloodstream infections commonly occur in the intensive care units of hospitals, the study targeted the ICU section of several hospitals (Veenstra, 1999).
During the study, 100 intensive care units were obliged to participate. Adult patients in the ICUs from several hospitals were asked to participate and from each ICU, one physician and a nurse were to be designated. I worked with one of the nurses. This opportunity led to my career building and the development of professionalism in the nursing field. The physician and the nurse, who were the team leaders, were trained on safety precautions and methods of administering the interventions and they later passed the information among their colleagues. As one of the colleagues, I received the information and training through video conferencing. The three procedures that had been recommended were keeping away from the femoral location if possible, washing the hands and the use of chlorhexidine to cleanse the skin (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 2004). I acquired loads of information that increased my knowledge and that would be applicable in my nursing profession.
My practicum experience has enhanced my practical skill in nursing and leadership skills. Being a leader of a team that worked with the physician and the nurse during the study to find ways of reducing the rates of infections of CBIs equipped me with skills of leadership. I also got firsthand experience on nursing procedures that included attending to patients and collecting data on the number of infections monthly (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 2004).
References
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (2004). Simple Intervention Nearly Eliminates Catheter-related Bloodstream Infections. Science Daily. Web.
Veenstra, D. (1999). Efficacy of antiseptic-impregnated central venous catheters in preventing catheter-related bloodstream infection. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.