Learning Plan

Name: Meaghan

Page 1 of 7

Course Number: NURS 2021H

Course Name: Family Focused Practice

Area of Practice: Maternity/Child

Competency Category
(Indicate with a check which competency category this page refers to)
o Professional Responsibility
X Knowledge-based Practice
o Ethical Practice
o Service to the Public
o Self-Regulation

Goals
My first goal for my maternity/child placement is to be able to successfully
complete and effectively teach new parents how to properly give a bath to a
newborn baby by the end of the placement period. An element of
knowledge-based practice according to the College of Nurses of Ontario
(CNO) is aiding and supporting clients through developmental and role
transitions. Becoming a mother to a newborn baby is a significant role
transition, even if the patient has other children. Caring for a toddler or
young child is very different from caring for a newborn infant, which means
that it is part of the role of a nurse to help and support mothers in
understanding how to effectively take care of their baby, with one of the
aspects of this being bathing/hygiene.
Activities, Necessary Resources and Timeframes to achieve my goal?
Activities:
- Attending NURS 2021 lab to ensure I am properly taught how to
personally give a bath to a newborn infant, and even to properly teach
how to give a bath to their newborn infant
- Watching a more experienced nurse perform a bath on a newborn
infant for further understanding of how to properly perform and teach
how to give a newborn infant a bath
- Asking assistance from a more experienced nurse if I am ever in doubt
of how I am performing a bath for a newborn infant

- Using resources attained in NURS 2021 lab and from my clinical

instructor to ensure that I safely and effectively give a newborn infant
a bath
- Asking for feedback from the mothers, clinical instructor, co-assign
nurse, and others in my clinical group on my ability to teach a mother
how to safely and effectively give their newborn infant a bath
Necessary Resources:
- Feedback from mothers, clinical instructor, co-assign nurse, and
others in my clinical group on my ability to teach a mother how to
safely and effectively give a newborn infant a bath
- Resources attained in NURS 2021 lab and from my clinical instructor
to ensure that I safely and effectively give a newborn infant a bath
Timeframe
The activities listed above are ones that I will take action with each time I
attend clinical practice until the end of the semester in November 2013.

Evaluation
How will I know that I have achieved my goal?

I will know that I have achieved my goal when I analyze the feedback
received from mothers, my clinical instructor, co-assign nurse, and others in
my clinical group on my ability to both personally give a newborn infant a
bath both safely and effectively, and to teach a mother how to safely and
effectively give their newborn infant a bath. I will acquire this feedback both
at the midterm point and end point of the semester so that I may track my
progress and understand in what ways I need to improve my technique, and
what techniques I should continue.
My learning plan addresses:
o
o
o
o

Self Reflection
Course Learning Objectives
Consideration to previous evaluation
Cumulative and Appropriate for educational level

Signature: Meaghan Gutenberg

Date: 09-28-13

Learning Plan
Name: Meaghan

Page 3 of 7

Course Number: NURS 2021H

Course Name: Family Focused Practice

Area of Practice: Maternity/Child

Competency Category
(Indicate with a check which competency category this page refers to)
X Professional Responsibility
o Knowledge-based Practice
o Ethical Practice
o Service to the Public
o Self-Regulation

Goals
My second goal for my maternity/child placement is to understand the
limitations of my scope of practice as a nursing student and correspondingly
to ensure that I do not work outside of the parameters set by my limited
scope of practice to maintain professional responsibility and accountability.
In accordance to the CNO, nurses are to recognize any restrictions that may
exist within their current scope of practice, and pursue assistance whenever
necessary. As a nursing student, my scope of practice is far more limited
than that of the Registered Nurses I will be working next to in my
placement. Therefore, certain tasks that may need to be performed for
patients that I may be assisting with may not be tasks I have been taught to
perform. To perform these tasks while they are out of my scope of practice is
irresponsible, and I can be held accountable for any potentially negative
outcomes. This is why it is very important to ensure that I work within the
parameters of my scope of practice, and to not hesitate on seeking
assistance.
Activities, Necessary Resources and Timeframes to achieve my goal?
Activities:
- Attending NURS 2021 lab every week to understand and be aware of
the exact limitations to my scope of practice.

- Seeking assistance from my co-assign nurse or my clinical instructor

whenever a task is to be performed that I either do not feel competent
in or have not been taught how to perform both effectively and safely.
- Ensuring my co-assign nurse is aware of the limitations to my scope
of practice each week as the NURS 2021 labs expand my scope of
practice on a weekly basis
- Establish support networks with other students in my clinical group,
and my clinical instructor to ensure that I stand up for not working out
of my scope of practice
- Using the resources given to me at NURS 2021 lab and from my
clinical instructor to support the carrying out of tasks within my scope
of practice both safely and effectively
Necessary Resources:
- Supportive relationships with those in my clinical group and my
clinical instructor
- Resources attained in NURS 2021 lab and from clinical instructor
- Feedback from other students in my clinical group, my clinical
instructor, and even Lakeridge Helath RNs that I am working with on
the unit
Timeframe:
The activities listed above are ones that I will take action with each time I
attend clinical practice until the end of the semester in November 2013.
Evaluation
How will I know that I have achieved my goal?

I will know that I have achieved my goal when I reflect on issues that I may
have faced at clinical placement where I had to ensure or even stand up for
that not working outside of my limited scope of practice. Part of this
reflection will be receiving feedback from other students in my clinical
group, my clinical instructor, and Lakeridge Helath RNs that I work with on
the unit. I will generally reflect after each day I attend clinical, and I will
deeply reflect at the midterm and end of term points to determine whether
there were any situations throughout the semester where my scope of
practice was breached or even questioned in level of safety or effectiveness.

My learning plan addresses:

o
o
o
o

Self Reflection
Course Learning Objectives
Consideration to previous evaluation
Cumulative and Appropriate for educational level

Signature: Meaghan Gutenberg

Date: 09-28-13

Learning Plan
Name: Meaghan

Page 5 of 7

Course Number: NURS 2021H

Course Name: Family Focused Practice

Area of Practice: Maternity/Child

Competency Category
(Indicate with a check which competency category this page refers to)
o Professional Responsibility
o Knowledge-based Practice
X Ethical Practice
o Service to the Public
o Self-Regulation

Goals
My third goal for my maternity/child placement is to be considerate of the
unique needs of each patient and correspondingly to promote a safe and
therapeutic environment to engage in effective relational practice. The CNO
states that nurses are responsible to understand how the context of care for
each client is different, and that nurses are to promote the safety and
wellbeing of their clients according to these contextual differences. These
range from spiritual/cultural beliefs, health history, diagnosis, lifestyle, and
experiences. By understanding and practicing to each clients personal
context, nurses are better able to provide patient-centered care, and sense of
care and trust can be built to effectively develop a therapeutic relationship.
Activities, Necessary Resources and Timeframes to achieve my goal?
Activities:

- Check the patients chart for their health history, diagnosis, any
characteristics of their lifestyle/experiences, and to see if there is any
specified cultural identity/religious denomination. Furthermore to see
if the patients plan of care requires any adjustments accordingly
- Asking patients directly if they have any particular spiritual/cultural
beliefs/general personal preferences that they would like to have their
plan of care accommodated for
- Advocating for my patients whenever health care practices interfere
with their context of care
- Providing alternatives, and making accommodations (whenever
possible) to particular health care practices that may interfere with my
patients context of care
- Asking more experienced nurses on the unit or my clinical instructor
if I am ever uncertain of how I can accommodate to my patients
context of care, or what the capacity of the unit is to accommodate
aspects of this (spiritual/cultural beliefs/general personal
preferences/lifestyle)
- Self-reflection and attaining feedback from those in my clinical
group/clinical instructor/co-assign nurse/patients on my ability to
understand my patients context of care
Necessary Resources:
- Information from the patients chart
- Medium for self-reflection
- Feedback from those in my clinical group/clinical instructor/co-assign
nurse/patients
- Experiential knowledge from my clinical instructor/co-assign nurse
- Resources attained in NURS 2001 course to better understand and
relate to patients of various cultures/religions
- External resources (textbook, internet, etc.) to better understand and
relate to patients of various cultures/religions
Timeframe:
The activities listed above are ones that I will take action with each time I
attend clinical practice until the end of the semester in November 2013.
Evaluation
How will I know that I have achieved my goal?

I will know that I have achieved my goal when I analyze my self-reflections

and feedback I receive from those in my clinical group/clinical instructor/coassign nurse/patients on my abilities to understand and practice according to
my patients context of care. I will perform this analysis at the midterm point
and end of term point in the semester to determine my progress, techniques I
should improve on, and techniques I should continue to use. This analysis
will act as a guide in developing my ethical and relational practice skills.
My learning plan addresses:
o
o
o
o

Self Reflection
Course Learning Objectives
Consideration to previous evaluation
Cumulative and Appropriate for educational level

Signature: Meaghan Gutenberg

Date: 09-28-13

References
College of Nurses of Ontario (2008). National competencies in the context of entry level
Registered Nurse practice. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: College of Nurses of
Ontario.