The general theory of nursing created by Dorothea Orem has been used in clinical practice for more than four decades. From when the theory was first published in 1971, it has significantly guided nursing concepts and practice. In view of this theory with regard to women’s health, it can be used to create an appropriate set of practicum activities for patients. In view of the theory of self-care deficit, women’s health can be approached through the following.
An establishment of a relationship between the women’s health nurse and the patient will ensue. After this process, the following practicum goals and objectives be met.
Activities, Goals, and Objectives
- The establishment of a therapeutic relationship and rapport with the patients and nursing practitioner.
- Conduct of a comprehensive physical and history examination of common primary care conditions (Office of Research on Women’s Health, ORWH, 2017) in the following areas:
- Dermatologic.
- Gastrointestinal.
- Cardiovascular and hematologic.
- Respiratory.
- Renal.
- Neurologic.
- Mental health.
- Identification of need for tests and diagnostic procedures that to interpret findings as indicated in physical or historical examinations.
- Development of management plans for appropriate primary care conditions that include health education, behavior change strategies, and health promotion.
- Demonstration of acquired clinical skills for antepartum care.
- Management of the common discomforts of pregnancy through continuously relating them to psychological and anatomical changes and provide a differential diagnosis and anticipatory guidance (Schuiling & Likis, 2017).
- Conduct of a comprehensive initial exam for pregnant patients (Bui, 2017) and identification of risk factors through performing a risk assessment.
- Application of knowledge of health and prenatal genetic screening tests to enable areas on which to provide anticipatory guidance.
The timeline for the clinical practicum would be set for one semester for a student undertaking a women health nurse practitioner (NP) course. The accomplishment of the above activities, goals, and objectives would provide a wholesome practicum experience for a women’s health NP.
References
Bui, J. (2017). Building a community of support for new moms. Womenshealth.gov. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealth.gov/blog/community-support-new-moms.
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH). (2017). Infographic: 25 years of advancing women through research. Orwh.od.nih.gov. Retrieved from https://orwh.od.nih.gov/research/orwh-timeline-infographic/
Schuiling, K. D., & Likis, F. E. (2017). Women’s gynecologic health (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
