Simulation Reflection Essay

The simulations we participated in for mental health this semester was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve participated in throughout nursing school thus far. I thought having real patients who were acting was more realistic, and I really felt as if these patients were suffering from different disorders during the simulation. The simulation also caused me to have authentic emotional reactions to the patients, such as irritation, empathy, and confusion. 

            Through this experience, I learned how to communicate with patients suffering from various mental health disorders. For example, I learned how to genuinely listen to a patient with severe anhedonia and depression, and I learned what my goals should be for a patient with bipolar disorder who is manic. Not every patient I worked with in simulation was easy to communicate with though. The patients that I had the most trouble with were the patient with bipolar disorder when manic and the patient with borderline personality disorder. I found these patients especially difficulty because I had a hard time getting them to answer my questions and was unsure of what my goals/care plan should be for the patient. I believe this was because I wanted to meet all the requirements by covering everything I had written about in preparation for simulation. I quickly learned that I was not going to be able to discuss all the points I’d researched with these particular patients. I overcame this challenge by working with my groupmates and prioritizing what the most important points and goals were for the patient. Most of these points were centered around patient safety and the patient risk assessment.

            Throughout simulation, I felt that my therapeutic communication skills improved greatly. I especially saw the difference between simulation 1 and 2, because I had completed my mental health clinical. In clinical, I was able to do a mental health assessment on patients on the unit, which helped me build my communication skills, as well as active listening skills. I felt that the conversations I had with my patients in simulation 2 flowed much more smoothly than they did in simulation 1. After class this semester and all our clinicals and simulation, I am genuinely considering mental health nursing as a future career path. I also want to work as a fertility nurse and/or and HIV/AIDS nurse, both of which require proficient skills in therapeutic communication and the mental health nursing process. I want to continue working on the skills I have learned through mental health by continuing to apply them to patients in clinicals next year that may or may not be directly in an inpatient mental health setting. This semester has reaffirmed for me that all patients need mental health nursing, and the nursing process for mental health is a skill all nurses should have.