Last semester in Practical Nursing

[yunisediane]

Hi,

I am Yunise and I am in my last semester of Registered Practical Nursing. I was assigned in a long term care for my last clinica practice.

I seriously need someone help!!! I am in a severe dementia unit and I am having a hard time dealing with aggressive residents. Also, when giving them medications they refused but with my preceptor, they take it! My preceptor told me to be more firm cause im very soft. I dont know how to do it!

Please help me on improving myself. Pleeeeease and thank you!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Ask your preceptor for advice. It seems that she is the expert in this case.

[lucymalfoy]

With patients with severe dementia who are more likely to try to refuse everything when given the chance, I try not to give them a choice when it comes to meds. That sounds really bad, and I acknowledge that patients always have the right to refuse anything, and I promise I'm not committing battery on anyone or anything as terrible as that statement sounds. But for example, I tell them "Let's take your pills in applesauce" instead of "Do you want to eat some applesauce?" or "Do you want to take your medicine now?" Actions like that, where instead of tiptoeing around the task like med administration or changing a brief, I just jump in and start doing it. If they get upset or something, my plans change, but more often than not I don't experience many problems or refusals with this method.