what's the purpose of those archaic care plans?

anonymousstudent · Aug 23, 2011

To make you "think like a nurse." They are teaching you judgement and nursing process, whether you think so or not. This is one of those trust the system things. I hated them when I started, but I learned a lot from them and am glad I put the time in on them. Stick with it. The procedure part will get easier.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 23, 2011

As the previous poster said, they teach you how to think ... they teach the nursing process. Most students just want to learn facts -- facts about diseases, facts about treatments, etc. But the art of actual practice requires that you follow a path (or process) of good thinking.

For example, don't assume that everyone with a certain disease has the same needs. You have to first assess the patient and understand what is going on in their particular case before you can plan an intervention. And you need to be regularly monitoring the patient and evaluating your care to know whether or not your interventions are helping or not. You can't just "do the standard procedure" and then move on.

Care plans force you to think about each step of the process and work out the details of each step. They can be difficult because there are so many details to consider -- but being able to identify all those details and integrate them into your nursing care is what makes a good nurse.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Aug 23, 2011

To make you suffer like we all had to........:D:D:D

micajoieLAc · Aug 23, 2011

the problem is not everyone learns from sitting in front of a computer screen. I would get WAY more out of care plans if someone walked me through the thinking in action, that's where care plans are formed anyhow. Still makes no sense to me to teach this part of nursing in only one way when we all learn in different ways...It's been a year, and I'm still not learning whatever it is it's supposed to teach me

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 23, 2011

Your OP didn't say anything about sitting in front of a computer. Your OP asked about care plans. If you don't like the teaching method used to teach care planning at your school ... that's a whole different matter. Say that you don't like the particular computerized system that they are using ... but don't blame "care plans in general" for your faculty's weak teaching methods.

micajoieLAc · Aug 23, 2011

My original post question still stands, what exactly are we supposed to be learning? How to think like a nurse, the different forms we fill out have yet to help. Clinical is the only place I feel like I've learned how to think, next steps, what to watch for, what labs to expect or procedures.

I've gone to two different schools now and all they say is fill out the care plan. It still hasn't helped me figure out what the purpose is and what I'm supposed to learn. When I'm informed I failed to fill out a box shouldn't it trigger the instructor to think I may not know what "the box" is asking or looking for.

It's a two fold problem, not knowing what I'm supposed to be learning from filling out the care plan and not receiving clear instruction, but from two different schools, I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't understand what the purpose is

jjjoy, LPN · Aug 23, 2011

Have you searched previous threads on this? I started a similar topic years ago that has gone on and on and on...

Jazdani4 · Aug 23, 2011

yes its to teach you how to think like a nurse. If a patient has a certain issue interventions you will perform for that patient, goals for that day, and outcomes so you know that you have or have not reached those goals...and to make you stay up till 2am the night before clinicals where they expect you to be AOx3 lol

micajoieLAc · Aug 24, 2011

Ah ha, Thank you Joy, I did finally find it. Clearly not enough has changed in the teaching of care plans or at the very least in the explanation of care plans.

allnurses Guide · Aug 24, 2011

I have had my issues with care plans as they are conceived developed and used in our everyday working life, but they are not archaic and have evolved along with other aspects of nursing.

If you are taught them in such a way that they are reduced to an almost rote fill in the boxes exercise I can see why you wouldn't gain much that way - I get really bored and frustrated by classes taught like that.

I found that getting the perspective of some of the members here - Ilg of course, but also msn10 and Grn Tea (who specializes in this area) might approach in a way that piques your interest.

Anyway here's a link to a very lively thread where both have contributed on the topic with some input I got a lot of value out of. The title "nursing diagnosis" means that they are integrated into the care plan now, but have not always been. Care plans in one form or another are pretty intrinsic to nursing.

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/nursing-diagnosis-sacred-576921.html

Beyond that you don't have many choices other than go through the process itself before you fully understand their value. Or not.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Aug 24, 2011

OP, if you aren't learning from your care plans then you need to ask for help. Go to your instructors and let them know that you don't think you are benefitting from doing care plans and you would like some advice on ways to approach them and get the most out of them. As others have said, they are important and they do help you become a better nurse.

Be an advocate for your own learning.