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Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among 65-year-old or older male patients is a complex task that requires the development of research skills, leadership competencies, and scientific knowledge. It is not enough to identify the chosen problem at the microsystem (family support), mesosystem (employees), and macrosystem (hospitals) and consider nursing intervention (patients’ education and counseling after screening) through Pender’s Health Promotion Model (HPM). It is expected to follow the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, also known as Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) Essentials, integrate evidence-based guidelines, and lead clinical prevention. The goal of this paper is to introduce a self-assessment that represents my skills and knowledge and proves my readiness to work on the DNP project to prevent STD in elderly male patients.
Self-Assessment
I have already been involved in the DNP project for a while and got a chance to identify and understand my strengths and weaknesses. As a DNP nurse, I must know how to use scientific-based theories and concepts, identify practice problems, and choose the actions with the help of which enhancement of care quality is possible. In one of the peer-reviewed articles, I found out that most STD research is focused on young patients, neglecting the fact that many elderly patients (aged 50 and over) still remain sexually active (Tuddenham, Page, Chaulk, Lobe, & Ghanem, 2017).
The chosen study explained that public health officials questioned the worth of existing STD education and prevention programs and want to develop new approaches to enhance health care delivery (Tuddenham et al., 2017). Therefore, I had a solid background to define STDs as a current health problem among elderly patients and use education and counseling as a strategy to prevent the growth of infections. The expected outcome is the reduction of risk behaviors in males aged 65 years or older after screening and communication with nurses.
Among the health promotion models, Pender’s approach is a rational decision to define the positive dynamics of health and increase the patient’s level of well-being. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006), clinical prevention aims at reducing diseases and inviting families to promote health. Leadership is a critical quality in this kind of work because it enhances the possibility to analyze epidemiological and occupational data and share findings with the rest of the team (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2006). Pender’s health promotion model was successfully used by Khodaveisi, Omidi, Farokhi, and Soltanian (2017) to control the nutritional behaviors of women with weight-related problems.
It proved that the education of patients might bring positive outcomes on their behaviors and understanding of contributions to weight changes. The same model can be applied to older adults and their decisions to be involved in sexual activities and prevent the development of STDs. I am ready to use the examples offered by Khodaveisi et al. (2017) and help the team to apply the same method in a new practice. Elderly males with STDs are appropriate aggregates for my DNP project.
I know that the development of new approaches on the basis of nursing theories is an obligatory step in the DNP project. Geriatric care is challenged by a variety of factors, including the low status of patients, poor financial rewards for medical workers, and a lack of exposure (Meiboom, de Vries, Scheele, & Hertogh, 2018). I want to gather a professional team of nurses and make them believe in the importance of changing the quality of care that can be offered to elderly patients. Not many experts identify STDs as a problem for this group of people. Therefore, my task is to analyze available studies like the one by Tuddenham et al. (2017) and prove that current nursing theories may be applied to STD prevention practices. Such an intention will influence my competitive abilities, attract the attention of nursing enthusiasts, and contributed to the fields of health care and nursing as a great opportunity to discover underutilized practices in new ways.
DNP Practicum Project Team Mentorship Reflection
Despite the fact that the development of this DNP practicum project is a possibility to introduce personal skills and knowledge, the role of a mentor cannot be ignored. My mentor collaboration is a chance to understand how to improve the already achieved results and utilize my personal strengths to eradicate my weaknesses. My intention is not only to follow all the recommendations given by a mentor but to recognize which hints are more critical for different tasks.
Therefore, this guidance is beneficial when I am able to differentiate between obligatory and recommended ideas. My DNP project mentor is a person who has already worked on a number of similar projects and knows what enhances academic success. The creation of the professional relationship is characterized by free communication and the discussion of various approaches to find out which ones are more appropriate. During this assignment, I realized that my desire to address for help is not a sign of a lack of knowledge but readiness to make some improvements. Even the more professional nurses never reject additional help, and I am going to become one of them in the chosen field.
Conclusion
The introduction of this DNP project is my intention to prove the already gained competencies and demonstrate my potential as a professional nurse. Scientific underpinnings for practice may vary, and I am ready to work hard, collaborate with a team and a mentor, and investigate new approaches and credible theories. Past studies in the field of nursing and the attention to elderly patients as those with a high need for education and counseling prove the correctness of the chosen approach. My background knowledge is enough to begin the DNP project and lead a team, but I am always eager to improve my skills, and my mentor collaboration is a good opportunity. Prevention of STDs in male patients older than 65 years aims to improve the quality of care and life, and I want to contribute to this field.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Khodaveisi, M., Omidi, A., Farokhi, S., & Soltanian, A. R. (2017). The effect of Pender’s health promotion model in improving the nutritional behavior of overweight and obese women. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, 5(2), 165-174.
Meiboom, A. A., de Vries, H., Scheele, F., & Hertogh, C. M. (2018). Raising enthusiasm for the medical care of elderly patients: A concept mapping study to find elements for an elderly friendly medical curriculum. BMC Medical Education, 18(1). Web.
Tuddenham, S. A., Page, K. R., Chaulk, P., Lobe, E. B., & Ghanem, K. G. (2017). Patients fifty years and older attending two sexually transmitted disease clinics in Baltimore, Maryland. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 28(4), 330-344.
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