Geriatric Primary Care Rotation
From the perspective of a nurse practitioner student summarizing their experience doing 5 weeks of clinical rotation with gerontology patients at a primary care office: Describe your clinical experience.
- Did you face any challenges, any success? If so, what were they?
- Describe the assessment of a patient, detailing the signs and symptoms (S&S), assessment, plan of care, and at least 3 possible differential diagnosis with rationales.
- Mention the health promotion intervention for this patient.
- What did you learn from this week’s clinical experience that can beneficial for you as an advanced practice nurse?
- Support your plan of care with the current peer-reviewed research guideline.
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Geriatric Primary Care Rotation
Submission Instructions:
- Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources published within the last 5 years.
- in paragraph form, no bullet points or numbering.
Clinical Experience Overview
During my five-week geriatric primary care rotation, I had the opportunity to work closely with older adult patients facing various chronic and acute conditions. This experience allowed me to strengthen my clinical judgment, diagnostic reasoning, and communication skills, especially in navigating the complexities of multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, and functional limitations common in this population. Each patient encounter emphasized the need for patient-centered care that respects both medical and psychosocial aspects of aging.
Clinical Challenges and Successes
One of the greatest challenges I faced was managing polypharmacy. Many patients were taking over 10 medications, increasing their risk of adverse drug interactions and non-adherence. One particular success involved helping an older people with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension improve his health outcomes through medication simplification, dietary counseling, and regular follow-ups. His A1C and blood pressure improved significantly over a month, demonstrating the power of collaborative care and patient education.
Patient Case Reflection
A memorable patient was a 78-year-old woman with fatigue, confusion, and urinary urgency. Assessment revealed leukocytosis and positive urinalysis,…
