Nurs 6541 Assignment: Practicum Journal Entry, Week 5

Assignment: Practicum – Journal Entry, Week 5: Diaper rash
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Introduction
All nursing students have to undergo a practicum experience in the course of their studies in order to familiarize themselves with the real clinical settings. This is an opportunity for students to apply their classroom knowledge in solving real clinical situations. I went to a clinic near my college for my practical experience and had a wonderful experience. I have always had a special interest in dermatology and therefore requested my supervisor to send me to the dermatology department where I would gain some useful experience in handling dermatology cases. I had an opportunity to attend to a patient with a dermatological disorder and the following is a description of my experience in assessing and managing the patient and his or her family and my general reflection about the practicum experience.
My experience in assessing and managing the patient and his family
I was attached to the dermatology department during my practicum and one of my major assignments was to treat a five-month-old boy that was suspected to be suffering from a skin condition known as diaper rash. I was expected to conduct a diagnosis before I could treat the patient with the help of my preceptor. According to my classroom knowledge, diaper rash diagnosis involves checking out for the location of the rash and symptoms (Canoe.com, 2016). I had to examine the patient to confirm whether he had the common symptoms associated with diaper rash. There are different types of rashes, but diaper rashes are unique in the sense that they appear as shiny patches on the skin. In addition to that, the skin may have some redness and these symptoms were evident upon examination (Canoe.com, 2016). When conducting a diagnosis for a diaper rash, it is important to focus on what is referred to as the diaper area which includes the genitalia, upper thighs and buttocks. The diaper area that is affected by this condition is normally warm and my patient was also exhibiting this sign.
The other diaper rash symptom that I was able to notice is irritability of the diaper rash that was causing the baby to cry especially when his mother was changing the diapers. A diaper rash patient normally feels irritated when the diaper is touched or cleaned. Other diaper rash symptoms that I noticed include red bumps in skin creases and folds and red areas that went beyond the diaper area (Triplewash.com, 2017). The next step after diagnosis was the treatment of the condition with supervision from my preceptor. The major treatment I recommended for diaper rash was petroleum jelly, as well as an ointment or a barrier cream that has zinc oxide as the major ingredient (Madeformums.com, 2016).The jelly, barrier cream or ointment soaks up the moisture present in the diaper area and at the same time acts as a barrier between the irritant and the skin. Diaper rash products should have a large percentage of zinc oxide for effective treatment of the condition. Products that contain up to 40% zinc oxide are the most recommended when it comes to treating diaper rash (Canoe.com, 2016). However, preventive products that are used daily to prevent diaper rash may have less ...