RUNNING HEAD: PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

Professional Portfolio
Sasha Sproule
NorQuest College
NFDN 1002 Section A04
Assignment #1
Catherine Bering
June 8, 2015

PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

Report on Progress of Professional Portfolio

IDENTIFY COMPETENCY
B-2-1: Demonstrate ability to apply critical thinking
NUMBER, LETTER AND
and clinical judgment in the planning of care.
SUBCATEGORY
Learning about the different routes (oral,
subcutaneous, intramuscular and intravenous) and
what goes along with administering those
medications, in particular subcutaneous injections.
Performing a subcutaneous injection stood out to me
as something where you would need to critically think
about why you are choosing a particular needle
length, why you are choosing that location of the
body over another subcutaneous location and finally,
why you are choosing a particular angle of insertion.
This was so significant because without the
DESCRIBE ONE
knowledge about how the medication is administered
SIGNIFICANT LEARNING
to go along with what we know about each
EXPERIENCE IN THIS
medication it is easy to make mistakes that result in
COURSE RELATED TO THE
medication errors as well as adverse effects for your
CLPNA COMPETENCY.
client. For example you would never want to use an
PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE.
18 gage, 1 inch needle for a subcutaneous injection as
the length would be too long and not to mention the
pain for the client. A 25 gage, 5/8 of an inch would be
a much better option. An example of why thinking
about the angle of insertion is so important when
administering a subcutaneous injection to a client who
is very small and thin would differ from administering
the same injection to someone larger with more
subcutaneous tissue. It would not only differ in the
sites that you use, but also the angle in which you
insert the needle and possibly even the needle length.
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU
There are many sites where you can administer a
LEARNED AND HOW IT
subcutaneous injection (the abdomen, back of arms,
RELATES TO THE
anterior thighs, upper back and above the buttocks)
COMPETENCY. EXPLAIN
and the amount of subcutaneous tissue can vary from
WHY IT WAS MEANINGFUL. site to site. There are also many different angles we
can insert the needles, subcutaneous injections are
injected at angles between 45 and 90. When
administering the injection the smaller client with less
subcutaneous tissue it would be important to select a
site with the most subcutaneous tissue, likely the
upper abdomen and insert the needle on a 45. This
would ensure you get the subcutaneous tissue for the
delivery of the medication. If administering to another
client with much more subcutaneous tissue some of

PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

USES THE PROFICIENCY

CATEGORIES TO RATE
THEIR PROFICIENCY IN
THE CHOSEN CLPNA
COMPETENCY. EXPLAIN
WHAT WAS DONE TO
ACHIEVE THE
COMPETENCY.

3
the other sites would be appropriate. You would also
insert the needle at a 90 angle to ensure the
medication reaches their subcutaneous.
My competency level would be described as good
understands competency in theory and in scenarios
and nursing practice. In both the theory and in lab I
feel very confident in my ability to choose the
appropriate needle length and perform the correct
angle on insertion depending on the scenario given. I
also feel confident that I can explain the rationale for
why I am choosing a particular needle, subcutaneous
site on the body or angle of insertion. I have achieved
this level of proficiency by making sure I show up to
class and pay close attention to what is being taught.
By reading the textbook to clarify things I am not
comfortable with, I gain more confidence in my
understanding. This critical thinking skill will really
be put to the test in the fall when we go out to the first
clinical and can put what I have learned into real life
practice.

The skill of choosing the appropriate needle length,

site for injection and angle of insertion for a
subcutaneous injection will surely help guide my
practice in the future. As people come in all shapes
DESCRIBE HOW YOU WILL and sizes it is very important to know what is the best
APPLY THIS LEARNING IN way to approach each situation. Having the ability to
YOUR CURRENT AND
think critically about what will cause the least amount
FUTURE NURSING
of invasion is extremely important in the comfort of
PRACTICE
the client. I will achieve this by taking a minute to
really look at the client and make decisions based on
what I have in front of me. I strive to abide by the do
no harm ideal and provide the most comfortable care
possible.