Assignment PracticumJournal Entry

Assignment: Practicum – Journal Entry
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date of Submission
My practicum experience enabled me to familiarize myself with the real clinical settings. It was an opportunity for me to apply what I learned in the classroom to solve real clinical problems. I went to a particular clinic for my practicum, and since I have often loved to handle dermatological issues, I asked my supervisor to allow me to work in that department. The patient that I interacted with had suffered from skin acne for 16 years of her life. Acne is a skin condition that causes long-lasting inflammation around the hair follicle of the skin. According to Papadopoulos & Walker (2003), the symptoms of the disease include blackheads also known as comedones or whiteheads also referred to as pustules. The situation is also associated with nodules or cysts. Acne is diagnosed by carrying out a simple visual inspection of a patient by a dermatologist (Mitchell & Dudley, 2002).
The patient had spent the last 16 years seeking for creams and other treatments that she thought could end the problem but they did not. The bumps were red, and she complained of irritation. The lack of an effective treatment for her condition had made her develop fear, disgust, and anger towards the situation as well as the medications. The acne was on her face, lower cheeks, and jawline shoulders as well as on the forehead. In regards to treatment of the condition, I recommended that the patient needed to use a blend of antibiotic tablets and topical medications to deal with the severe acne (Titus & Hodge, 2012).

My supervisor also helped in pointing out that hormonal therapies or the combined oral contraceptive pill can clear the acne in women. My experience in assessing and managing the patient was great since I got to feel her emotions as she experienced the condition.
My “aha” moment occurred when I got to visually assess the patient when I recognized the disorder by relating it to what I had learned in class. By interacting with the patient in a real-world clinical setting helped me remember the things I had learned in class and be able to apply the knowledge to help address the dermatological disorder.
References
Mitchell, T., & Dudley, A. (2002). Acne. London: Class Publishing.
Papadopoulos, L., & Walker, C. (2003). Understanding skin problems: Acne, eczema, psoriasis and related conditions. Chichester, West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Titus, S., & Hodge, J. (2012). Diagnosis and treatment of acne. American family physician, 86(8), 734-740.