title: Caring for Alex: a clinical inquiry.
abstract: In my final semester as a third year Bachelor of Nursing student, I undertook my practicum placement in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). During this time I cared for Alex, a 10 year old boy with Cerebral Palsy, who presented to the ICU unit in with acute respiratory failure. This paper takes the form of a clinical inquiry in which I describe my experience of caring for Alex, his illness journey and his parents' experience of having a critically ill child. I describe Alex's presentation and treatment within the hospital, the focussing on nursing and medical interventions and my evolving therapeutic relationship with Alex's parents. Because Alex cannot communicate verbally, I obtained consent to write this inquiry paper from Alex's parents, Michael and Emma, who were also happy to discuss their experience as Alex's parents. This clinical inquiry is person-focussed and in its original form was the final piece of assessment for my nursing degree.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Unit, Launceston General Hospital, Tasmania.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Movric
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000451:nursing*; D002648:Child; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011231:Preceptorship; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D016414:Resuscitation Orders; D013648:Tasmania