Caring for Alex: a clinical inquiry

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.