| Course | NU245CL Mental Health Nursing Clinical |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Medication teaching reflection |
| Length | About 810 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BSN (prelicensure) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU245CL Unit 9
August Heat, Ibuprofen in the Truck and Four Energy Drinks a Day: A Medication Teaching Reflection on a Composite Landscaper Starting Lithium Whose Three Questions Matched Nothing on the Prepared Toxicity Handout
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU245CL: Mental Health Nursing Clinical
Unit 9 Medication Teaching Reflection
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The patient is composite; doses and levels are the prescriber's and the laboratory's, values are bracketed, and the student taught with the assigned nurse present and checked answers with the pharmacist.
The Handout I Built
Before the session, I prepared a one-page handout for [Mr. B.], composite, 38, a landscaper starting lithium after a manic episode. It listed early signs of toxicity, nausea, diarrhea, coarse tremor, unsteadiness and confusion, explained that blood levels would be checked, and told him to call if any sign appeared. It was accurate. It was also built for someone else: a generic patient who would sit and read it.
His Three Questions
I had barely started when he asked, "I work outside all summer. Is that a problem?" Then, "I keep ibuprofen in my truck for my back. Can I still take it?" And then, "I drink about four energy drinks a day. Does that matter?"
Heat, Sweat and a Narrow Margin
The first question I could answer partly. Lithium has a narrow range between a helpful level and a toxic one, and the body handles it much like salt. When a person sweats heavily and loses fluid, the kidneys hold on to sodium and lithium, and the level can rise (Gitlin, 2016). For a man working outdoors in August, that is a real risk. I told him to drink water steadily through the day, more on hot days, and to recognize the early signs of a high level.
He did not need a list of toxicity signs as much as he needed to know which of his ordinary days would push his level up.
The Ibuprofen in His Truck
The second question I knew the answer to, though I had not thought to include it. Pain relievers in the ibuprofen family can push lithium levels up, because they reduce the amount the kidneys remove (Gitlin, 2016). I told him not to take ibuprofen without talking to his prescriber first, and that acetaminophen is often suggested instead, but that he should confirm with his provider. He said, "Nobody told me that, and I take it every day in summer."
Not Knowing, Then an Answer
The third question I could not answer. I said, "I don't know, and I don't want to guess. I'll find out and come back." My nurse and I called the unit pharmacist, who explained that caffeine can increase how fast lithium is cleared, so heavy caffeine use can lower the level, and that suddenly cutting caffeine can make the level rise. The advice was to keep his caffeine intake steady rather than stop abruptly, to tell his prescriber how much he drinks and to mention any change before his next level check (Halter, 2022). I went back after lunch and explained it.
His Words Back, Not Mine
Before we finished, I asked him to explain the plan back to me as he would tell his wife. He said: "Water all day, more when it's hot. No ibuprofen till I ask the doctor. Keep the energy drinks the same, and tell them if I cut back. And if I get the shakes or the runs, call." That was clearer than my handout. Teach-back lets the nurse check what the patient actually understood and correct it on the spot (Ha Dinh et al., 2016).
Why the Handout Missed
The handout was built from the textbook's list of what patients should know about lithium. That list is correct, but it is organized around the drug. His life was organized around work in the sun, a sore back and a cooler of energy drinks in the truck. Each of his questions pointed to a way his ordinary day could raise or lower his level, and none of them would have come up if I had read the handout to him and asked if he had questions at the end.
What I Learned
My handout answered the question "what is lithium toxicity?" His questions were about his life: work, back pain and habits. Teaching that starts from the medicine misses the parts of the patient's day that change the medicine's effect.
Ask About the Day First
Next time, before teaching any medication, I will ask the patient to walk me through a typical day: work, food, drinks, other medicines and how they handle pain. Then I will teach from that. I will also say "I don't know, I'll find out" without embarrassment, because it was the most useful sentence I said all morning, and because a guess about lithium could have hurt him.
References
Gitlin, M. (2016). Lithium side effects and toxicity: Prevalence and management strategies. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 4(1), Article 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-016-0068-y
Ha Dinh, T. T., Bonner, A., Clark, R., Ramsbotham, J., & Hines, S. (2016). The effectiveness of the teach-back method on adherence and self-management in health education for people with chronic disease: A systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 14(1), 210-247. https://doi.org/10.11124/jbisrir-2016-2296
Halter, M. J. (2022). Varcarolis' foundations of psychiatric-mental health nursing: A clinical approach (9th ed.). Elsevier.
Reading the NU 245CL Unit 9 instructions
Unit 9 commonly asks students to reflect on teaching a patient about a psychiatric medication during the clinical rotation. Prompts usually want what was planned, what happened, the patient's questions, how the student answered or found answers, how understanding was checked and the student's next step. Graders expect teaching tied to the patient's daily life, accurate information about interactions and risks, honesty when the student did not know something and evidence that understanding was confirmed. Doses and levels belong to the prescriber and laboratory. Reflections are personal, so the voice is first person, and they typically run about two to three pages with a pharmacology source and teach-back evidence cited in APA 7.
Inside the NU245CL Unit 9 example
The reflection describes the handout first and admits it was built for a generic patient. Each of his three questions then gets its own section. Heat and sweat explain how lithium behaves like salt, citing a review of lithium side effects, with a highlighted line on his ordinary days. The ibuprofen section explains the interaction, with a margin note on the gap between generic teaching and his routine. The caffeine section shows the student saying she did not know, checking with the pharmacist and returning. His teach-back is quoted, supported by a systematic review. A section explains why the handout missed, with a margin note, and the plan to ask about the day first follows.
Reading the NU245CL Unit 9 grading rubric
Medication teaching reflection rubrics in NU 245CL tend to reward accurate drug information, patient-centered teaching, honesty about limits, confirmation of understanding, reflection and a plan. Accuracy credit depends on correct explanations of how heat, anti-inflammatory drugs and caffeine affect lithium levels. Patient-centered credit goes to teaching built around his work and habits. Honesty credit is earned by admitting not knowing and finding the answer from an appropriate source. Confirmation credit requires teach-back in the patient's own words. Reflection credit rewards explaining why the original plan missed. Plan credit goes to a change that applies to future teaching. A reflection showing that the patient's questions improved the teaching usually demonstrates the strongest learning.
NU245CL Unit 9 help: mistakes that cost points
Medication teaching reflections often lose credit by describing the handout in detail and the patient hardly at all. Another frequent weakness is guessing at an answer instead of saying you will find out, which with lithium could harm someone. Some students list toxicity signs without connecting them to the patient's work or habits. Others skip teach-back or report that the patient verbalized understanding without quoting him. Ask about the patient's day before teaching, answer only what you know, check the rest with a pharmacist or the nurse, return with the answer, confirm understanding in the patient's words and explain what you would change. Never adjust a dose or level yourself.
Get an NU245CL Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Name the medication your Unit 9 conversation concerned and, broadly, the questions the patient actually raised; add the assignment wording and whatever criteria grade it. The composite session is written around questions of that kind, with every drug claim cited to a reference and no dose advice. The first custom sample carries no charge and arrives within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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NU245CL Unit 9 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NU245CL Unit 9 sample paper?
The full NU245CL Unit 9 medication teaching reflection is here, following lithium teaching for a composite landscaper whose questions about heat, ibuprofen and energy drinks reshaped it, with three sources. Bring the medication you taught and we can help with the reflection.
Why does heat matter for someone taking lithium?
Heavy sweating causes fluid loss, and the kidneys then hold on to sodium and lithium, which can raise the lithium level toward toxicity.
Can people taking lithium use ibuprofen in NU245CL Unit 9 terms?
Anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen can raise lithium levels, so patients should ask their prescriber before using them.
How does caffeine affect lithium?
Caffeine can increase lithium clearance and lower levels, while suddenly stopping heavy caffeine use can raise them, so intake should stay steady and be reported.
What should a student do when they don't know an answer?
Say so, avoid guessing, check with the pharmacist or nurse and return to the patient with the answer.