Two separate responses to two separate discussion posts. Must have one credible source. Each response is 100 words.

#1 Post:As we have progressed in this program, evidence-based practice has become a reoccurring theme. Evidence-based practice refers to a dynamic decision-making process based on the best available data to provide patients with efficient treatment and care on a scientific basis ((Li et al., 2019). For the purpose of this assignment, I will be discussing an evidence-based practice article focusing on the barriers in health care that transgender individuals may face. The article can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802845/Links to an external site.

As we have become accustomed to navigating the web for scholarly and peer-reviewed sources, I have come to find out that the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is quite resourceful. I went to the website and filtered my search by selecting the “within 5 years” option and searching the keywords: transgender health care barriers; I further filtered my search by choosing the “full text” option.

I feel that the article I chose is of significance for multiple reasons; one is that the transgender population is growing. Unfortunately, the amount of disparities they face in a health care setting is steadily increasing as well. The most common barrier faced is lack of access to healthcare in congruence with lack of access to a health care provider with sufficient knowledge on the subject (Safer et al. 2016). Financial barriers are also a reoccurring theme concerning the lack of health insurance made available for transgender individuals. Additionally, various study surveys have shown that many transgender individuals face discrepancies due to the stigmas created by the media and society. The fear of discrimination alone drives them away from seeking medical attention (Safer et al., 2016).

I believe that understanding these barriers will support my future nursing career and pave the way for further studies. The foundational construct of nursing revolves around patient-centered care. Our nursing education should equip us with the necessary skills to provide culturally competent care to all populations, including our transgender community (Rowe et al., 2017). This can be accomplished by implementing proper education, both therapeutically and clinically, for mental and physical health (Rowe, 2017). For example, understanding the importance of using appropriate pronouns when addressing the patient and ensuring safe hormone therapy, and establishes collaborative care with necessary resources, such as health insurance plans (Safer, 2016). I feel that the more open-minded we are as students, the less likely we are to let our own stigmas interfere with or influence our education as we focus on individual patient care; the more nurses there are that have the drive to understand, the better the outcome will be in all aspects of transgender health care.

#2 Discussion post
Through the Utica College Online Library Catalog, I used the key search words nursing in forensic health care. Using the refine this search sidebar, I then selected peer-reviewed under content type and last 5 years under publication year so that the search would come up with the most recent peer-reviewed sources. I found a peer-reviewed article from the EBSCOhost database that researched predictors of trauma in adolescent females and how this correlates with the juvenile justice system and psychological treatment. This topic is of interest to me for very personal reasons. Putting my personal reasons aside, I am a firm believer in being a strong advocate for adolescents who have been through trauma at a very early age. My first degree is in psychology with a forensic behavioral health minor and learning about how many adolescents experience trauma and how profound the psychological response is to these traumas makes me want to try and do something to help stop the common psychological and possible criminal and substance abuse patterns. If we cannot decrease the number of adolescent females who are experiencing these traumas, then I want to be part of helping these females properly cope with the trauma to avoid the alcohol and substance abuse that correlates with it which could potentially prevent overdose deaths (Tillman & Prazak, 2018). There are strong correlations between long-term PTSD, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and oppositional defiant disorder (Tillman & Prazak, 2018). In adolescents, the behaviors that are associated with these disorders and the higher risk-taking behaviors associated when females experience sexual trauma, are prominent in this population which can lead to a higher risk of incarceration or serious self-harm. Not only does childhood trauma affect females behaviorally and psychologically, but this also affects potential academic success as research shows poorer academic performance than females who have not experienced trauma (Tillman & Prazak, 2018). I know that not everyone has the best support at home and are most likely to experience their traumas at home or because of someone they know, and this type of research makes me want to utilize healthcare instead of the justice system to give these females the proper help they need instead of placing them in a juvenile detention center.