Overview
On any given day, a nurse can play a pivotal role in someone’s life. Experienced nurses often share stories of previous experiences and draw upon these experiences when circumstances warrant.
Hence, reflection can be a valuable tool. It serves as a tool for not only recalling experiences but also for applying lessons learned from those experiences. Keeping a nursing journal provides these benefits and more.
To prepare:
- Refer to the current Clinical Guidelines found in this week’s Learning Resources and consider how these guidelines inform your clinical experience.
- Refer to your FNP or AGPCNP Clinical Skills and Procedures Self-Assessment Form you submitted in Week 1, and consider how your self-assessment might inform your Assignment.
- Refer to your Patient Log in Meditrek and reflect on Weeks 1–5 of your clinical experience. Consider your observations and experiences with patients during this time.
Journal Entry #1 (450–500 words):
In your journal entry, answer the following questions:
Learning from Experiences
- Reflect on the 3 most challenging patient encounters and discuss what was most challenging for each. (Patient communication about womens health, and STD prevention education has been a little challenging)
- What did you learn from this experience?
- What resources did you have available?
- What evidence-based practice did you use for this patient?
- What new skills are you learning? (At a family clinic, the patients are all female, for womens health, well-care visits, annual OB appointments)
- What would you do differently?
- How are you managing patient flow and volume?(patient flow and management is good, not busy)
Communicating and Feedback
Respond to the following reflective questions:
- How might I improve on my skills and knowledge, and how to communicate that back to my Preceptor?
- How am I doing? What is missing?
- What type of feedback am I receiving from my Preceptor?(Good feedback)