Community-Based Practicum Reflective Journal Guidelines

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4143 - Clinical Immersion
Community-Based Practicum
Jane G Watson
Professional nursing meeting experience (4 hours)
Guide for Reflection Using Tanner’s (2006) Clinical Judgment Model
Introduction

What professional nursing meeting(s) did you attend and where was it located?
NQOC Meeting at St Mary’s on 1/15/18 from 0800-1100
Background

Describe the purpose of this professional nursing meeting? Describe the agendas of the group and subgroup. What
type of issues did they address?

 Nursing Quality Outcome Project

 Review quality improvement initiatives and provide feedback
 Issues included mislabeled/unlabeled specimen, falls, centralized staffing, and RN satisfaction
 A subgroup concern involved the lack of representation (at the NQOC) from nurses working the night shift

Noticing

What did you notice about the professional nursing meeting initially? Describe what you saw, heard and did during
the meeting?

 The meeting began and concluded on time and was well-organized

 One nurse appeared to be the leader of the meeting- She guided the conversation and maintained time
constraints
 Hard copies of the agenda, including desired outcomes, were given to the nurses in attendance
 Two guest speakers offered additional information regarding centralized staffing and self-scheduling
 Power point presentation (including graphs) provided a visual tool to emphasize talking points
 Throughout the meeting, attendees were encouraged to bring the conversation back to their units
 All attendees were encouraged to add to the conversation
 Nurses seemed to feel comfortable in the environment
 At break, nurses broke into smaller conversations
 I used the break as an opportunity to introduce myself to the labor/delivery, MIU and NICU nurses

Interpreting

Describe what you thought about the information being discussed. Have you been involved in similar discussion
during your previous student nurse experiences? Describe the similarities and/or differences to those encounters.

 I thought the information being discussed was relevant

 Some of the conversation seemed to be repetitive. It may be helpful to try to think outside of the box and
discuss newer ways of dealing with recurring problems.
 I have been involved in similar discussions. The themes of RN satisfaction and staffing shortages are not
new concepts for me. I feel like the college has done a good job exposing students to pertinent issues
regarding nursing.

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Responding

Describe stresses (both positive & negative) you experienced as you responded to the new learning or the challenge.

 It seemed to me that nurses were very comfortable participating in the conversation.

 However, I also felt that the nurses that were present might have difficulty getting the other nurses in their
unit to become engaged in working towards positive change.
 I appreciated being there. It was interesting to observe the dynamics of the conversation- and watch how
the leader(s) responded. All participants were very respectful of one another.

Reflection-in-Action

What role would you take being assigned to represent your unit in this group? What subcommittee would you like to
participate with and why?

 I would be interested in being the representative from the unit at the meeting
 Being involved in groups (such as this one) is a great opportunity to share information and learn from other
units
 I may be interested in an information gathering “subcommittee”
 I enjoy talking to others and working together to achieve common goals
 I would enjoy trying to figure out how to get other nurses motivated to participate in the conversation –
letting their voices be heard

Reflection-on-Action and Clinical Learning

What written evidence is available to support professional nursing groups and their impact on the development of
evidence based practice and improved patient outcomes. Cite/reference all journal articles that contributed to the
evidence.
The following article supports the curiosity of nurses. Nurses who are engaged are more likely to obtain higher
education. The article reveals that nurses with higher education are more likely to consistently incorporate
evidence-based research into their own practice
I would argue that curious (engaged) nurses are the nurses that will participate in professional meetings

 “Nurses have an essential role in implementing evidence-based practices (EBP) that contribute to high-quality
outcomes.” p. 12
 “As the largest group of healthcare providers, nurses have a pivotal role in meeting this goal. Cultivating a “spirit of
inquiry” to support an EBP culture has been recognized as the first step for EBP” p.12
 “In our sample, more highly educated and certified RNs had higher ratings for EBP readiness as measured by self-
reported ability, desire, and frequency of behaviors.” p. 16
 “Further arguments are strengthened by evidence that higher percentages of BSN staff nurses are linked to reduced
mortality and improved patient outcomes in diverse settings.”p.18
 “Globally, healthcare system leaders remain challenged by nurses’ job dissatisfaction and burnout, with one quarter
of all U.S. nurses reporting intentions to leave their job” p. 18

Reference:

 Wilson, M., Sleutel, M., Newcomb, P., Behan, D., Walsh, J., Wells, J. N., & Baldwin, K.
M. (2015). Empowering nurses with evidence-based practice environments: Surveying
Magnet®, Pathway to Excellence®, and Non-Magnet Facilities in One Healthcare
System. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing,12(1), 12-21. doi:10.1111/wvn.12077

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What is the value of professional nursing meetings both as a part of a healthcare system and within a professional
organization?
 I think the biggest benefit of a professional nursing meeting is the sharing of ideas- what works and why?
As well as what didn’t work and what could have been done differently that may impact the outcome?
 Other benefits include having a voice, being a part of a solution, networking, and improving patient
outcomes
Describe any changes in your values or feelings as a result of this experience.

 No changes in my values or feelings- Rather a confirmation that working in groups and sharing ideas is
valuable

Nielsen, A., Stragnell, S., & Jester P (2007). Guide for reflection using the Clinical Judgment

Model. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(11), p. 513-516.

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