Reflection of Experience

Critical reflection on your growth and development during your practicum experience in a clinical setting helps you identify opportunities for improvement in your clinical skills, while also recognizing your strengths and successes. (Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

Use this Journal to reflect on your clinical strengths and opportunities for improvement, the progress you made, and what insights you will carry forward into your next practicum.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

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·       Refer to your “Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form” you submitted in Week 1 and consider your strengths and opportunities for improvement.

·       Refer to your Patient Log in Meditrek and consider the patient activities you have experienced in your practicum experience and reflect on your observations and experiences.

In 450–500 words, address the following:

Learning From Experiences 

·       Revisit the goals and objectives from your Practicum Experience Plan. Explain the degree to which you achieved each during the practicum experience.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

·       Reflect on the three most challenging patients you encountered during the practicum experience. What was most challenging about each?  

·       What did you learn from this experience?  

·       What resources were available? 

·       What evidence-based practice did you use for the patients? 

·       What would you do differently?  

·       How are you managing patient flow and volume?  

Communicating and Feedback 

·       Reflect on how you might improve your skills and knowledge and how to communicate those efforts to your Preceptor. 

·       Answer the questions: How am I doing? What is missing?  (Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

·       Reflect on the formal and informal feedback you received from your Preceptor. 

PRAC_6645_Week11_Assignment_Rubric

PRAC_6645_Week11_Assignment_Rubric

Criteria

Ratings

Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAssimilation and Synthesis: Content Reflection

50 to >44.0 pts

Excellent

Reflection demonstrates a high level of critical thinking in applying and integrating key course concepts and theories from readings, lectures, and/or experiences. Insightful and relevant connections are made through contextual explanations and examples.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

44 to >39.0 pts

Good

Reflection demonstrates moderate level of critical thinking in applying and integrating key course concepts and theories from readings, lectures, and/or experiences. Connections are made through explanations and/or examples.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

39 to >34.0 pts

Fair

Reflection demonstrates minimal critical thinking in applying and integrating key course concepts and theories from readings, lectures, and/or experiences. Minimal connections made through explanations and/or examples.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

34 to >0 pts

Poor

Reflection lacks critical thinking. Superficial connections are made with key course concepts and resources, and/or assignments.

50 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAssimilation and Synthesis: Personal Growth

30 to >26.0 pts

Excellent

Expresses solid evidence of reflection on own work. Demonstrates substantial personal growth and awareness of deeper meaning through inferences, well developed insights, and significant depth in awareness and challenges. Synthesizes current experience into future implications.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

26 to >23.0 pts

Good

Expresses moderate evidence of reflection on own work. Demonstrates satisfactory personal growth and awareness through some inferences, insights, and challenges. There is mention of the future implications of student’s current experience.

23 to >20.0 pts

Fair

Expresses minimal evidence of reflection on own work. Demonstrates less than adequate personal growth and awareness through limited or simplistic inferences made, insights, and/or challenges that are not well developed. Minimal thought of future implications of student’s current experience.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

20 to >0 pts

Poor

Expresses inadequate evidence of reflection on own work. Personal growth and awareness are not evident and/or demonstrate an impersonal experience. Lacks personal insights, challenges, inferences, and/or future implications are overlooked.

30 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting

15 to >13.0 pts

Excellent

Well written and clearly organized using standard English, characterized by elements of a strong writing style and basically free from grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling errors.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

13 to >11.0 pts

Good

Above average writing style and logically organized using standard English with minor errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling.

11 to >10.0 pts

Fair

Average writing style that is sometimes unclear and/or with some errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling.

10 to >0 pts

Poor

Poor writing style lacking in standard English, clarity, language used, and/or frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. Needs work.

15 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA

5 to >4.0 pts

Excellent

Contains no APA errors.

4 to >3.5 pts

Good

Contains one to two (1–2) APA errors.

3.5 to >2.0 pts

Fair

Contains three to five (3–5) APA errors.

2 to >0 pts

Poor

Contains more than five (>5) APA errors.

5 pts

Total Points: 100

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Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students

Reflection is a practice that involves evaluating an individual’s professional experiences, establishing insights, and identifying improvement opportunities. Reflection enables students to develop individual knowledge, establish their weaknesses and strengths and find ways to build on these findings for better practice (Galutira, 2018). In this regard, it empowers nurses to learn from negative experiences and improve their weaknesses. In this reflection, I review my practicum experience to determine whether I achieved my pre-practicum goals and establish ways to improve.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

Goals and Objectives

I have remarkably achieved all my goals and objectives. First, I improved my competence in carrying out and interpreting psychiatric assessments, identifying evidence-based practice (EBP) guidelines for psychotherapy modalities and medication planning, and treatment planning based on screening results. I mainly used the DSM5 to conduct and interpret psychiatric assessments, consulted with my preceptor, and reviewed available psychiatric assessment evidence based on patient histories. Moreover, I researched the Walden library for EBP practice recommendations, the American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines, and locally provided materials to improve my ability to identify and use EBP psychotherapy and medication guidelines. Lastly, I was involved in care planning for different patients, consulted my preceptor, and reviewed EBP resources available on care planning.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

One of the challenging cases I encountered during my practicum experience included a teenage girl who suffered severe depression with several self-harming behaviors and suicide attempts that had left her nursing significant injuries. The challenging aspect of this care was the overwhelming emotions and the family conflict that impaired effective intervention. The second challenging patient was a delusional client who believed I was part of a plan to kill him “slowly” through the medications given. Lastly, I was challenged by a non-adherent schizophrenia patient. The schizophrenia patient was secretly cheeking medication and later discarding them, consequently exacerbating his symptoms.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

These experiences helped me understand the complexity of mental health care and the presentation of symptoms. Notably, I acknowledge the importance of comprehensive psychiatric evaluation in definitive diagnoses and addressing mental health issues from their root causes rather than addressing the symptoms. Moreover, I learned the importance of establishing a therapeutic alliance in mental health care as it determines the accuracy of subjective information on a client’s mental health concern and consequent adherence to medication. Various resources were available during the practice experience, including access to the Walden Library, from which I could search EBP guidelines and resources to guide my response to various interactions and practices recommended. A guideline I found helpful was the Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults by the American Psychiatric Association (2016).(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

Additionally, therapists and clinicians guided me in various mental health processes. Moreover, I used various EBP mental health practices, including comprehensive psychiatric assessment, which is necessary to develop an appropriate treatment plan (Wheeler, 2020). Moreover, I used various psychotherapy modalities, including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy, to promote mental health well-being for multiple patients, individually and in teams.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

Given similar experiences, I would promptly record my encounters and interventions. This would be crucial in my reflections, identifying issues handled perfectly and areas that need more effort to develop competence. Recording experiences as they occur would also allow me to be updated on the trends in mental health issues. For example, I managed patient flow and volume by being flexible and willing to adjust my schedule as needed, prioritizing clients based on acuity, and communicating effectively with the healthcare team. On the other hand, I might improve my skills and knowledge consistency with my reading and learning plan, identify new research and remain updated in the advancement in mental health care practice, pursue continuing education courses, seek additional responsibilities, ask questions, and seek guidance from my preceptor. These interventions will expand my knowledge and experiences.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

Communicating and Feedback

I would improve my communication with my preceptor by updating the portfolio of my learning and professional development activities, regularly sharing my learning, and demonstrating my willingness to learn. The practicum has helped me improve my competence, and so far, I have achieved my goals, and I look forward to further developing my skills and knowledge.(Reflection of Experience Essay Example for Nursing Students)

References

Wheeler, K. (2020). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice. Springer Publishing Company.

Galutira, G. D. (2018). Theory of reflective practice in nursing. International Journal of Nursing Science, 8(3), 51-56. Doi:10.5923/j.nursing.20180803.02

The American Psychiatric Association. (2016). Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults (3rd ed): https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890426760