Community-Based Practicum Reflective Journal Guidelines

Kellie Jean Stark

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4143 - Clinical Immersion
Community-Based Practicum

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?
Nursing Coordinating Council (NCC) Retreat at St. Mary’s Hospital.
My preceptor is chare for the Educational Council.
Background

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

The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the progress of the council and plan for

the upcoming year. The council reviewed charters, bylaw changes, and council reports. It

will be interesting to see if the committee and professional role development make any

progress by the time I graduate in December.

Subgroups:
o Nursing Quality Outcomes Council
o Professional Practice Council
o Education Council
o Nursing Operations Council
o Nursing Executive Council
o Nursing Coordinating Council
Agenda:
o The need for an Informatics Committee.
o Progress of the hand-washing movement with the wipes and hand sanitizer stations.
o Magnet Stories.
o Broken equipment and beds that ruin workflow and lower HCAP scores.
o Maintaining magnet status and shared governance while merging with Mercy
Hospital System.
o Nurses properly obtaining Verified Consent.

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Noticing

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

The committee was very diverse. There were nurses, advanced practice nurses,

nurse practitioners, and nurse leaders from every department of the hospital that

contributed to issues that affect the entire hospital. I believe Professional Role Development

(Junior 2) prepared me to attend the meeting. I recognized the different nursing roles and I

understood the language and the structure of the meeting.

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.

The most interesting discussion was when the committee talked about the retention

rate among new nurses. They wanted new ideas to keep nurses at the bed side. The nurses

asked for my opinion on the subject and I told them that no matter how hard a unit was,

teamwork between the nurses is a quality I look for in a new job. I will not except a job that

I know I would not be happy with. Too help new nurses, they have started the mentoring

and nurse residency program. I believe it is a great idea and a great start to keep nurses at

the hospitals. The discussion reminded me why it is important for nursing committees and

hospitals to be forward thinking and attempt to solve future problems.

Responding

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

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The committee was very friendly and eager to hear my opinion as a new nurse. They

compared the new nurse point of view to an older nurse’s point of view. It was a positive

experience and I did not encounter any negativity or criticism.

I have attended meetings that were not structured and the attendees only

complained or bickered about their problems. It was nice to see the other side where a

group of nurses are trying to fix the problems and work through current issues to better

the hospital and nursing culture. This group truly advocated for nurses and patients.

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?

Eventually, I would love to lead a subcommittee. I have added this role as one of my

long-term goals. I am mostly interested in the Educational Council because I believe

continued education is a vital part of a successful hospital. I would bring in guest speakers

and implement new protocols established from up to date evidenced based practice.

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.
According to the research, professional organizations provide support to nurses and

allows access to professional connections. This support and the professional connections

improve the profession and the individual nurse’s leadership skills, competency, and a

sense of accomplishment (Schroeder, 2013).

What is the value of professional nursing meetings both as a part of a healthcare system and within a professional
organization?

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There is a tremendous amount of value that professional nursing meetings bring to

the healthcare system and within a professional organization. The influence of professional

nursing committees on evolving evidence-based practice and standards is essential to

improving patient care (Schroeder, 2013). According to Schroeder (2013), historically,

medicine has been focused on healing what is wrong, but nursing practice has always been

focused on prevention. The Council Retreat that I attended was on the forefront of

preventing problems in the hospital, such as, infection, proper legal consent, and the

nursing shortage.

Describe any changes in your values or feelings as a result of this experience.

I feel that I am more inspired and hopeful for the future of my nursing career. Even

though I am not involved in the school, I want to be involved in the hospital system I work

for. It was not a group of nurses who were just bickering or complaining. The meeting was

constructive. It was nice to see problems being brought up and thought through with

concern and resolutions. I would definitely want to chair a community one day and create

positive outcomes for patients and nurses. The meeting I attended has changed my entire

outlook on being active within a hospital. Now, I will actively search for opportunities to

become involved.

There were issues with the council members taking on too many projects at once

and never having a free day. The nurses were passionate about their projects and

committee. They were willing to overwhelm themselves for their unit and hospital. For the

future, I will be more aware of taking on too many projects.

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References

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

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

Schroeder, R. T. (2013). The Value of Belonging to a Professional Nursing Organization. AORN Journal, 98(2), 99-

101. doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2013.06.002

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