Community-Based Practicum Reflective Journal Guidelines

Brooke Reamer
2.28.2016
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
NUR 4143 - Clinical Immersion
Community-Based Practicum
Professional nursing meeting experience (4 hours)
Guide for Reflection Using Tanners (2006) Clinical Judgment Model
Introduction
What professional nursing meeting(s) did you attend and where was it located?
I attended the Nursing Practice Council, Nursing Quality Council, and Nursing Recruitment and Retention
Council meetings at Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville, VA.
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 Nursing Practice and Quality Council meetings were combined. In this meeting, they discussed patient
centered care, the professional practice model, evidence based practice, and ministry leadership. One of the
things the group did was come up with ideas on how to help different units. For example, they discussed
having a sticky note board on how topics related to the specific unit. They also came up with an input/output
card to keep up with input and output on patients since these things were not always properly documented on
ConnectCare. In the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Council meeting, they approved the last meetings
minutes. Then they discussed a new chair nomination because the last chair had to resign. Most of the
meeting was focused on planning for the nursing summit, so members talked about ideas for games and
prizes.
Noticing
What did you notice about the professional nursing meeting initially? Describe what you saw, heard and did during
the meeting?
I noticed the meetings were very small and most people showed up in their work clothes. I saw that whomever
was speaking was dressed in business casual, while most of the members were in scrubs. I heard people
respecting each others ideas. For example, one nurse had an idea that really made no sense, but instead of
shooting it down, the group suggested tweeking her idea a bit. The meetings mostly revolved around group
discussion. There was always a leader, but everyone participated and gave input. I mostly just listened to all
the ideas, since I was not an actual member of the councils.
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 very positive and helpful. The ideas the members had for
improving patient care were great. I could definitely see the collaboration and creation of great ideas based on
the numerous ideas of multiple people put together. The group also came up with great ideas for the games
for the nursing summit. I have not been involved in council meetings before, but I have been involved in
group projects that required similar collaboration. The groups I have worked in have been smaller, but the
concepts were the same. As a group, we had to respect each others ideas and come up with a plan. Its always
better when you have multiple people with all different ideas working together.
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Responding
Describe stresses (both positive & negative) you experienced as you responded to the new learning or the challenge.
I did not encounter any stresses during this experience. It did, however, encourage me to join nursing councils
in my career. I would like to participate in councils like this to make better changes in nursing practice.
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?
As a tech on general surgery, there were several things I could have been involved in. For example, I could
have contributed to the discussion about having input/output boards in the rooms. Nurses and techs both
document ins/outs, so it can get confusing if the nurse and tech are not communicating perfectly. As a busy
nurse or tech, you might not have time to chart a urination or a cup of water the patient had, and then you
forget about it. Ideas like this are very important in contributing to quality patient care. I would like to
participate in the practice and quality councils.
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.
In one article, the author discusses how the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification
Corporation developed a model, the synergy model, to improve patient outcomes (Curley, 1998). The model is
based on the needs and characteristics of patients. Nurses must be competent and perform optimally for the
patients to receive the best care. This is why the association requires continued education for nurses. The
nurses, as well as the whole system, affect patient outcomes. This article demonstrates how a professional
nursing group can affect patient outcomes by developing a model to go by while performing patient care.
Curley, M. (1998). Patient-nurse synergy: Optimizing patients outcomes. American Journal of Critical Care, 7(1),
64-72. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.org/wd/certifications/content/synarticl1.pcms?menu=
What is the value of professional nursing meetings both as a part of a healthcare system and within a professional
organization?
The biggest benefit of professional nursing meetings is that they get a group of people together with a
common goal. They can all collaborate together to come up with great ideas. This way the group can
implement new practices into the healthcare system. Within the professional organization, there is also
growth. The group can expand and recruit new members to contribute to the growth of healthcare.
Describe any changes in your values or feelings as a result of this experience.
Before attending these meetings, I had no plans of ever joining any councils or associations. I thought it would
just be one more thing to add to my to do list. After attending these meetings, I realized I could have a say in
how things work. I could have a say in how things run on my unit. I could actually voice my thoughts and see
my own ideas in action. As a result of this experience, I plan to involve myself is professional nursing groups.

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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Professional Nursing Meetings
St. Marys Hospital
NOC: first and third Wednesday of each month. Let me know when you would like to attend.
Shared governance council meetings:
Professional Practice Council-Second Wednesday 8a-12n
Strategic Planning Council-Second Thursday 8a-10a
Applied Research Council-Third Thursday 10a-12n
Education Council: third Thursday from 12n-4p (the meeting part lasts for 2-2 hours and then
the members work on unit education)
Memorial Regional Medical Center
Third Tuesday of each month (Room 3008, Net Center)
Nursing Practice council 0800-0930
Nursing Quality Council 0930-1100
Nursing Recruitment & Retention Council 1100-1300
Nursing Education/Research 1300-1430

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