HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Reflective Journal Template.

Reflective journal is a requirement of all clinical placements.

This reflective journal will be utilized throughout to demonstrate your

engagement in the process of continual learning within the Diploma of Nursing
HLT51612 and facilitate critical thinking and nursing enquiry into current
nursing practices.

The reflective journal is designed to help understand your own biases, or

particular way of looking at phenomena, so that you can discover how your
previous views might be impacting on their ability to develop new knowledge.
You will need to become astute observers within your practice and make
connections about what you already know and what you are learning.

This reflection is a facilitation of nursing enquiry and will help you to ask
questions, put information together and make new discoveries or to come up
with new solutions to old problems. Regular reflection on your nursing
practice increases your ability to be active and enthusiastic about developing
and maintaining quality care in the health care setting.

Your journal entries should not just be lists of what you did each shift but how
you felt, what you learned and how you could improve in your practice. The
journal should not be used to make derogatory comments or reference to
colleagues or the subject.

Download this document, complete all journal entries and then upload these
journals onto moodle.

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HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Below is a template for you to use to prompt you to reflect within your journal.

Student Name:

Placement being completed:

Placement Educator:

Day 1:
What happened?
Orientation got shown around the facility and told
about what to expect, did not actually see much of the
residents, or interact with them at all.

How did you feel about the situation?

Was partly relieved that I didnt have to do anything on
the first day, as I am still nervous, but I also feel like it
was a waste of a day when I could have been doing
things that make me uncomfortable and learning. Still
nervous about tomorrow, and feel slightly guilty about
being relieved to not have to do anything.

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HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?
Did not learn a whole lot

Day 2:
What happened?
Observation day got to follow an AIN around today,
still didnt get to do anything, partially because it was
observation day, and the AINs in my wing were
unwilling to get us to do anything in the face of facility
policy, and partially because our educators arent
allowed to do anything with us, because they arent
employed by the facility, and thus are not covered by
them for insurance purposes.
I got to communicate with some of the residents today
though. And towards the end of the shift I helped wash
a patient and change their pad before bed

How did you feel about the situation?

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HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

I was very nervous communicating with the patients, I

need to work on that in the future and become more
confident and clear when communicating.
Changing the pad was uncomfortable, but thats to be
expected I guess, and it would stand to reason that
there is much worse to come on that front.
The level of infirmity and fragility of the residents,
though expected, was still confronting, I can still
remember one mans legs that were so atrophied that
they appeared to be just skin folds hanging from
obvious bone.

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?
I learnt that I need to work on my communication,
especially being clear and confident. And Im beginning
to appreciate how much patience and gentleness are
required in this job.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Day 3:
What happened?
Today I assisted with more washings and putting patients to bed, I showered a patient with
another student under supervision, I fed two patients and interacted with patients on my
own for the first time.

I also witnessed AINs refusing to get a patient who had stayed in bed all day out of bed
because it was too much effort, considering they would have to get her back into bed a few
hours later, despite the fact that the resident was clearly distressed and disorientated by
still being in bed, and was anxious at the prospect of being stuck there until the next
morning.

How did you feel about the situation?

It felt better to finally be doing something, instead of just spectating, the washing and
showering were still confronting, but not as bad as I expected. I think I am slowly becoming
a little better at communicating with the residents, though I still need to work on it,
especially on presenting a confident front. When I was helped with the lifting hoist I said
Im glad one of us knows what were doing, or something else similarly self-effacing, in
front of a patient. The resident didnt hear me, but I wont be doing that again.

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

I learnt how tricky it can be to properly clean and dry someone both thoroughly and gently,
which is particularly important, as any missed detail can lead to decreases in skin integrity or
increased chance of infection for residents who are already at substantial risk. Ive learnt
that I need to present a calm and confident front to patients, even when I am unsure,
because to do otherwise can cause serious anxiety or jeopardise trust

Day 4:
What happened?
Today I showered another patient under supervision
and shaved him, helped wash some other patients, fed
a couple others and took some obs.
I also just sat and talked to a couple of the patients for
the first time.

How did you feel about the situation?

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HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

I feel a bit better about washing and showering

patients, though I still need practice, and doubt Ill ever
enjoy the experience.
I feel a bit better about my communication with the
residents, though I still need to work on it.

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?
I learnt that with some dementia patients its better to
keep information to short 2 word sentences to ease in
understanding.

Day 5:
What happened?
Showered and shaved a patient on my own, fed a
patient, spent some time talking to patients and
assisted in washing and dressing some others.

How did you feel about the situation?

I felt a bit better showering and shaving the patient
today, I also felt significantly more comfortable feeding

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

and talking to patients, though I feel like as I try to

make myself more clear, and appear more confident, I
run the risk of talking down to the patients.

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?
I learnt how happy some of the residents are to have
someone to talk to, if only for a little while, as many of
them seem to feel quite isolated and lonely.
I need to work more on shaving patients though.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Day 6:
What happened?
Helped shower and feed some patients with dementia
and cleaned up faeces off of the floor.

How did you feel about the situation?

Cleaning up the faeces was less confronting than I
expected, but the showering was more difficult for a
couple of residents due to their resistance and
confusion.

What have you learnt? Do you have any new learning

objectives?
I still need to work on my manner with the dementia
residents, one of the AINs was a good role model
today, providing a reassuring and comforting presence,
while still being firm enough to get jobs done even if
they residents were initially resistant.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Day 7:
What Happened?
More of the same today, helped shower a couple of
residents, helped with feeding, cleaned up after toilet
accidents. Got to take some obs on a resident at one
point, that was good.

How did you feel about the situation?

Its starting to become something of a routine, still
draining and uncomfortable, but its starting to feel
less and less like Im learning much, kind of just feels
like on the job training to be an AIN.

What have you learnt? Do you have any new learning

objectives?
I need to smile more when Im dealing with patients,
especially the dementia patients, as when the
interactions drag on, like with feeding, and they are
unresponsive, or unintelligible, I notice that I start to

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HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

drift off and my smile drops, creating a generally

unhelpful, unwelcoming and uninterested appearance.
Which doesnt help.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Day 8:
I was in the high care dementia ward again today. It
was pretty similar to most days so far, got buddied up
with an AIN, helped shower some residents before
breakfast, feed some residents their breakfast, elped
shower some more patients. I was going to observe a
colostomy bag change, but that got derailed when the
preceding patient was female care only, so I had to
make myself busy helping another AIN, and by the time
that was done, so was the bag change. I feel like Ive
missed a lot of education so far by merit of either
female only care, or being paired with an AIN, and my
educator not being able to find me when anything
interesting is happening. Got to practice smiling more
today, I think Im getting better at it, but I still need to
work on it, especially with the residents whos
dementia is so sever they cant communicate. I think
when the residents communication drops, I
automatically stop communicating back, which is a
form of neglect, and just makes things worse for them.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Day 9:
What happened?

How did you feel about the situation?

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?

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HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Day 10:
What happened?

How did you feel about the situation?

What have you learn? Do you have any new learning

objectives?

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.

HLT51612 Diploma of Nursing.

Notes:

Wodonga Institute of TAFE 2014.