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Reflective journal writing: how can it help?

Reflective writing illustration

Discover the benefits of writing down your thoughts and how to get started

Reflective journal writing is a way of documenting what you’re thinking and feeling in the moment, and can be a useful tool to help manage stress and anxiety.

Dr Christopher Westoby, author of The Fear Talking: The True Story of a Young Man and Anxiety, is a strong believer in the power of stories to educate, improve understanding and benefit the wellbeing of the storyteller.

We spoke to Chris about the benefits of writing for your mental wellbeing.

Can reflective writing help nursing staff?

Absolutely. Regardless of your background, and wherever you work, everyone has this universal need to reflect upon their own experiences and one of the best tools we have for that is writing. It is similar to the process of opening the windows to a room and letting some air in.

Everyone has this universal need to reflect upon their own experiences 

We all have so many thoughts and memories whirling round our head at any given time – especially in the current climate. Sometimes the cloud of everything happening at once can be more overwhelming than any one event itself. Reflective journal writing can help with that.

How does it help?

We often struggle to come to terms with whatever it is we’ve been through unless we take a second and address these things head on. And while it may not always be an easy thing to do – or a quick fix – by writing what’s going on internally, what you’re doing is externalising something that has been haunting you or playing on your mind. Once it’s out there on the page, it’s like you can lay it to rest. 

You also now have a choice on what you want to do with it. Are you going to delete it or keep it for yourself? Are you going to let someone else read it? As you make those decisions, you’re taking control of your emotions and the clouds may start to clear.

Chris Westoby headshot

So, what are the benefits?

The sense of control over your own experiences can be empowering and help relieve any stress or anxiety you’re experiencing. You’ve let it be acknowledged that what you’re feeling is something, it’s being validated and now it’s written down, it may no longer feel quite so insurmountable.

Any tips to get started?

My first tip is to use whatever format works best for you – whatever it is that will help get you in the habit of doing it. Don’t use handwriting if you’d rather type, and vice versa. 

I’ve worked with students before who have talked about using voice memos. They’ve just hit record and then they either deleted it or transcribed it depending on what they’ve found most beneficial. 

My second tip is to think of prompts. Maybe ask yourself questions to help get you started – what am I grateful for? What have I found difficult? Perhaps focus on one part of the day – how did I feel after my shift? On the way to work? Going to bed?

Finally, think about setting yourself some restrictions. Try setting a timer on your phone and then keep writing until it goes off. The more restrictions you set, the less daunting writing can be. You might actually find yourself more inspired.

How often should I write?

It’s a good thing to try and do every day – even if it’s only a few sentences – for as long as you find it useful. I’d suggest giving it a go for two weeks and see how you’re finding it.

What if I find it hard writing about myself?

If it seems too difficult writing about yourself, try writing about someone else or something you observed today – perhaps something you noticed on your journey home or through your window. If you write about something else, you will inevitably find yourself beginning to include elements of yourself. 

If you’re finding it too emotionally draining to revisit certain memories, remember this writing is your property – you can change what you need to, you can change the details and you can just talk about a small part of it. The key is to remember that you’re in control and it’s up to you how you document it.

The key is to remember you're in control

There are fewer ways to offload to one another at the moment, to distract ourselves and to blow off steam, so even if journal writing doesn’t work for you, it’s worth a try.

The benefits might surprise you.

About Chris

Chris is Programme Director of the Hull Creative Writing MA (Online). His book The Fear Talking: The True Story of a Young Man and Anxiety was published in December 2020. He led the RCN’s workshop “Time to Write for Yourself” last year.

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Nursing Reflective Essay: Examples + Useful Writing Tips [2024]

Nursing Reflective Essay: Examples + Useful Writing Tips [2024]

Do you need to write a reflective nursing essay? Whether you are a nursing student or already working, we know that you may be too busy writing papers. We’ve prepared information for you about reflection models and nursing reflective essay examples, writing instructions, and templates for the outline. This article will teach everything you need to make writing your essay easier.

So, how do you write an academic reflective essay?

What Is a Reflective Essay?

15 best reflective essay topics: nursing, nursing reflective essay examples, reflective tools and models, reflective essay writing tips, reflective essay body paragraphs, how to conclude a reflective essay.

In a reflective essay, you express your thoughts based on your knowledge, beliefs, reflections, and experiences. A reflective essay is best described as an exceptional and personal essay: you will have a lot to think about, comprehend, and explain. You have to demonstrate the feelings that you have experienced before. It should be honest. If you have any opposing thoughts and feelings about the topic, you should write them.

The peculiarity of a reflective essay, unlike an analytical one, is in the expression of thoughts based on personal experience.

How long does a reflective essay last? It’s simple. It depends on your topic and how you express your thoughts. But you have to remember that this is a highly brief type of essay, and you can do it with a few pages.

You can check out the 100% free essay samples to see it all.

What Is a Reflection in Nursing Essay?

What Is a Reflection in Nursing Essay?

Nursing involves many aspects of work, and reflection is one of the critical tools for developing professional competence and personal skills. In nursing, reflection is important because it provides all the prerequisites for further personal growth. It is a reflection that will allow you to take a broader look at your strengths and weaknesses and assess your prospects.

Think of your nursing reflective essay as a chance to reflect on your career, skills, and personality, which will lead to further improvement.

  • Empathy and support in nursing.
  • Communication with patients is one of a nurse’s most important tasks.
  • Nursing is the art of caring for the patient during illness.
  • The key is not to cause harm but to help afterward.
  • Time management in nursing.
  • The Patient’s Interests Come First.
  • Why did I become a nurse?
  • Doctor- patient confidentiality in nursing.
  • The importance of enhancing soft skills for the nurse.
  • Nursing knowledge should not be limited to narrowly professional information.
  • Reflective essay on the internship .
  • Nursing culture and ethics .
  • Deontology of nursing and its synthesis with my personal experience.
  • Nursing clinical reflection essay.
  • Nursing issues for the elderly.

To better understand what reflexivity is, let’s look at examples based on these articles:

Scientists from different fields of science invented many models to simplify the process of reflection. Below are reflection models you can use in your essay nursing writing practice.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

In 1998, Graham Gibbs introduced his reflexive model to the world. Gibbs’ model is a cycle and, therefore, excellent for analyzing repetitive experience.

It covers 6 stages:

  • Description. What happened? Don’t judge or try to conclude yet; just describe.
  • Feelings. What were your reactions and emotions? Again, don’t begin to analyze them yet.
  • Evaluation. What was good or bad about the experience? Make value judgments.
  • Analysis. Were different people’s experiences similar or different in importance?
  • Conclusions. What conclusions can you draw in a general sense from this experience and your analysis? What conclusions can you draw about your particular, unique personal situation or way of working?
  • Personal action plans. What steps are you going to take based on what you have learned? What are you going to do differently in this situation next time?

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

John Dewey believed that reflective thinking is the active, persistent, and careful evaluation of a belief or assumed form of knowledge, the grounds for that knowledge, and the additional conclusions to which knowledge leads.

John Dewey’s Reflective Model was one of the first and has been the foundation for many other models. He identified five steps of reflective thinking:

  • Step 1: Identify the problem.
  • Step 2: Investigate the issue.
  • Step 3: Generate several possible solutions.
  • Step 4: Evaluate the options and select the best answer from the combination of solutions.
  • Step 5: Test and implement the solution.

Kolb Reflective Model

The Kolb Reflective Model or “Kolb cycle” focuses on transforming information into knowledge. The basic four steps of the Kolb model are as follows:

  • Concrete experience. Anyone should already have experience in the field or area they want to learn.
  • Observation and reflection . This stage implies analyzing the person’s experience and knowledge .
  • Forming abstract concepts . A model describing the information and expertise is built at this stage . Ideas are generated, interrelations are made, and new information is added concerning how everything works and is arranged.
  • Testing in new situations . The last stage implies experimentation and testing the model’s applicability and concept . The result of this stage is a direct unique experience. Then the circle closes.

Schön Reflective Model

Donald Schön’s reflexive model was described in the book ‘ The Reflexive Practitioner .’ He explained how professionals solve problems with a kind of improvisation that is perfected through practice.

Schön’s reflective model , like his writings, is based in many ways on the Dewey we already know

  • Action reflection involves reflecting on an experience you have already had or an action you have already taken. It involves considering what could have been done differently and the positive aspects of that interaction.
  • Reflection in action involves reflecting on your efforts as you make them and considering issues such as best practices throughout the process.

Bouds Reflective Model

David Bouds paired with Schön to explore the limits of reflective practice. This model is based on learning by doing. By analyzing his own experience, the practitioner begins to understand better how to improve certain things.

Bouds suggests that by reflecting, a person may be unconsciously learning. In reassessing the events of his life, he systematizes and classifies emotions, ideas, and results, as well as results, and compares past goals with results.

Past experiences, experiences, and ideas require constant analysis attention to feelings. This leads to new perspectives, commitment to action overall positive changes in behavior.

Driscoll reflective model.

Driscoll Reflective Model

John Driskoll proposed a simple model of reflection at the beginning of the 21st century. It involves reflection through extended answers to questions we are already familiar with. The scholar linked the three basic questions to the stages of the experiential learning cycle and then added trigger questions that must be answered to complete the process of reflection.

Step 1: What? Sets out to recall what happened as objectively as possible, without criticizing anything that happened

  • What exactly happened?
  • What exactly did you do?
  • Was anyone else involved?
  • Was it a good experience? Or a bad experience? Or both? And why?

Step 2: So what? It requires you to slow down and start looking for patterns or meaningful moments. The key here is to bring in concepts that help shed light on what is going on.

  • How did you feel at that particular moment?
  • How did you react?
  • Why did you react that way?
  • Did you feel the same way about the situation then as you do now?
  • Did you experience conflict with your values?
  • Do you think past cases influenced your experiences in this situation?
  • Who else was involved in the situation? How did they feel? And how did they react? And why did they react that way?

Step 3: Now what? Encourages beginning to transfer new knowledge into future situations and other contexts.

  • What did you learn from reflecting on this situation/experience/incident?
  • Could you have prevented the negative consequences?
  • And how might you have done so?
  • What would you have done differently if a similar situation arose in the future?
  • What could you have done to better prepare for it?
  • Where did things go wrong last time, and what would you focus on now?

5R Framework

The 5R Framework was developed in 2002 by a group of scientists as a universal system of reflection, later modified.

It focuses on five basic steps, each addressing one aspect of reflection. Thinking through the five stages, an individual will engage all of the major reflection components, allowing you to create a critically meaningful review based on your experience.

  • Report. What do you see and hear? Write it all down.
  • React. What do you think is happening? What works well and what doesn’t? How do you feel about the situation you are reflecting on? What is it about this situation that makes you feel this way?
  • Relate. How do my perceptions of this situation relate to my personal and professional experiences? How do they relate to my knowledge and skills? Through what “lens” do you view this situation? From the perspective of classroom management or collaborative learning? Do you need professional development in terms of content knowledge?
  • Reason. Do you relate your point of view to someone else’s and how it affects the situation? Does sound practice support your strategies, or do you use different approaches? How does your point of view affect how you understand the problem? Could another point of view be helpful?
  • Reconstruct. What did you learn from this observation, and how will it affect your practice?

CARL framework

The CARL framework of reflection involves going through four stages: context, action, results, and learning. The vastness of this model gives a lot of information, and even at the first stage, you can already get a lot of valuable data. But this is also its main disadvantage because it makes the model more complex.

The framework has four steps:

  • Context : Description of the context of the experience.
  • Action : Explanation of the action taken.
  • Results : Explanation of what your actions led to.
  • Learning : Identification of the experience and knowledge gained.

Now that we’ve covered the basic concepts let’s write a reflective nursing essay.

Reflective Essay Outline

How to make a reflective essay? First, write an outline.

Any reflective essay is a statement of thoughts about something, and the outline acts as a sketch in which you write them down. Creating it is the first step to creating high quality and vivid essay.

What would make a good outline structure for a reflection essay? Structure all your knowledge. Write what you want to see in the introduction, body, and conclusion.

Here is the reflective essay outline template:

  • Hook: Use a catchy statement to set the tone and introduce the article.
  • Mention the main points.
  • Thesis statement: Include all the important points and ideas in one statement.
  • Topic sentence: Carefully explain the first idea in one sentence.
  • Proof of topic or idea: Use authoritative sources to support the idea.
  • Idea analysis: Apply logic and rational thought to the idea and information from the source.
  • Topic sentence: Carefully explain the second idea in one sentence.
  • Topic sentence: Carefully explain the third idea in one sentence.
  • Repeat the statement of the thesis.
  • Review the main ideas
  • Final, concluding sentence

Reflective Essay Thesis

A thesis statement is a condensed version of the paper in which you must briefly explain your position. The point is for your audience to read it and understand your work.

To make a good thesis statement for a reflective essay, you need to formulate your thought on paper. To begin with, think well about the problem, and develop your attitude toward it. That’s why the thesis statement should be created after writing the outline. It is unnecessary to give everything out in advance to the reader because later, you will unfold this thought more broadly.

After successfully developing the thesis statement, you can proceed to the actual writing.

And so, below, you can see examples of the reflective essay introduction and conclusion. Learn what its body of it is.

How to Start a Reflective Essay? Examples

You need to start any paper in the right way. How to write a reflective essay introduction? Check these examples:

  • Practice and theory do not always agree. Not all of the medical reference books that I have been able to study are fully applicable in practice. John Kimble’s case is a testament that it is often necessary to rely on them and consider the specific situation. He complained of dizziness, and the doctors advised him to get a blood iron test. The test showed that there was nothing wrong. But as it turned out later, this was an erroneous result because Kimble had eaten redfish rich in iron the day before, which temporarily raised the iron in his blood.
  • I had always dreamed of becoming a nurse, but my fear of blood robbed me of all desire to study. But still, my passion and ambition made me pull my will into a fist. I had to change and forget what fear of blood was. I lived my dream, which helped me overcome one of my fears.
  • A few years ago, I went through a severe emotional crisis. I had always dreamed of going to the University of California, as it is one of the most prestigious medical universities in the United States. But unfortunately, I failed my entrance exams, so I had to study at the university in my hometown. My failure seemed like a disaster, but now I realize it was a real blessing.

The essay’s body carries arguments, explanations of the topic, and the main body of information.

Each paragraph should begin with short introductory sentences, and the body of the sections should be divided into several parts. This will help you better structure what you have written and help the reader navigate through the text.

It is worth remembering about argumentation. There should be several things that you rely on in your position. Describe each of them in detail in a separate paragraph. Observe the semantic sequence. A mistake, in this case, will be to repeat twice the same argument in different words. It will give the reader the impression that there is nothing to say.

You should also remember about transitions in a reflective essay. Move smoothly from one aspect to another and take your time.

How to end a reflective essay? In conclusion, you should focus on pulling together all of the material, summarizing all of the points made and what you have learned. Try to include a few moments about why and how your attitudes and behaviors changed. Here are some examples:

  • Was the practice of volunteer nursing helpful to me? Absolutely! I was grateful for these weeks because I learned a lot. But most of all, I have learned my Soft skills, which will help me get used to my professional activities.
  • At that moment, I thought about who would be the priority in that situation, and I still believe it was the patient. If the same problem were to arise again, I think I would do nothing but speak up and justify my decisions. I recognize and know that time management and prioritization are essential skills in nursing, and I hope that my skills will improve with practice.
  • I reflected on how personal values can affect professional practice from the incident. Still, it is crucial to consider that the organization has its own set of values to follow, regardless of personal values. Finally, in reflecting on the incident, I was able to discuss the importance of quality assurance monitoring and health care evaluation both in general and during the incident, which allowed me to consider what conclusions were drawn from the incident and how to prevent similar situations occurring again.

So, now you have examples and an idea for writing a reflective nursing essay. Writing your paper will become many times easier and faster.

If this article was helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues!

❓ What Is the Purpose of Writing a Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay aims to express one’s thoughts about a previous experience, including how one changed in the process and what one learned. It is often described in a diary entry; they are intended to demonstrate how the author’s thoughts have changed over time.

❓ What Makes a Good Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay is a combination of both objective and subjective elements. We mix scholarly analysis with personal experiences. This type of paper should explain to readers how our experience influences our behavior and what lessons we learned.

❓ What Are the 3 Basic Parts of Reflection Paper?

An essay should have a clear structure and must contain three parts. It should have a clear introduction reflecting the problem, then the central part with an analysis of the causes, and the conclusion with possible solutions to the problem or how it affected the author.

❓ What Is the Best Reflective Model to Use in Nursing?

One of the best options for nurses is the Gibbs model. The model is accessible and extremely simple. Therefore it can be operated without any problems in any situation.

  • Reflection toolkit: The University of Edinburgh
  • Essay Conclusions: University of Maryland
  • Thesis Statements: UNC Writing Center
  • A short guide to reflective writing: University of Birmingham
  • Outlining: Harvard College Writing Center
  • Reflective Practice in Nursing: ZU
  • Critical self-reflection for nurse education: NCBI
  • Essay Structure: Harvard College Writing Center
  • Essay Structure: UAGC Writing Center
  • General tips for academic reflections: The University Of Edinburgh
  • Reflective essays – ANU
  • Writing An Essay Title – Illinois Valley Community College
  • Nursing Essay Help: Medical Essay Writing Service in UK
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nursing reflective journal essays

How to Write a Nursing Reflective Essay (Guide for Nurse Students)

nursing reflective journal essays

If you are a nursing or medicine student, you are aware that you will come across or have already come across assignments requiring you to write a nursing reflection essay. At first, such a task always appears challenging, but given the understanding of the steps, things flat out, and you can write reflective essays and get better grades.

Reflective practice is highly encouraged in nursing. Reflection entails making sense of situations, events, actions, and phenomena in the workplace.

As a nursing student, you will be asked to write a reflective essay on your clinical placement, practicum, shadowing experience, shadow health DCE activities, personal nursing philosophy, why you want to become a nurse, nursing program, ethical dilemma, knowledge, skills, and abilities, systems, and processes.

The easiest way to complete the reflective essay assignment is by first determining what reflective writing entails, its significance, its steps, and some of the best tips that form the core of this ultimate guide.

Basics of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective writing is an analytical writing practice where the writer describes a real or imaginary event, scene, phenomenon, occurrence, or memory, including their takeaway. It entails the critical analysis of an experience, including recording how it has impacted you and what you intend to do with the new knowledge or how to act when such an occurrence recurs.

As you document the encounter, you can use first-person pronouns and write subjectively and objectively. This means that you can decide to either use personal experiences alone or support these experiences using citations from scholarly sources.

When writing a reflective essay in nursing, you must recount the events and give critical detail of how the events shaped your knowledge acquisition. Reflection helps nursing students develop skills in self-directed learning, which is directly associated with high motivation and improved quality of care .

In most cases, reflection occurs on what went well and what went wrong. It could be a successful operation, a thank you note from a patient, a patient who regained their health faster, or a new nursing care plan that worked. However, it can also be about adverse events such as death, postoperative complications, death of an infant at birth, dissatisfied patient, medical error, or a failed procedure.

As a nursing student, when you learn to reflect on situations, you grow to become a professional nurse who diligently does their noble duty.

When writing a reflective essay, you begin by setting the scene (explaining what, where, how, and who-the situation), detailing how you felt (emotional state), why it happened (making sense of the situation), critical review and development of insights, a note on what was learned, and strategies to address future recurrence.

Your professor may ask you to write a nursing reflective paper about various topics in your course or your experience working in a group, how you solved a problem, a healthcare issue, or clinical practice. Consider the following example of a reflective statement in nursing; in my clinical practices, I realized I focused more on the technical aspects but failed to explain what it was doing to improve their health. I would like to understand more about listening to patience and their concerns to better care for them.

As you will notice later, these reflective stages are structured into different reflective models and frameworks that we will explore in-depth. So, with the understanding of what comprises reflective writing and its importance in nursing, let's now get solid on the structure.

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Structure of a Reflective Essay in Nursing

A reflective essay is an analytical writing piece describing and evaluating encounters or experiences. When asked to write one, you should know that an excellent reflective essay consists of different parts, just like a typical academic essay. It comprises the cover or title page, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusions, and a references page.

The title page contains information about the assignment. If you are writing the reflective essay in APA, include these on the title page:

  • Title of the reflective essay
  • Course code and name
  • Instructors name
  • Name of your institution
  • Date of submission

When writing in Harvard format, the title or the cover page will consist of the following:

  • Title of the essay in title case and the page number (upper right margin),
  • Title of the essay in CAPS,
  • Name of class or course,
  • Name of the instructor,
  • Name of your school,
  • City and state where your school is located and,
  • The date of submission.

Introduction

The introduction begins with an attention grabber or a hook sentence to attract readers' attention. It should then explain the essay's purpose and signpost the ideas that will come later in the essay. The introduction also has a thesis statement at the end of the paragraph- the last sentence. The thesis is concise, clear, and relatable and should reflect your position.

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of a reflective essay can be three or more, depending on the length of the essay. Essentially, the body comprises 80% of the total word count.

The first paragraph is where you describe the situation, including the events, why they occurred, how they occurred, and those involved.

The second paragraph entails your personal feelings or reaction to the situation and how it made you feel.

The third paragraph can include making sense of the situation. You have to think about why things happened the way they did. You should also critically review and develop insights based on the situation. Finally, think of the factors that could have influenced the situation.

The next paragraph should explain how the event or situation will change your practice, approach, decisions, perspective, or perception. This is where you evaluate the experience by detailing the knowledge and skills you took from the experience.

The last body paragraph should entail a critical reflection on the learning opportunities. First, describe the situation and what it made you learn. Next, elaborate on how you intend to make yourself better poised to address such situations.

Mostly, you should structure the body of your essay as per the preferred nursing reflective model.

After everything else falls into place, you need to summarize the information you presented in the essay. Then, finally, restate your thesis and have a call to action to bring a sense of closure to your readers.

Steps for Writing a Nursing Reflection Essay � The Guide

When assigned to write a reflective essay for your nursing class, here are the surefire steps to get you to success.

Read the instructions

The first step after receiving an assignment is to begin reading the instructions. as you read, note what your instructor or professor expects in the paper you will submit for marking.

Reading instructions helps you to get informed on the scope of the paper, word count, number of references and pages, and the formatting style to use.

Besides, you also get to plan your paper with the deadline highlighted in the instructions.

You need to get a conducive environment where you can start writing.

The first step of writing is to brainstorm about situations during your clinical hours when you were shadowing a Nurse Practitioner or one you have read about.

Assess whether the situation or scenario you have thought, encountered, or chosen can help you write a reflective essay that meets the requirements.

Research and Plan

After choosing a scenario, the next step is researching the best reflective model.

You can use your class text, the instructions, the college library, course readings, and online nursing journals to get articles and resources with information about specific reflective models.

Select the best reflective model and take notes on the steps it entails.

As you research, write down notes on how to address your paper based on your selected framework or model of reflection . Additionally, research nursing journal articles with information you can use when critically analyzing a situation.

Plan how you will handle the paper as well. For instance, as you research, develop a thesis statement that grounds your entire paper, then draft an outline on how to develop the thesis.

Write an Outline

Outlining is a crucial aspect of writing. It helps you envision how you will meet the objective of writing a reflective essay. As an essential part of the essay writing process, outlining helps create a good flow of ideas and can come in handy in helping you overcome writer's block. Your outline should comprise the following:

  • The hook or attention grabber
  • Thesis statement
  • Main points of each body paragraph (topic sentence, evidence, examples, illustrations, etc.)
  • Conclusion (restated thesis and call-to-action)

With the outline done, you should take a break and resume writing your first draft of the nursing reflection essay. Writing with an outline helps avoid mistakes and also helps you write faster.

Describe the Experience

Once you have identified the relevant experience, begin describing it chronologically.

Describe the experience that prompted you to consider nursing your ideal career goal. Think of this experience's key elements, such as the setting, patient demographics, and significant events that impacted you.

Show how these events changed your perspective on life. Ensure you are as descriptive as possible to paint a clear picture for readers.

Consider the following questions to come up with a good description:

  • What happened?
  • Was there someone involved? If yes, what part did they play?
  • Where did the event take place?
  • What actions did you take?

Set the context of this experience by giving relevant background information. Ensure you are objective and pay attention to the facts.

Provide a Reflection

Talk about your feelings and thoughts concerning the particular experience you went through. You have to be honest and open up about your initial expectations and challenges you faced at each stage of the experience. The following questions can help you come up with a good reflection:

  • What was I trying to achieve?
  • What prompted me to act the way I did?
  • Are there any consequences for my actions? If yes, what are they?
  • How did I feel about this event as it was happening?
  • How did those around me react to it?
  • How do I know how those around me felt about it?

Analyze the Experience

Description of an experience is essential, but so is analysis. You have to move beyond the surface and give a critical analysis of your experience.

State your actions, and your overall experience will give insights into your experience. Think of how the experience has impacted your actions, feelings, and thoughts.

Give an Evaluation

Evaluate the skills and knowledge you got from the experience. Show how you can apply these skills and knowledge in your nursing practice. Also, state the actions and interventions you took during the nursing experience.

State whether you achieved the desired outcome and if there are any specific areas that you need to improve on.

Talk about how you built or improved skills like communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.

As you evaluate the experience, identify what you believe to be your strengths and weaknesses in the nursing experience. What have you learned from the experience? State the areas where you excelled and what abilities contributed to your success.

Talk about how those you were with during the clinical experience complimented you. Similarly, acknowledge your weaknesses.

What kind of mistakes did you make, and how did you improve them? Talk about the tasks that drain you most during the experience.

Illustrate Learning

Demonstrate elements of deeper thought and reflection levels. This is a great point to include nursing theories in your reflection essay to support analysis of your experience.

Relate your experiences to the theoretical frameworks you were taught in class. This is effective learning and will demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge to real-life nursing situations.

Doing this will also show that you can effectively deduce different things from observations made during the reflection process.

Ensure you also demonstrate a change in perspective, as this will prove that you learned something from the experience.

Write Your Conclusion

Conclude by summarizing your points and highlighting the lessons learned.

The lessons you reached as part of your reflection should support your overall conclusion.

Also, restate your thesis statement.

Come Up with an Action Plan

Now that you have learned from your reflection develop an action plan for future nursing practice.

This part should contain all the details you have learned and actions needed to improve when faced with a similar situation. Consider the following questions:

  • What would I change if faced with a similar situation?
  • How can I develop the necessary skills needed to face this situation?
  • How can I act differently in a similar situation?  

Ensure you identify areas to improve and set realistic goals to enhance your nursing skills. Discuss how you intend to seek additional education, training, or mentorship to address your shortcomings.

Finally, end the essay with a happy note so readers know you learned something from the experiences.

Proofread, Edit, and Polish

After doing your first draft, take a break to relax and get out of the writing mood - it helps you to become objective.

You can then resume reading out loud to yourself, make necessary tweaks, and ensure that every part you include meets the rubric requirements.

Edit for grammar, punctuation, tenses, voice, spelling, and use of language. You should also proofread the essay to adhere to the style, organization, and presentation requirements.

Ensure that all the in-text citations are accounted for in the reference list and are up-to-date. You are good to go when you have an essay that meets all the instructions.

Finally, you can submit the paper for grading.

Writing is not everyone's cup of tea. For that reason, you can hire a nursing reflection essay writer from our website to assist you in crafting a top-grade paper. In addition, we have nursing writers whose forte is writing various nursing papers.

Choosing the suitable Reflective Model or Framework

As you can see above, many reflective models are used for your reflective essay. We have not exhaustively listed and expounded on all of them. Other reflective models and frameworks you can also consider when writing a reflective essay in nursing include:

  • Bouds Reflective Model
  • Brookfield Reflective Model
  • Pender's Health Promotion Model
  • Roper Logan and Tierney Model
  • Driscoll Reflective Model
  • The Johari window model

Note that most nursing instructors will often suggest the models they prefer for you to use in your essay.

For example, in most nursing reflective essays. Whichever the case, readily available information expands on each model to make it easier to write a reflection essay on a specific aspect of nursing education or practice.

Read the assignment rubric and instructions to understand the specific model. If it is unclear, ask for clarification from your instructor early enough.

Tips for Writing a Good Nursing Reflective Essay

As you try to figure out how to write a nursing reflective essay, keep the following tips in mind.

Choose the Right Topic

If the instructions from your professors involve choosing a topic for the reflective essay, you must select one that is meaningful to you.

This will ensure you can easily write and easily develop relevant elements about the topic. Therefore, take time to pick a topic that you find interesting.

As you write, ensure you stay on topic, whether sharing a one-off event or a recurrent story.

Use the Right Tone

A reflective essay is more personal, unlike other types of academic essays. This means you don't need a strict or formal tone.

Since this is about your experiences, use personal pronouns such as I and Me.

Be Vulnerable

You must be extremely vulnerable to learn how to write a reflective essay in nursing.

Be open about your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about something you went through that sparked an interest in nursing.

It's okay to share mistakes or things you did wrong that eventually led you to this career path.

Choose the Right Focus

A reflection essay is all about narrating your experience during the nursing experience.

While including other people in your experience is okay, please let them not be the center of your reflection.

This is your essay, so you should be the focus of attention.

Keep it Brief

A good nursing reflection essay should be between 300 and 800 consciously written words. Because of this length, you must only write relevant information about your reflection. Refrain from lengthy reflections, as they make it difficult to pass your points across.

Convey Your Information Wisely

Even though a nursing reflection essay is about your personal experiences, it doesn't mean you should reveal everything about yourself. Ask yourself whether something is appropriate before including it in your paper.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Reflection Essay in Nursing

A good reflection essay involves reflecting on your nursing studies and practices throughout school and career to demonstrate your competence. For this reason, there are certain mistakes you should be aware of when writing an essay.

Not including a Personal Story

Like food tastes bland without salt, so does a reflection essay without a personal story. At the center of a reflection essay is You. This means the essay should focus on your personal story that led you to want a nursing career. A lot of times, students miss out on this instead of talking about their story. You need more than just the personal qualities you think will be a great fit for the nursing program; you must also share a story that shows how well you contributed to nursing care.

Failing to Share Your Experience

You will lose points when you fail to include nursing-related experiences in your reflection essay. Mentioning that you want to be a nurse is great, but failing to show specific events that led to the desire will cost you a great point.

Plagiarizing Your Essay

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense because it is considered taking other people's ideas and using them as your own without crediting the author. So, provide relevant citations and references for any ideas that aren't your own. Also, an AI will not write your essay as a human writer would. 

Related Readings:

  • How to write a student nurse resume with no experience.
  • PICOT examples and guides

Sample of a Nursing Reflective Essay 

The following is a sample of a nursing Reflective essay using Gibb's Model of Reflection. Use this sample to guide you when writing your own.

Introduction  Communication is an important element in healthcare practice as it determines patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. This essay will focus on reflecting on an experience I went through with a 40-year-old diabetic patient who also had a foot infected with an ulcer. When I approached the patient to sign the consent form, I noticed that he wasn't happy because of the news given to him about his health. I concluded that there must be a communication dilemma. I will reflect on the experience using Gibb's Model of Reflection. Using this model, I will identify and discuss the actions taken to resolve the issue. Description  This incident happened a few months ago when I was working as a wound nurse in a Methodist hospital in my hometown. I was part of a care team handling the case of a 40-year-old male patient with diabetes and an infected diabetic foot ulcer. After careful examination, a team comprising various specialists concluded that his leg needed amputation below the knee. After making this decision, the team left, and I was asked to give the patient a consent form to sign. When I came back from retrieving the form, I noticed the patient looked sorrowful because of the news given to him. Feelings  As soon as I saw the patient, I knew what he was going through. He perceived the situation to be irreparable, but I wasn't sure whether to console the patient or not. I was powerless and couldn't imagine what he was going through. At the same time, I was startled that the team left without showing any compassion. They could have handled the situation more delicately. I, on the other hand, could have relayed the information better. I wasn't sure whether my approach would be acceptable or appropriate. Evaluation  I always go back to that particular situation and wonder whether I could have acted better. The situation helped me better understand the importance of good communication in patient care, particularly in therapeutic care. Before the incident, I didn't acknowledge the role of nurses play in caring for patient's emotional needs. I realized nurses must show compassion and console patients in their low moments.  Analysis  Most healthcare professionals do not know how to deliver bad news to patients. They find the process extremely challenging and always feel psychologically unprepared. This has a negative impact on patients and could lead to bad health outcomes. Furthermore, how information is relayed could impact a patient's adherence to treatment. Because of these effects, multiple protocols and approaches were developed to help with communicating bad news to patients. One of the approaches that was proposed is emotion-centered. This proposes that a healthcare provider acknowledges how sad the patient is and builds a professional relationship based on empathy and sympathy. Action Plan I now understand the essence of communicating bad news with compassion. The experience allowed me to look closely at different aspects of my professional development that needed more improvement. Thus, I plan to be more empathetic and speak up in support of patient's emotional and psychological well-being, especially when presented with traumatic news about their health. Additionally, I now understand I am not powerless when dealing with a sorrowful patient. I believe I have learned from my experience, and I'm not able to communicate well with patients any more. Conclusion  The experience allowed me to value good communication in nursing and the need to incorporate it into daily nurse-patient interaction. Nurses must learn how to deliver bad news and manage patient's sorrow. This has been and will continue to be my biggest priority in patient care. References Street Jr, R. L., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). How does communication heal? Pathways linking clinician–patient communication to health outcomes. Patient education and counselling, 74(3), 295-301. Buckman, R. (1992). Breaking bad news: why is it still so difficult? BMJ: British Medical Journal, 304(6842), 886. Ptacek, J. T., & Eberhardt, T. L. (1996). Breaking bad news: a review of the literature. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 276(6), 496-502.

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nursing reflective journal essays

Journaling: A valuable tool for registered nurses

Write about your life and experiences to better understand them and yourself..

  • Journaling is a valuable resource that nurses can use to support their health and wellness.
  • Journaling allows you to script feelings and thoughts to better understand yourself and events, as well as cultivate self-compassion and self-awareness.
  • Writing strengthens cognition, fosters insight, and improves emotional regulation.

NURSES’ FOCUS on compassion can be both rewarding and depleting. To offset the fatigue that can come with nursing care, nurses must find ways to express their feelings and tend to their own well-being. Journaling is a valuable resource that nurses can use to support their health and wellness. Using journaling to script feelings and thoughts promotes understanding, self-compassion, and self-awareness. In addition, writing strengthens cognition, fosters insight, and improves emotional regulation.

Although the benefits of journaling are well established, it’s underused as a method for self-care and reflection. Philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey wrote that “reflective thinking alone is educative.” Journaling provides a foundation for reflective thinking and can help anyone, including nurses, express their emotions and improve their health and well-being.

Journaling defined

At its most basic, journaling is a record of personal thoughts, daily events, and evolving insights. It also provides a foundation for creativity, guidance, selfawareness, understanding, and spiritual development. While journaling, authors can express themselves without censorship, disapproval, or judgment. Screaming, expressing anger, whimpering, feeling sad, wailing, and raging may occur while journaling.

Journaling benefits

journaling valuable registered nurses post

Research also shows that journaling is an important tool for developing critical-thinking skills. Nurses use journaling to explore “general observations, questions, speculative statements, expressions of self-awareness, statements of synthesis, revisions of previously held ideas, and the accumulation of new information to develop critical thinking…” as noted in a 2017 article by Dimitroff and colleagues. Scheffer and Rubenfeld defined reflection as “contemplation upon a subject, especially one’s assumptions and thinking, for the purposes of deeper understanding and self-evaluation.” And Raterink found that journaling was valuable in the clinical setting when used by graduate nursing students. As the students became more comfortable with journaling and self-reflection, they felt more competent about their critical-thinking skills and habits.

Journaling tips

Use these suggestions to get started with your journaling.

A proven tool

Journaling provides an opportunity to express emotions and gain self-awareness. It also is a proven way to gain perspective and achieve a higher level of health and wellness, which benefits nurses directly and, in turn, all of the people whose lives we touch.

Lynda J. Dimitroff is an educational and leadership consultant in Rochester, New York.

Selected references

Adams K. Expressive Writing: Foundations of Practice . Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education; 2013.

Brady EM, Sky HZ. Journal writing among older learners. Educ Gerontol . 2003;29(2):151-63.

Burtson PL, Stichler JF. Nursing work environment and nurse caring: Relationship among motivational factors. J Adv Nurs . 2010;66(8):1819-31.

Dewey J. How We Think . Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.; 1997.

Dimitroff LJ, Sliwoski L, O’Brien S, Nichols LW. Change your life through journaling—The benefits of journaling for registered nurses. J Nurs Educ Pract . 2017;7(2): 90-8.

Field V, Bolton G, Thompson K. Writing Works: A Resource Handbook for Therapeutic Writing Workshops and Activities . London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2006.

Francis ME, Pennebaker JW. Putting stress into words: The impact of writing on physiological, absentee, and self-reported emotional wellbeing measures. Am J Health Promot . 1992;6(4):280-7.

Hiemstra R. Uses and benefits of journal writing. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education . 2001;90:19-26.

Hinderer KA, VonRueden KT, Friedmann E, et al. Burnout, compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress in trauma nurses. J Trauma Nurs . 2014;21(4):160-9.

Keidel GC. Burnout and compassion fatigue among hospice caregivers. Am J Hosp Palliat Care . 2002;19(3):200-5.

Kuo CL, Turton M, Cheng SF, Lee-Hsieh J. Using clinical caring journaling: Nursing student and instructor experiences. J Nurs Res . 2011; 19(2):141-9.

Lepianka JE. Using reflective journaling to improve the orientation of graduate nurses. J Contin Educ Nurs . 2014;45(8):342-3.

Parr G, Haberstroh S, Kottler J. Interactive journal writing as adjunct in group work. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work . 2000; 25(3):229-42.

Pennebaker JW. Opening Up. The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions . New York: The Guildford Press; 1990.

Pennebaker JW, Colder M, Sharp LK. Accelerating the coping process. J Pers Soc Psychol . 1990;58(3):528-37.

Raterink G. Reflective journaling for critical thinking development in advanced practice registered nurse students. J Nurs Educ . 2016;55(2):101-4.

Sacco TL, Ciurzynski SM, Harvey ME, Ingersoll GL. Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among critical care nurses. Crit Care Nurse . 2015;35(4):32-43.

Scheffer BK, Rubenfeld MG. A consensus statement on critical thinking in nursing. J Nurs Educ . 2000;39(8):352-9.

Smart D, English A, James J, et al. Compassion fatigue and satisfaction: A cross-sectional survey among US healthcare workers. Nurs Health Sci . 2014;16(1):3-10.

Stamm BH. The ProQOL Manual . Idaho State University: Sidran Press; 2005.

Waldo N, Hermanns M. Journaling unlocks fears in clinical practice. RN . 2009;72(5):26-31.

Zori S. Teaching critical thinking using reflective journaling in a nursing fellowship program. J Contin Educ Nurs . 2016;47(7):321-9.

3 Comments .

Do you help in writting nursing reflective journal for others. if, what is the cost?

American Nurse Today reached out to a nurse attorney who has contributed to the journal. Here are her comments:

I think journaling is a very useful tool—as long as it does not include actual descriptions of actual events with actual patients. Keep in mind that journaling about adverse events poses a potential risk to nurses. In a deposition nurses will be asked if they have any logs, journals, or diaries and if so, they can be discoverable and will need to be produced. There will always be something in that journal that can be a statement against that nurse’s interest. Additionally, nurses will be asked if they keep this kind of detailed log on every patient they take care of. The answer is no, so the next obvious question is why they did so in this case. It is difficult to overcome presumption that the reason the nurse made a detailed log in this case is because something happened that should not have. It also makes the nurse less credible when under oath he or she testifies to not remembering some details about the case when being asked about it in what can be years after the event. There are also potential problems with HIPAA, state privacy laws, violation of organizational policies, and professional misconduct charges. I always advise nurses to NOT keep journals, logs, or diaries about patient events, much less copies of documents like incident reports or medical records for just these reasons. Journaling about feelings and one’s personal journeys can be helpful. Just remember that journaling about feelings is one thing—memorializing adverse events is another.

Edie Brous, Esq. PC Nurse Attorney Note: This information is not intended to provide legal counsel.

In reading my November issue of American Nurse Today I found an article on journaling. While attending a workshop given by a nurse/attorney we were told never to journal anything about your job as this can be “discoverable” in any future litigation. The article in this issue promotes journaling about work experiences. I wonder what would be the response from a nurse/attorney on this practice. Is there one on staff of this publication who could comment?

Paula Milner MS, RN Phoenix, AZ

Comments are closed.

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The Art of Self-Discovery: Your Reflective Nursing Journal

Discover the art of crafting reflective nursing journals.

Reflective journals are used to conduct examples of research. These examples are both theoretical and practical.

Reflection happens before, during, and after a certain event has occurred with the aim of building a greater understanding of oneself and the event so that if the person comes across the same event later in the future, they are able to deal with it accordingly.

Reflection in nursing practice is very important because as humans, we don’t learn through memorizing; proper learning only begins when we study from reflecting on our experiences. As explained above, Reflective practice is the act of internally examining an area of concern.

As a nurse, your reflective practice is characterized by your ability to look at activities and encounters with the aim of upgrading nursing knowledge.

What is a Reflective Nursing Journal

A reflective journal is a journal where nurses write their thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to nursing practice. It is useful for self-reflection and professional development. Nurses can write about patient encounters, challenges, successes, and emotions experienced while on duty.

Importance of Nursing Reflective Journals

Nursing reflective journals have a great deal of importance in the field of nursing for the following reasons:

1. Self-Reflection

Being a nurse can be overwhelming but you can make things easier by writing your findings or your experiences down and reflecting on them. This is much easier than processing things in your head. Reflecting on your practice can shed light on your strengths and areas that need improvement. This self-awareness is important if you’re going to see much growth in your personal and professional development.

2. Continued Learning

Nursing is a dynamic field where constant advancement is being made and keeping a journal serves as a tool for continuous learning. It is also a good way to link your practice to your theory. You can document new techniques, and approaches that you encounter, enabling you to stay updated and improve your skills.

3. Improved patient care

Through reflection, you can identify what approaches work best in various situations. By recognizing successful methods and analyzing the less effective ones, you can refine your patient care strategies. This leads to improved outcomes and a greater quality of care for patients.

4. Enhanced Critical Thinking

Reflective journals promote critical thinking skills. Journaling will give you the opportunity to analyze complex situations, consider various perspectives, and explore different solutions.

5. Emotional Processing

Nursing can be emotionally taxing. Reflective journals provide a safe space for nurses to express their feelings and process difficult situations. Reflective journaling serves as a way for you to express how you feel and therefore, can prevent burnout, reduce stress, and make you feel better all-round

What a Reflective Journal Should Include

Reflective journaling can involve many key components to make sure that a thoughtful and comprehensive reflection of experiences. Here’s what you can write about in your journal:

1. Description of the Experience

You can describe the experience you want to reflect on. Write down the details of the situation, setting, people involved, and any important events that occurred, and any significant events that occurred.

2. Feelings and Emotions

Think about how you felt during the situation. Be honest with yourself about your emotions, whether they are positive or negative. It's essential to reflect on your genuine reactions and not hold back, as this honesty is crucial for your personal growth.

3. Analyze the Experience

Go deeper into the situation. Analyze the experience from different angles. Think about the impact it might have had on your patient, their family, and other healthcare personnel.

4. Action plan

Once you summarize your reflections, write down what you learned from the experience and the insights you gained. Based on your reflection, highlight specific steps that you can take to improve your practice. These steps should be practical, realistic, and achievable.

5. Future considerations

Reflect on how this situation might influence your future practice. Most importantly, think about how you can apply the lessons learned to similar situations in the future.

Example of a Reflective Nursing Journal

We’re going to give an example of reflective journaling:

This is a reflective journal example written by a student at the University of South Carolina.

Get Qualified Help From the Best Reflective Nursing Journaling Service

Reflective nursing journaling is an amazing way for nurses to deepen their understanding of their actions, and emotions. It can also help nurses understand the intricacies of the field, including ethical dilemmas, clinical challenges, and personal growth.

Essential Reflective Nursing Journal FAQ: Your Go-To Resource for Clarity

What's reflective journaling in nursing.

Reflective journaling in nursing is like keeping a personal diary. Nurses jot down their thoughts, emotions, and experiences related to patient care and their job. It's a way for them to learn from what they go through and improve their skills.

Why is reflective journaling important for nurses?

Reflective journaling is a big deal for nurses. It helps them understand themselves better, think critically, provide better care to patients, and deal with their feelings. Plus, it keeps their professional growth going strong. Essentially, it makes them better at what they do.

How often should nurses do reflective journaling?

There's no fixed rule here. Some nurses like to jot things down every day, while others do it weekly or after important patient interactions. It really depends on what works best for the nurse.

Can nurses share their reflective journals?

Reflective journals are usually private. But sometimes, nurses might share what they've written with their supervisors, mentors, or colleagues.

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Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example

  • Rachel R.N. R.N.
  • November 3, 2023
  • Nursing Essays

This course has played a significant role in my professional and career development. The capstone change project has improved my knowledge and expertise through evidence-based practice. I learned that nurses should be at the frontline to implement and adopt changes to improve healthcare standards and patient satisfaction through the change project. In this regard, the changes in practice should be guided by adequate research to obtain evidence-based information and achieve the desired outcomes. Of importance, I was fascinated by reading and replying to my colleagues’ discussions. I gained different perspectives about the learned topics while reviewing their work.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example

Leadership in nursing was a vital aspect that stood out for me during this course. I have learned to assume my leadership role as a BSN. In this case, I have learned that leadership in nursing is crucial to offer quality practice. Nurses have the mandate to become patients’ advocates. This course has enabled me to identify and address healthcare concerns. In this case, I can evaluate, identify and voice my patients’ needs.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

Of importance, I have learned good communication skills that are crucial for any leader. Thus, leaders should allow colleagues to express themselves as it promotes openness and feedback and builds trust for good work relationships crucial in any work setting. Good work relationships promote interprofessional collaboration and informed decision-making to offer optimum care quality (Stucky et al., 2022). However, my perception that leadership is demanding has been the biggest challenge. Nurse leaders have multiple responsibilities, such as ensuring patients receive quality care, promoting work ethics, and other management responsibilities. As such, I have always perceived nursing leadership to be an arduous task. However, I have overcome the challenge with mentorship programs and guidance from my preceptor.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

Through this course, I gained insights into the importance of nursing leadership in healthcare policing. The nursing practice operates under set and structured policies and regulations that must be followed to promote efficiency. The course has improved my knowledge of how nursing leadership affects healthcare policies that later influence practice quality. In this regard, good leadership promotes the formulation and implementation of effective policies. Subsequently, the policies inform the decisions within the set rules while allocating resources to meet the target objectives.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

The course has also improved my nursing practice during patient care . I have improved my advocacy skills by prioritizing listening and addressing my patients’ needs. Through my capstone project, I learned that hourly rounding protocol and bedside care allow one to spend more time with the patient to identify their needs and address them within little or no time (Sun et al., 2021). Although I had a weakness in interacting with patients who ask many questions during bedside care, the leadership knowledge acquired during this course improved my patient-nurse relationship and fostered positive interactions.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

I used my evidence-based change project to gain insight into the new practice approaches in nursing. In this case, I learned that nurses should use critical thinking to address current and new healthcare concerns while aligning their though with existing evidence. When faced with healthcare challenges, nurses should delve into research to obtain evidence-based information to devise new practice approaches to address current and new healthcare concerns. Of importance, I also learned that nurses should promote interprofessional collaboration to improve performance through shared responsibility, innovation, and coordination (Schot et al., 2020).(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

My capstone project emphasized valued based care that can be addressed through effective nursing economic models. My project aimed to reduce falls among the elderly in long-term care facilities. Falls lead to injuries that increase hospital days, raising the cost of care. Therefore, nurses should offer quality care at the most affordable cost. I learned that adopting effective preventative strategies will help reduce hospital-acquired injuries/ailments, thus lowering the cost of care. My capstone also features health disparities issues as it involves preventing falls among the elderly. Through this project, I learned that nurses should address patients’ concerns equally regardless of age, gender, race, or socio-economic status (Oruche & Zapolski, 2020).(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

This course has advanced and improved my knowledge of the nursing practice . I believe I am now a proficient nurse and can offer optimum care quality. I have learned to implement and discover new practice approaches to improve patient outcomes through the evidence-based project. I believe this course is crucial for a BSN and recommend that more time be allocated for each topic to be covered thoroughly. Altogether, I had a positive learning experience throughout this course.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example

Oruche, U. M., & Zapolski, T. C. (2020). The role of nurses in eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity.  Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services ,  58 (12), 2-4.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

Schot, E., Tummers, L., & Noordegraaf, M. (2020). Working on working together. A systematic review on how healthcare professionals contribute to interprofessional collaboration.  Journal of interprofessional care ,  34 (3), 332-342.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

Stucky, C. H., Wymer, J. A., & House, S. (2022). Nurse leaders: Transforming interprofessional relationships to bridge

Sun, C. J., Fu, C. J., Morelli, J. D., & Levin, A. (2021). Improving bedside shift report and hourly rounding using remote surveillance.  Journal of Informatics Nursing ,  6 (2), 16-22.(Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

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nursing reflective journal essays

Study of the behavior of vver and pwr fuel irradiated in the hbwr reactor (halden, norway)

  • Published: 23 March 2012
  • Volume 111 , pages 413–421, ( 2012 )

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  • B. Yu. Volkov 1 ,
  • E. P. Ryazantsev 1 ,
  • V. V. Yakovlev 1 ,
  • A. K. Panyushkin 2 ,
  • A. V. Ivanov 2 ,
  • O. V. Kryukov 2 ,
  • P. I. Lavrenyuk 3 ,
  • Yu. V. Pimenov 3 &
  • C. Vitanza 4  

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The methods, techniques, and results of comparative studies of VVER and PWR fuel tested in the HBWR reactor (Norway) are presented. Experimental VVER fuel elements with uranium dioxide fuel were fabricated at the Machine Building Plant (MSZ) (in Elektrostal) using standard technology; the experimental PWR fuel elements were fabricated according to the model specifications. The results obtained made possible a comparative evaluation of the changes in the thermophysical parameters and the heat and radiation resistance of the two types of fuel as well as the kinetics of the gaseous fission products as a function of the heat load and burnup.

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B. Volkov, H. Devold, E. Ryazantzev, and V. Yakovlev, In-Pile Data Analysis of the Comparative WWER/PWR Test IFA-503.1 , Final Report HWR-590, April 1999.

B. Volkov, E. Ryazantzev, V. Yakovlev, and H. Devold, “In-pile WWER fuel investigation in the Halden Reactor,” in: 3 rd Int. Sem. WWER Reactor Fuel Performance, Modelling and Experimental Support , Pamporovo, Bulgaria, October 4–8, 1999, pp. 158–164.

PIE of One WWER Fuel Rod from IFA-503-1 , IFE/KR/F-2004/064, April 2004.

B. Volkov, P. Strizhov, E. Ryazantzev, et al., Modelling of PWR and WWER Fuel Behaviour in Halden Comparative Tests Using the New Code SPAN , IAEA Techn. Comm. on Nucl. Fuel Modelling at High Burnup and Experimental Support, IAEA-TECDOC-1233 (2000), pp. 305–321.

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National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russia

B. Yu. Volkov, E. P. Ryazantsev & V. V. Yakovlev

Machine Building Plant (MSZ), Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia

A. K. Panyushkin, A. V. Ivanov & O. V. Kryukov

TVEL Company, Moscow, Russia

P. I. Lavrenyuk & Yu. V. Pimenov

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Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 111, No. 6, pp. 342–348, December, 2011.

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Volkov, B.Y., Ryazantsev, E.P., Yakovlev, V.V. et al. Study of the behavior of vver and pwr fuel irradiated in the hbwr reactor (halden, norway). At Energy 111 , 413–421 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-012-9512-y

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-012-9512-y

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Nursing Student Perceptions of Reflective Journaling: A Conjoint Value Analysis

Thomas j. hendrix.

School of Nursing, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA

Maureen O'Malley

Catherine sullivan, bernice carmon, associated data.

This study used a statistical technique, conjoint value analysis, to determine student perceptions related to the importance of predetermined reflective journaling attributes. An expert Delphi panel determined these attributes and integrated them into a survey which presented students with multiple journaling experiences from which they had to choose. After obtaining IRB approval, a convenience sample of 66 baccalaureate nursing students completed the survey. The relative importance of the attributes varied from a low of 16.75% (format) to a high of 23.58% (time). The model explained 77% of the variability of student journaling preferences ( r 2 = 0.77). Students preferred shorter time, complete confidentiality, one-time complete feedback, semistructured format, and behavior recognition. Students with more experience had a much greater preference for a free-form format ( P < .05) when compared to students with less journaling experience. Additionally, the results of English as a second language students were significantly different from the rest of the sample. In order to better serve them, educators must consider the relative importance of these attributes when developing journaling experiences for their students.

1. Introduction

Reflection is growing in importance as a means to promote a learner-centered environment where the learner is encouraged to learn through the practice of nursing with subsequent reflection. When students are in uncertain new situations, they are expected to use focused thought to apply learned principles to clinical situations and critically evaluate their performance and decisions, rather than focusing on technical knowledge in isolation [ 1 ]. The National League for Nursing [ 2 ] has reiterated the importance of both reflective and critical thinking through their designation as core competencies for nurse educators. Clinical journals are one of the strategies used throughout the undergraduate nursing curricula to facilitate and guide students' reflective thinking processes.

Reflective journals are considered by (most) faculty members to be essential in fostering an understanding of course concepts and application of concepts to clinical practice; however, students continually question their worth in their anecdotal comments and in formal student course evaluations. Faculty members also voice frustration with insufficient student reflection. Is student dissatisfaction based on reflective journaling in general, the format within an individual course or modality, or some other characteristic of the individual student? It is possible that reflective journals are not consistently reaching the anticipated critical reflection/thinking outcomes that are desired for all students.

This study measured one component of reflective journaling, student perceptions. The purposes of the study were to determine (a) the critical attributes of a reflective journal and relative levels of each attribute, (b) the relative importance of each attribute as perceived by the students, and (c) the perception of relative importance for student subgroups.

2. Review of Literature

The reflective learning process for one entering a profession, particularly one entering the health care field, is a very personal experience. The day-to-day experiences in the clinical setting often challenge strongly held beliefs. Personal coping skills are taxed and hopefully modified. Students are expected to consider learned material and make informed decisions. Educators rightfully focus on developing learning tools that include reflection on learned course content, on clinical experiences, on personal values and on their role as the novice nurse.

At the foundation of the journaling process is the concept of reflection. Reflection, via journal writing, has been an integral component of clinical learning for many years. Reflective journaling is one of the most common methods used to augment clinical learning. Most educators agree that reflective journaling is valuable and contributes to learning [ 3 ]; however, they do not agree on how best to structure the reflective journal and if the format of the journal should vary for different student subgroups.

There are several aspects of clinical journaling to consider when studying the student perspective. First, journaling can be viewed as a transformative learning tool for the nursing instructor, challenging the attitudes and the practices of the learner [ 4 ]. Educators strive to awaken the novice to the perspective of the client, the family, the role of evidence, or the impact of the multifaceted health care system. Students are encouraged to share the thoughts surrounding their actions and focus on the meaning of their experiences. The focus moves from accomplishing a list of behaviors correctly to the process of learning [ 5 ]. Through learning, the learner becomes a new, transformed person.

Secondly, journaling can also be viewed as a skill requiring reasoning and writing expertise. With guidance and support, the clinical reasoning skills seen in the reflective journal can be further developed. In the Epp [ 3 ] review of the literature, student writing and reflection became more effective with guidance and the passage of time. Tanner's [ 6 ] Clinical Judgment Model lends structure to the clinical reasoning process of the nurse and the nursing student. Reflection is guided using a consistent method, which is designed to promote competence of the baccalaureate nursing student. Clinical reasoning is viewed as a skill, that is, structured, practiced, and ultimately greater proficiency is achieved.

Another aspect to consider is adding structure to the reflective journal, which is thought to promote reflection in nursing students. In an effort to promote learning and promote proficient reflection, nurse educators have developed models [ 7 ] or guidelines [ 8 ] to assist students to analyze their clinical experiences. Guided reflection has been shown to move students past simply describing events toward more thorough introspection and concept synthesis regarding clinical experiences [ 9 ]. By directing students to collect pertinent information, by probing and asking pointed questions, educators direct students toward thinking exercises that foster a deeper understanding. The process of reflection is guided rather than left open to free-form, unstructured comments.

Finally, the reflective journal should be a secure place that encourages the student to question and to elaborate on emotional responses or challenges to existing beliefs. The learning environment is influenced highly by the nature of instructor feedback. Fink [ 10 ] defined optimal instructor feedback as being timely, caring, and discriminant. The Lasater [ 11 ] Clinical Judgment Rubric describes the components of clinical decision making in a tool that structures the evaluative feedback from an instructor. Feedback is recognized as a key component of a student's reflective journaling experience.

As online educational systems develop, instructors have begun to use group discussion boards to postreflective journals to promote interactive group learning. There is a paucity of research on the use of online group discussion boards for reflective journaling. Students collaborating on journals have demonstrated higher levels of reflection, suggesting benefit from a group process [ 12 , 13 ]. On the other hand, Craft [ 9 ] pointed out that students voiced concerns about the confidentiality of their reflections. The online setting must evoke trust in all members of the group. Collaborative reflective journals have shown promise for some students and present a barrier to others as the journal requires expressing personal thoughts and receiving feedback in a setting that is not private.

The research has shown that many students value reflective journals, but that is not consistent for all students. In one study [ 14 ], a group of students indicated that they were skeptical of the benefits of reflective journaling, the act of reflecting did not improve their practice, yet they recognized that there were positive impacts on practice for students who successfully reflected upon their practice. The students were inconsistent regarding their views on reflective journaling. There have been no studies of student perception of the format of reflective journal or studies of student factors that may facilitate or hinder journaling effectiveness. No study has systematically analyzed the perceptions of students related to learning through reflective journals. This study begins to fill that void.

2.1. Research Questions

  • What is the relative importance of each attribute involved in the journaling experience?
  • What are changes that would increase satisfaction of students with the journaling experience?
  • Do differences in student characteristics lead to changes in their preferences?

2.2. Sample

After receiving IRB approval from University X, students in three undergraduate nursing classes were given the opportunity to voluntarily complete a confidential survey without an instructor present. The survey was offered to second semester junior students ( N = 41), first semester senior students ( N = 40), and final semester senior students ( N = 38). Within this convenience sample, 13, 24, and 19 completed surveys, respectively, were received from these classes for a response rate of 55.5%. There were no missing items on the returned surveys.

2.3. Survey Tool

A “Delphi” or expert panel of nurse educators convened to try and determine which attributes of reflective journaling would be viewed by students as the most important characteristics of the journaling process. The panel was comprised of four Doctoral, and two Masters prepared faculty members with 86 cumulative years of experience educating nursing students in the clinical setting. All panel members had used reflective journaling extensively. After extensive discussion and consideration of many possible components of reflective journaling, the panel determined that there were five major attributes contained within the student experience of reflective journaling. After determining these attributes, the panel determined three value levels within each of the attributes. The attributes and levels are described in Table 1 .

Operational definitions of attributes and levels.

Additionally, we asked four demographic questions to see if there were relationships between these characteristics and the preferences expressed for the five journaling attributes. These demographic variables are experience, sex, grade point average (GPA), and primary language (ESL). Sex is either male (M) or female (F). GPA is divided into greater than 3.49 (GPA 1), between 2.5 and 3.5 (GPA 2), and less than 2.5 (GPA 3). ESL is a self-reporting variable specifying whether English is their primary language, and students answer either yes (ESLY) or no (ESLN). Experience relates to the number of classes they have already completed where journaling was a component of the coursework. The students were either three trimesters from graduation (Exp 1), two trimesters from graduation (Exp 2), or in the final trimester before graduation (Exp 3). In other words, the more coursework each student had completed, the greater exposure they had had to reflective journaling, as each trimester contains a journaling component in at least one course.

Conjoint analysis is a market-based research analysis model where potential and/or actual customers make choices based on their preferences. These choices are based on the individual attributes of the product under consideration and are considered jointly (conjoint). For example, all else equal, most consumers would choose the cheapest computer. Similarly, all else equal, most consumers would choose the fastest computer. However, they cannot have both of these attributes simultaneously because customers are forced to pay additional money for the faster computer should they desire more speed. In fact, all else is rarely equal. People make tradeoffs every day as they try and balance the partial worth of many attributes like speed, color, size, power, convenience, durability, prestige, necessity, and price (among others). A similar model exists in education. Students, like computer purchasers, have preferences about what is important to them and are, in effect, buyers of nursing education. Like the manufacturers of computers who care greatly about the preferences of their customers, the “sellers” of nursing education should also care about the preferences of their customers. For example, in reflective journaling, students might desire a short time to complete their journaling requirement and, at the same time, want a transformative experience which requires more time. Therefore, like the computer shopper, nursing students make choices that involve tradeoffs.

2.5. Methods

Each attribute and its corresponding levels were entered into the conjoint value analysis (CVA) software program which automatically generates a survey. The survey began with the four demographic questions previously described and followed with twenty pair-wise discrete choice questions. Each question presented the student respondent with a choice of two journaling experiences from which they had to choose one. Respondents were free to choose along a nine-point Likert scale from “strongly prefer left” (scale 1) to “somewhat prefer left” (scale 3) to “indifferent” (scale 5) to “somewhat prefer right” (scale 7) to “strongly prefer right” (scale 9). Each attribute is present in all choices, but the levels within each attribute are varied, and these variations are shuffled with each succeeding question. Additionally, the CVA questionnaire generator automatically moves attribute levels from left to right as the respondent proceeds through the questionnaire. A typical conjoint question is in Table 2 , and the complete survey is available upon request.

A typical conjoint question.

After data entry, the CVA software runs multiple ordinary least squares (OLSs) functions by performing simultaneous regressions of the five independent attribute variables on the dependent variable of preference. For a detailed explanation of CVA, please refer to the Sawtooth Software Technical Paper Series referenced in the bibliography. The results are presented as average utilities (preferences), and the average importance of each attribute is estimated, and an R 2 is calculated. The results are then exported to the Sawtooth Marketing Simulation (SMRT) software which runs a series of simulation algorithms where the different levels of the same attribute are compared to each other while holding all other attributes the same. These results estimate the share preferences for each attribute level relative to other levels. Through multiple iterations, all preferences for each level are estimated in relationship to each other by simply dividing one into the next. Finally, to estimate the changes (if any) that the demographic variables have on the preferences of attributes levels within reflective journaling, the Marketing Simulation software takes the attribute preference data and filters it through the four demographic questions and provides a result containing product shares of preference and standard errors. Through these two statistics, confidence intervals and P values ( Z scores) are then calculated.

2.6. Results and Analysis

The results of CVA OLS are presented in Tables ​ Tables3 3 and ​ and4. 4 . The importance ( Table 3 ) of the five attributes varies from a low of 16.75% (format) to a high of 23.58% (time). The lack of any one attribute being extremely high or low relative to the other attributes suggests that all five attributes were considered and paid attention to by the respondents. In other words, all attributes were relatively important.

Attribute importance (total = 100%).

CVA OLS average utilities (zero-centered differentials).

This is further reinforced by an R squared (see Table 4 ) of 0.777. That is, this model explains 77.7% of the variability of journaling preferences among nursing students and is clearly superior to a random predictor of this variation. The utilities (see Table 4 ) are interval-scaled values without a real zero. Therefore, utilities represent weights relative to each other, and the sum of the three levels equals zero.

It is clear that students prefer a shorter time, complete confidentiality, recognition of their behavior, one-time complete feedback, and a semistructured format. However, because these are interval values, they provide preferences only. For these data to be useful in the real world of developing courses and, more specifically, journaling experiences, there must be a real zero. Additionally, to accurately compare different levels of any single attribute, all other attributes must be held constant. The SMRT uses a randomized first choice simulation algorithm to accomplish this. For a detailed explanation of the SMRT software package, please refer to the Sawtooth research paper on market simulations referenced in the bibliography. Table 5 presents these results with subsequent calculations.

Partial shares of preference.

Students prefer a weekly time commitment of 15 minutes over 30 minutes ( P < 0.05), and they prefer 30 minutes over 45 minutes ( P < 0.05). By decreasing the time commitment from 45 to 30 minutes, student satisfaction increases by 36%. By decreasing time from 30 to 15 minutes, student satisfaction increases by 15% and if students are currently spending 45 minutes a week and an instructor reduces that to 15 minutes ( P < 0.05), student satisfaction increases by 54%.

Students require anonymous journals. Both iterations that contained the “open” (nonanonymous) option were rejected by students. By moving the journaling experience from open to either completely confidential ( P < 0.05) or to shared content ( P < 0.05), student satisfaction increases by 36% and 25%, respectively. However, it is less clear whether students have a problem sharing their thoughts anonymously. The tails of the two 95% C.I. overlap so the P value is clearly greater than 0.05. However, by taking the square root of the squared sum of the two separate standard error terms and dividing that into the difference of the partial shares, a P value is easily found in a Z table (0.07). Therefore, students also prefer complete confidentiality to anonymous sharing ( P = 0.07), but their satisfaction only increases by 9% by moving from the latter to the former.

Students want results from their journaling efforts though they are relatively indifferent whether they simply learn to recognize their behaviors or have those behaviors transformed. In both iterations where “no result” was an option, students rejected it. In fact, by changing the journaling experience from one where the students perceive that no change has occurred to one where they either recognize their behaviors ( P < 0.05) or have them transformed ( P < 0.05), student satisfaction increases by 41% and 38%, respectively. However, the two 95% C.I. that compared recognition to transformation almost completely overlap. There is no perceivable difference. So although instructors may think that it is a higher level of learning for students to be transformed versus simply recognizing positive and negative behaviors, students do not value that difference.

Students value feedback over simply checking their work for completeness although they are indifferent whether that feedback comes only once or multiple times. By moving from a model of checking for completeness to one where students receive feedback once ( P < 0.05), student satisfaction increases by 11%. However, the 95% intervals for checking for completeness versus multiple feedbacks have overlapping tails and the P value (0.06) is calculated (as above) using the Z table. Finally, students are indifferent to a single feedback or multiple feedbacks. The 95% C.I. for both of these levels almost completely overlap, and there is no difference.

Students do not value a completely structured format. By moving from a completely structured format to either a semi-structured ( P < 0.05) or open format ( P = 0.06) student satisfaction increases by 10% and 9%, respectively. However, students did not perceive much difference between the semi-structured or open format. There was no difference.

Finally, to estimate the changes (if any) that the demographic variables have on the preferences of attributes levels within reflective journaling, the attribute preference data was filtered through the four demographic questions. The significant results are presented in Table 6 . Most of the demographic categories had no significant effect on student preferences, and these are not reported though the data is available upon request.

Demographic effect on preference shares.

The sex and GPA of the respondents had no significant effect on student preferences for journaling attributes. That is, all calculated confidence intervals that compared these two demographic variables had a great deal of overlap. Thus, they were considered the same. The experience level of the students did have an effect on the value of time and the preference of format. Those students with less experience (Exp 1) had a much greater preference for less time spent journaling ( P < 0.023) and a much greater preference for a structured format ( P < 0.39). Conversely, those students with the most experience (Exp 3) had a much greater preference for a free-form format ( P < 0.39) when compared to students with less journaling experience.

Students that self-reported English as their second language (ESLY) viewed the results of journaling differently. That is, although the “no effect” level of result was perceived negatively by all students, it was perceived much more negatively by non-ESL students. Additionally, instructor feedback had a lower perceived value among ESL students. Those students whose first language was English (ESLN) preferred feedback to no feedback, and ESL students did not. The results for the ESL demographic should be viewed with some caution as there were only 2 students reporting themselves as ESL. Although the weakness of a small cohort is captured in the standard error calculation, which leads directly to the P value, it still gives pause. We report those results here because mathematically the differences were significant but will leave it up to the reader to decide.

2.7. Answers to Research Questions

Question 1 : what is the relative importance of each of the five attributes involved in the journaling experience? In descending order, the most important characteristics of journaling are time, confidentiality, results, feedback and format ( Table 1 ).

Question 2 : what are the changes that would most increase the satisfaction of students with the journaling experience? To increase satisfaction for students, instructors should strive to reduce the time students spend journaling, maintain anonymity (though content might be shared), and instill a perception in students that reflective journaling will have a tangible effect on each student's ability to transform or simply recognize their behaviors ( Table 5 , far right column).

Question 3 : do differences in student characteristics lead to changes in their preferences about the journaling experience. There were no differences noted based on sex or academic achievement. However, students with less experience in journaling value time more than the entire cohort and students with more experience prefer an open format with fewer instructor cues. Additionally, ESL students placed less value on instructor feedback and behavior recognition or transformation. However, because of the small sample size, these results should be viewed with some caution ( Table 6 ).

3. Discussion

Students strongly value their time. This is the one dimension of the reflective journal that has not been studied. The Delphi panel included this dimension as an attribute of the journal recognizing that it is a paramount concern of nursing students. These students clearly indicated a preference for journaling exercises that required less time. Nursing instructors will probably read this and recognize the challenge of creating journaling exercises that are both time efficient and produce the requisite level of reflection. However, students would highly value new journaling exercises that prove to be more time efficient.

Students value anonymity in journaling. This is a concern as online discussion systems become more widely used. Online, discussion systems should be developed that include areas for confidential discussion and individual feedback, as well as open discussions areas where students can benefit from interaction and collaboration. In the age of the electronic classroom, anonymity and collaboration must be balanced.

It is interesting to note the undergraduate student's comments on the structured journal considering the development of various models or guidelines [ 7 , 8 ]. Students preferred either a semi-structured or an open, free-form journal. They do not value a completely structured journal. Educators working on models that structure student responses should be advised to insure that exercises include areas for students to write freely without predetermined structure. There is evidence that using a model or structured journal early in a nursing program and moving to a predominantly unstructured journal later in the program will be valued more highly by students. Instructors should insure that whether using a model or not, students value substantive feedback after they have prepared reflective journals.

ESL students viewed journaling differently compared to non-ESL students. C. Kuo [ 15 ] developed an online writing system to support nonnative students with writing exercises. The system offers a supportive environment encouraging writing practice, peer review, and use of an e-portfolio, online dictionary, phrase lists, and so forth. The ESL student practices writing and benefits from peer review and revision. ESL students may face unique challenges in completing reflective journaling assignments. Research findings are beginning to reveal more about the kinds of support that will benefit this group of students.

3.1. Limitations

The R squared for this study was 0.777. This is quite robust and explains 77.7% of the variation within the journaling model. However, 23.3% of the variability was not explained by this model. Therefore, there exists a risk that a significant variable was overlooked by the Delphi panel and not included in the survey. The omission of significant variables can lead to specification error which has the potential to bias coefficients and results.

The students in our sample attend the same school, are taught by the same teachers, and live in the state of X. Journaling experiences nationwide or worldwide might be quite different than those experienced by the students at our institution and, therefore, these results might not generalize to other populations in other institutions across the country.

When accomplishing crosstabs with the demographic variables, there were some very small subgroups. For example, there were only 2 ESL students, 6 male students, and 3 who reported a GPA under 2.5. All calculations in this study make use of the standard error term, and standard errors take into account small sample sizes. However, we would still view all of the small sample conclusions with some caution. Similarly, regardless of sample size, a P value of 0.05 still means that we are only correct 19 out of 20 times and, therefore, could be wrong.

4. Conclusions

Marketing professionals have surveyed their customers and potential customers in an effort to provide the product or service that is most desired by them. We also wanted to find out what aspects of journaling our customers (students) value. This study applied the statistical method of conjoint value analysis, a sound quantitative modeling method that has been used in the field of marketing for many years. Results indicated that all students value time, confidentiality, results, feedback, and format, in that order. The less-experienced students valued a structured journal, while the more advanced students valued a more free-form journal. Nurse educators should consider these attributes when developing and refining the journals in their courses. While journaling is a process that supports learning, it is also very personal. Students must see that the journaling system is confidential and that they will receive thoughtful feedback from the instructors. This study helps us better understand nursing students, our customers, and to better design journaling experiences that future students might find more satisfying. More research is needed to test new journaling systems as well as to explore the unique needs of student subgroups, particularly ESL students.

Supplementary Material

There are four brief information questions at the top followed by 20 questions about journalling. Thi survey is completely confidential and the information that you provide will be analyzed and will probably result in changes in the way that we require journalling to be accomplished at the School of Nursing.

19th Edition of Global Conference on Catalysis, Chemical Engineering & Technology

Victor Mukhin

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Victor Mukhin, Speaker at Chemical Engineering Conferences

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

However, up to now, the main carriers of catalytic additives have been mineral sorbents: silica gels, alumogels. This is obviously due to the fact that they consist of pure homogeneous components SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively. It is generally known that impurities, especially the ash elements, are catalytic poisons that reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst. Therefore, carbon sorbents with 5-15% by weight of ash elements in their composition are not used in the above mentioned technologies. However, in such an important field as a gas-mask technique, carbon sorbents (active carbons) are carriers of catalytic additives, providing effective protection of a person against any types of potent poisonous substances (PPS). In ESPE “JSC "Neorganika" there has been developed the technology of unique ashless spherical carbon carrier-catalysts by the method of liquid forming of furfural copolymers with subsequent gas-vapor activation, brand PAC. Active carbons PAC have 100% qualitative characteristics of the three main properties of carbon sorbents: strength - 100%, the proportion of sorbing pores in the pore space – 100%, purity - 100% (ash content is close to zero). A particularly outstanding feature of active PAC carbons is their uniquely high mechanical compressive strength of 740 ± 40 MPa, which is 3-7 times larger than that of  such materials as granite, quartzite, electric coal, and is comparable to the value for cast iron - 400-1000 MPa. This allows the PAC to operate under severe conditions in moving and fluidized beds.  Obviously, it is time to actively develop catalysts based on PAC sorbents for oil refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and various technologies of organic synthesis.

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

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    The reflective nursing essays below were written by students to help you with your own studies. If you are looking for help with your reflective nursing essay then we offer a comprehensive writing service provided by fully qualified academics in your field of study. Reflective Essay Service Reflective Essays & Related Services

  2. PDF Reflective writing example: Nursing

    The following are extracts from a Reflective journal written for the course, Reflective Nursing Practice 1 by a first year student, Chrissy Poulos: CHRISSY POULOS - REFLECTIVE JOURNAL OUR COMMENTS Excerpt from Week I Defining nursing is a tough one. I am not sure about the ins and outs of it yet. But I will write what I think of it now.

  3. Reflective journal writing

    19 Apr 2021 Bulletin Discover the benefits of writing down your thoughts and how to get started Reflective journal writing is a way of documenting what you're thinking and feeling in the moment, and can be a useful tool to help manage stress and anxiety.

  4. Nursing Reflective Essay: Examples + Useful Writing Tips [2024]

    15 Best Reflective Essay Topics: Nursing Empathy and support in nursing. Communication with patients is one of a nurse's most important tasks. Nursing is the art of caring for the patient during illness. The key is not to cause harm but to help afterward. Time management in nursing. The Patient's Interests Come First. Why did I become a nurse?

  5. Reflective practice in health care and how to reflect effectively

    Introduction. Reflective practice is something most people first formally encounter at university. This may be reflecting on a patient case, or an elective, or other experience. However, what you may not have considered is that you have been subconsciously reflecting your whole life: thinking about and learning from past experiences to avoid ...

  6. Critical self-reflection for nurse educators: Now more than ever!

    Use of self-reflection by nurse educators. Reflection is defined as the individual's deliberate consideration of a particular experience, guided by the literature to gain insight, ultimately developing and improving practice (Graham & Johns, 2019).It can help route teaching practices towards effectiveness (Gardner, 2014), resulting in the development of scholarship in the teaching of nursing ...

  7. Nursing Reflection Essays: A Guide, Outline, Models, and Tips

    A reflective essay is an analytical writing piece describing and evaluating encounters or experiences. When asked to write one, you should know that an excellent reflective essay consists of different parts, just like a typical academic essay. It comprises the cover or title page, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusions, and a references page.

  8. PDF A Guide to Nursing Students' Written Reflections for Students and Educators

    This study explores reflective writing from the perspective of the nursing student and the nurse educator. The following questions will be answered: What are the benefits of reflective writing for the nursing student and the nurse educator? Why is reflective writing critical in nursing education and why would educators want to use it?

  9. Development and Implementation of a Reflective Writing ...

    Students' reflective writing in health programs, including medicine, is relatively new compared with other disciplines, such as education and nursing (McKay & Dunn, 2015). For this reason, researchers suggest that students will only succeed in reflective writing if it is guided by instructors and mentors (Sandars, 2009).

  10. Reflective Writing and Nursing Education

    Writing to learn: A reconceptualization of thinking and writing in the nursing curriculum. Journal of Nursing Education, 28, 6-10. 2538598 > Link Google Scholar; Atkins S., Murphy K. (1993). Reflection: A review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 18, 1188-1192. 10.1046/j.1365-2648.1993.18081188.x 8376656

  11. Journaling: A valuable tool for registered nurses

    Journaling provides a foundation for reflective thinking and can help anyone, including nurses, express their emotions and improve their health and well-being. Journaling defined At its most basic, journaling is a record of personal thoughts, daily events, and evolving insights.

  12. Reflective Nursing Journal Examples & Expert Tips

    A reflective journal is a journal where nurses write their thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to nursing practice. It is useful for self-reflection and professional development. Nurses can write about patient encounters, challenges, successes, and emotions experienced while on duty. Importance of Nursing Reflective Journals

  13. Health professionals and students' experiences of reflective writing in

    Reflective writing triggered reflection and reflexivity that allows, on the one hand, skills development, professional growth, and the ability to act on change; on the other hand, the acquisition of empathic attitudes and sensitivity towards one's own and others' emotions.

  14. Reflective Journaling to Promote Critical Reflective Thinking Post

    There is a growing body of research describing how written reflective narratives after the debriefing process of simulation supports positive student learning outcomes (International Nursing Association of Simulation Clinical Learning [INASCL] Standards Committee et al., 2021). Written reflective narrative on practice fosters the development of critical thinking skills, strengthens higher ...

  15. Reflective Journal Entry Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example

    At this point, I can affirm that I have achieved all my practicum learning goals. (Reflective Journal Entry Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example) However, the learning experience was not devoid of challenges of its own. Three challenging patients I encountered included a patient who was non-adherent to treatment, a violent patient, and a teenage ...

  16. Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example

    In this case, I can evaluate, identify and voice my patients' needs. (Nursing Leadership Reflective Journal Comprehensive Essay Example) Of importance, I have learned good communication skills that are crucial for any leader. Thus, leaders should allow colleagues to express themselves as it promotes openness and feedback and builds trust for ...

  17. Using the Reflective Journal to Improve Practical Skills Integrating

    To date, many studies have focused on the use of reflective practice in nursing education, as can be read in the review by Dubé and Ducharme . However, only a few have examined the application of the reflective journal in the international practicum setting [11,12]. While the RPJ has been often used in the classroom, or in controlled practical ...

  18. Toroidally focused ultrasonic flaw detectors

    New-type toroidally focused ultrasonic flaw detectors, whose application provides an appreciable increase in the flaw detection rate with retention of high sensitivity to flaws, are considered. The construction of a flaw detector is presented, the sizes of a gauge for the formation of the toroidal surface of a lens are given, and the technology of the manufacturing of a toroidal lens is described.

  19. Study of the behavior of vver and pwr fuel irradiated in the hbwr

    The methods, techniques, and results of comparative studies of VVER and PWR fuel tested in the HBWR reactor (Norway) are presented. Experimental VVER fuel elements with uranium dioxide fuel were fabricated at the Machine Building Plant (MSZ) (in Elektrostal) using standard technology; the experimental PWR fuel elements were fabricated according to the model specifications. The results obtained ...

  20. Rosatom Starts Life Tests of Third-Generation VVER-440 Nuclear Fuel

    Rosatom Starts Life Tests of Third-Generation VVER-440 Nuclear Fuel. 8 139. "Introduction of RK3+ will make it possible to operate all four power units at increased thermal capacity and also to extend the fuel cycle at Dukovany NPP, which will improve economic efficiency of the power plant operation", said Alexander Ugryumov, Vice President ...

  21. Nursing Student Perceptions of Reflective Journaling: A Conjoint Value

    Collaborative reflective journals have shown promise for some students and present a barrier to others as the journal requires expressing personal thoughts and receiving feedback in a setting that is not private. ... Craft M. Reflective writing and nursing education. Journal of Nursing Education. 2005; 44 (2):53-57. [Google Scholar] 10. Fink ...

  22. Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental

    Catalysis Conference is a networking event covering all topics in catalysis, chemistry, chemical engineering and technology during October 19-21, 2017 in Las Vegas, USA. Well noted as well attended meeting among all other annual catalysis conferences 2018, chemical engineering conferences 2018 and chemistry webinars.