Journal Entry #1 (450–500 words):
In your journal entry, answer the following questions:
Learning from Experiences
Reflect on the 3 most challenging patient encounters and discuss what was most challenging for each.
What did you learn from this experience?
What resources did you have available?
What evidence-based practice did you use for this patient?
What new skills are you learning?
What would you do differently?
How are you managing patient flow and volume?
Communicating and Feedback
Respond to the following reflective questions:
How might I improve on my skills and knowledge, and how to communicate that back to my Preceptor?
How am I doing? What is missing?
What type of feedback am I receiving from my Preceptor?
Journal Entry 1
Name
Institution
Date
Journal Entry 1
I have just completed a women’s health rotation where I have experienced several challenging conversations with my patients making me ethical dilemmas. My first patient was a seventeen-year-old who checked in with her grandmother for birth control and I had to ask the grandmother to step out to accord the patient privacy. The second patient was a thirty-three female patient who tested positive for an STI and the case presented a difficult time when breaking the news to her. The third patient was a 35-year old patient who presented with burning and irritation after having unprotected sex. The case presented a difficult time when educating her about the risks of unprotected sex and encouraging her to get a comprehensive STI screening.
Based on my experience with the three patients, I think that I can improve my skills by accessing online evidence-based guidelines on disease screening, diagnosis, and management. The online evidence-based guidelines are likely to provide me with reliable information while at the same time being easily accessible during the time of need. I need to communicate regularly with my preceptor and ask for clarifications and clues to look for especially when I am uncertain about certain patient cases.
I think I am doing well and with more practice, constructive feedback, and collaboration with my preceptor, I am likely to develop more skills and get used to the flow within the clinical setting. I need to apply theoretical knowledge to clinical practice (Jamshidi et al., 2021). More so, I need to engage in life learning, a process that entails searching for knowledge and understanding to meet my professional needs (Qalehsari et al., 2017). My preceptor provides constructive feedback. For example, she points out the things that I would need to remember and the clues that I should always look for. Similarly, she guides me on how to connect the dots to come up with a comprehensive patient report.
References
Jamshidi, H., Hemmati Maslakpak, M., & Parizad, N. (2021). Does problem-based learning education improve knowledge, attitude, and perception toward patient safety among nursing students? A randomized controlled trial. BMC nursing, 20(1), 1-9.