Assignment task:
Purpose:
The purpose of the reflective journal is to encourage reflective practice. One way that we learn is from our experiences. It is not sufficient to just "do" something. To understand the meaning of our experiences, we must take time to reflect thoughtfully about what our experiences mean to us. At (or near) the conclusion of the practicum experience, students will develop a well-written reflection discussing how caring science is incorporated into their care of patients during the clinical practicum experience, as well as that of the nurses on your assigned practicum unit.
Directions:
1. Consider these questions/statements as you reflect on caring science in your nursing practice.
2. Consider having a discussion with your preceptor and other nurses on your assigned practicum unit about caring science. If you do so, what did you learn from that conversation? Were other members of the conversation familiar with Watson's Theory of Caring and could they identify how they applied Watson's theory to patient care delivery?
3. How did you incorporate caring science into your care of patients during your practicum experience? Were there elements you were more familiar with, or other ideals you needed to intentionally implement? Provide examples.
4. How did you implement caring science in your interactions with members of the healthcare team? Provide 1-2 examples.
5. Based on your observations, describe how nurses on your assigned unit used caring science in the care of patients and families. What stood out to you? How did you recognize that the behavior incorporated caring science precepts?
6. Nurses occasionally experience empathetic distress, moral distress, and compassion fatigue. How did you cope with any negative emotions associated with patient care? Did your knowledge of caring science enhance your ability to process these emotions? Explain.