Journaling

Instructions
Journaling is a continual reflection on clinical experiences and your related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors surrounding those experiences. You will not be graded on the experiences you have had, but instead on your commitment to reflecting on those experiences and utilizing those reflections to improve your professional identity and skillset. Your journal is a place where you can record thoughts regarding a specific client encounter. Think of the journal as a personal, one-to-one communication tool between you and your instructor. Journal entries are viewable only by you and your instructor. All clinical discussion or communication will protect the confidentiality of clients.

While being mindful of integrating critical thinking into the management of clients during the clinical experience, you will also be evaluating health promotion and maintenance for children, adolescents, adults and/or older adults, to include medically underserved groups. The PMHNP role also encompasses analyzing cultural proficiency and spirituality in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of clients with mental health conditions.

Your entry must be about a client encounter you had this week and should be no more than 500 words. Journal entries should also include an analysis of the nurse practitioner role or the potential role in the clinical setting. Select one of the following options to help guide you:

Option 1
Write about a situation that you felt you handled well. What did you do? Provide justification and reasoning for your actions. This commentary should include reference to relevant course content or research.

Option 2
Write about a situation where you felt unsure of yourself. What happened? What made you question your decision-making? If faced with the same situation in the future, how would you like to handle it differently? Provide justification and reasoning for your actions. This commentary should include reference to relevant course content or research.

Option 3
Write about a situation that you felt you handled incorrectly. What happened? How would you change your actions to result in a different outcome? Provide justification and reasoning for your actions. This commentary should include reference to relevant course content or research.

Option 4
Write about a continuation of a situation that you faced earlier in your clinical. How has the situation evolved? What have you done to guide the relationship? What interventions and so on have you tried? What is the current outcome? What are your goals with this patient? Provide justification and reasoning for your actions. This commentary should include reference to relevant course content or research.