The Value in Using Reflective Journalling in Registered Nursing
Do you ever wonder if there is any practical application to the reflective journal assignments that are assigned in undergraduate nursing programs? The assignments that we may have been quick to dismiss as the "fluffy stuff", in favour of the the "real nursing", like taking a blood pressure or changing a complex dressing. I think that the answer to this question depends on what one's understanding of Registered Nursing is, and also, what the role of the Registered Nurse is in practice. If you believe that Registered Nursing is comprised of a series of tasks that are completed throughout the day to help sick people, then it may be that the value of engaging in reflective journaling to improve one's practice may be a hard activity to sell. However, if you believe that Registered Nursing is a complex process involving assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation, then you might believe otherwise. I am going to try to explain the utility of wh