I Dare You to Drink the Vinegar

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...

How much "free time" do you percieve you have when you're working a shift? How much do you believe that it is part of your responsiblity as a professional Registered Nurse to nurture students, new graduates and new employees in your workplace? The Early Days: Learning Without Guidance I remember when I was pregnant with my first child I worked in a community health centre as an addiction nurse. This was a temporary position that I took over from a nurse who had only been in the position a couple weeks and was asked to stop working there during my first orientation shift. My orientation (or lack thereof) left me bewildered about what the position actually entailed. With a little less than two years of experience as a Registered Nurse and my first position working semi-independently in a community setting I did not have complete understanding of what I was supposed to be doing. I spent most of my shifts waiting for phone calls from potential clients, taking stock of the nic...