Reflective Journal Assessment Description Learners must maintain a reflective journal integrating self-reflection and inquiry demonstrated in the current Doctor of Nursing Practice

Student Name

Grand Canyon University

DNP: XXX

2

The following reflection essay is an attestation of the nurse scholar’s acquisition of the course objectives of Grand Canyon University’s (GCU) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program for DNP-XXX (Enter the Course #) and the competencies set forth by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (American Associations of Colleges of Nursing, 2019). From scientific underpinnings to project completion, the AACN Essentials provide the core competencies for all nurses seeking a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree. Comment by Formatting Notes: PLEASE READ: General Instructions for the Reflective Entries Provide an introduction and prepare the reader for what this reflection paper is about. Make sure to use a scholarly approach and not use first person e.g. do not use me, I, you. The first section has no header or title. Please do not copy this word for word. This is an example of how you can begin your reflection introduction and prepare the reader for the content.

For this reflective journal, analyze your own professional practice/skills/responses to provide a reflective summary that describes how the experiences in this course have personally enabled the DNP student to approach, attempt, or attain these competencies in his or her current course. Provide an introduction paragraph for this reflective essay to organize the essay for the reader. Use a scholarly approach (i.e., third person) in writing the reflective journal. This assignment is designed to help you think deeply about your learning and how you have achieved the competencies established by the AACN Essentials. Share your approach to learning, the resources used, and the strategies explored to achieve your personal learning goals. For more information, see the example Reflective Essay in the Appendix. Comment by Formatting Notes: See the example in the Appendix

Submit your Reflective Journal in the course drop box, and upload to the Typhon Tracking System under the corresponding course section. Learners must submit this deliverable in Typhon and LoudCloud. Failure to submit in both locations can result in an Incomplete for the course.

Grand Canyon University’s DNP-XXX course prepared this DNP learner to do what? What have you discovered about your professional practice, personal strengths, and weaknesses that surfaced while taking the course, additional resources, and abilities that could have influenced more optimal learning outcomes?

Is there a structure to this Reflective Journal? This journal is an exploration of personal learning experiences as a doctoral learner pursuing life-long learning. Each week describe a situation or experience which can be reflected upon as important or worth writing about. Describe your approach, feelings, or thoughts about the situation or experience. Explain what you have observed in terms of the DNP Essentials and DNP course objectives. What did you expect, learn, or decide about the experience?

Go to the DC Network and look at the DNP Essentials located in the Reflection Journal Template Folder. Reflect on these essentials and discuss at least three domains that align your experience with what you learned in the course and support your claim on how you accomplished them. Comment by Formatting Notes: Of the eight competencys of DNP nursing education, which ones do you feel you accomplished in this course? Address at least three in your reflection. For each competency/domain, use the domain as the Levell 2 heading as in the example. Essential I: Scientific Underpinnings for Practice Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking Essential III: Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice Essential IV. Information Systems/Technology and Patient Care Technology for the Improvement and Transformation of Health Care Essential V. Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care Essential VI. Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes Essential VII. Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation’s Health Essential VIII. Advanced Nursing Practice

Conclusion Comment by Formatting Notes: DO NOT COPY this is an example only, re-write your own conclusion 🙂

The purpose of this DNP-XXX Reflection was to provide exemplars of the methods used to fulfill GCU’s course objectives and achieve the competencies outlined in the AACN’s Essentials by this DNP student. The DNP learner used the weekly required readings and learning activities, supplemental readings, scholarly discussions, and project updates to solidify these competencies and outcomes. Ethical considerations, project implementation, leading collaborative teams using IT, researching the internet for a variety of resources, and creating a project PowerPoint presentation was integral to the achievement of learner competencies.

References

American Association of College of Nursing. (2012, January 3). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Retrieved from American Association of College of Nursing: https://www.aacnnursing.org/About-AACN/Who-We-Are/Staff-Directory Appendix

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A professional nurse's practice demonstrates the qualities of behavior, attitude, and approach that contribute to good patient care. Using the principles learned in this DNP-815A course, I could make better practice management decisions. I was increasing the clinical quality of care by better understanding nursing science, nursing theories, and scientifically supported hypotheses. Using the online discussion boards, I could stay in touch with my fellow students and communicate effectively with the lecturer during the eight-week course. These challenges honed me critical thinking skills so that I could make effective choices for primary care patients.

Patients are the focus of my efforts in this area. Healthcare practitioners are encouraged to collaborate with patients and their families to co-strategize in the delivery of individualized care, which will increase healthcare system effectiveness and provide high-quality treatment (McNett et al., 2021). Nursing intermediate theories underpin DNP-815A's nursing practice, which remains patient-centered despite including nursing, ethics, physiology, and psychology as part of the nursing discipline. While working as a nurse at a primary care clinic, I had the opportunity to understand how the health system might be improved by implementing patient-centered care. DNP-815A's emphasis on patient-centered treatment uncovered innovative methods. I learned through books and other sources. Following extensive research, I used evidence-based practice methodologies to guide my daily work as a nurse and scientist. The advanced nursing profession must keep up with the times to promote patient outcomes. Learning about intra-professional teamwork, which focuses on patient success through concept sharing and incentives, was essential to this course (Clarke et al., 2021). Patients, relatives, and communities may all play a role in improving healthcare quality, lowering costs, and generating better results.

Conclusion

The investigation and application of nursing/scientific theories learned in this course have aided me in developing practical skills. I could correlate the course skills and domains with DNP-815A because I was familiar with them. Consequently, reflecting on present and future issues in healthcare practice was made possible by applying competencies, and knowledge gained. In order to provide a scientific basis for primary care practices, DNP students must have these competencies in the form of skills and strategies (Mazurek Melnyk, 2016). I could link eight of the ten skills listed in this course to what I learned in the DNP-815A. All others will necessitate further study and comprehension in the classroom. Much of my nursing practice knowledge came from reading the required literature, doing extensive study in scientific journals, and applying what I learned to my daily work as a nurse.

References