May 10, 2025

Refer to the Population-Focused Nurse Practitioner Competencies? in the Learning Resources, and consider the quality measures or indicators advanced

Nursing 0

Refer to the “Population-Focused Nurse Practitioner Competencies” in the Learning Resources, and consider the quality measures or indicators advanced practice nurses must possess in your specialty.
Refer to your “Clinical Skills Self-Assessment Form” you submitted in Week 1 and consider your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Refer to your Patient Log in Meditrek; consider the patient activities you have experienced in your practicum experience and reflect on your observations and experiences.

In 450–500 words, address the following:

Learning From Experiences

Revisit the goals and objectives from your Practicum Experience Plan. Explain the degree to which you achieved each during the practicum experience.
Reflect on the 3 most challenging patients you encountered during the practicum experience. What was most challenging about each?
What did you learn from this experience?
What resources were available?
What evidence-based practice did you use for the patients?
What would you do differently?
How are you managing patient flow and volume? How can you apply your growing skillset to be a social change agent within your community?

Communicating and Feedback

Reflect on how you might improve your skills and knowledge and how to communicate those efforts to your Preceptor.
Answer these questions: How am I doing? What is missing?
Reflect on the formal and informal feedback you received from your Preceptor.

Practicum Experience Plan (PEP)

Students’ Name

Institution

Course Name

Instructor’s Name

Date

Practicum Experience Plan (PEP)

The Practicum Experience Plan (PEP) describes my advanced practice nurse clinical competency goals, objectives, and tactics. My practicum will improve my diagnostic reasoning, clinical decision-making, and patient management skills through hands-on application. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused, and time-bound. I will also use nursing and psychotherapy theories to provide comprehensive, evidence-based patient care. A practicum activity timeline will help me meet my goals and improve during my experience.

Practicum Learning Objectives

My Clinical Skills Self-Assessment revealed three areas for improvement and growth. Each objective matches Bloom's taxonomy's higher-order realms of application, analysis, and synthesis..

Objective 1: Improve Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning

· Specific: Conduct comprehensive health assessments and formulate accurate differential diagnoses for at least 15 patients per week under the supervision of my preceptor.

· Measurable: Document patient history, physical examination findings, and assessment rationale, and review with my preceptor for feedback.

· Attainable: Structured guidance and case discussions will help me integrate clinical facts into diagnostic thinking.

· Results-Focused: A full assessment and independent differential diagnosis should be possible by the end of the practicum.

· Time-Bound: My practicum goal is to master advanced health evaluation and diagnosis by Week 5 and improve by Week 10.

Objective 2: Enhance Evidence-Based Pharmacologic and Non-Pharmacologic Management Plans

· Specific: Personalize patient treatment regimens utilizing evidence-based pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapy and explain rationale to my preceptor.

· Measureable: Weekly, justify treatment decisions for 10 patients with preceptor input.

· Attainable: Clinical guidelines, research articles, and decision-support tools will ensure my treatment regimens are optimal.

· Results-Focused: Following the practicum, I should be able to adjust treatment plans based on patient response and comorbidities.

· Time-bound: By Week 8, master this skill and have complete treatment plan development power by Week 12.

Objective 3: Strengthen Patient-Centered Communication and Counseling Techniques

· Specific: Use good communication to teach and counsel at least 5 patients every week on health promotion, disease prevention, and lifestyle changes.

· Measurable: Assess my ability to clearly communicate difficult medical facts using patient and preceptor comments.

· Attainable: Observing my preceptor, researching communication best practices, and interacting with patients will improve my approach.

· Results-Focused: By the end of the practicum, I should demonstrate the ability to tailor education and counseling strategies based on patient needs, literacy levels, and cultural considerations.

· Time-Bound: Develop foundational skills in patient-centered communication by Week 6 and achieve proficiency by Week 10.

Nursing Theory: Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring

Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring emphasizes holistic nursing care and the nurse-patient interaction. Watson believes caring promotes recovery through meaningful human relationships, empathy, and trust in nursing. Her Carative Factors and Caritas Processes help nurses provide compassionate, patient-centered care that addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This theory supports my practicum goals by emphasizing communication, trust, and empathy in therapeutic interactions. I will apply Watson's caring theory to my practise to create a healing atmosphere that promotes emotional ease and patient engagement, improving health outcomes.

Watson's hypothesis is used in advanced practice nursing for chronic illnesses, mental health, and patient education. Patients express higher satisfaction and treatment adherence when practitioners use caring science principles (Ferreira et al., 2023). Watson's method matches motivational interviewing approaches used in health promotion and illness prevention, helping me overcome psychosocial barriers to care. Compassionate interactions and holistic approaches will help me support patients with health issues, especially those demanding behavioral and lifestyle changes.

Psychotherapy Theory: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a goal-oriented, evidence-based psychotherapy that targets maladaptive thought processes that cause emotional suffering and poor behavior. CBT is commonly utilized in mental health care and chronic disease management, where behavior modification improves treatment adherence. This idea applies to my practicum since many patients need information, counseling, and support to manage lifestyle-related health issues, stress, anxiety, and depression. I can assist patients understand how their thoughts affect their emotions and behaviors by using CBT, which improves self-management.

CBT is useful in motivational interviewing, patient education, and behavior modification interventions in nursing. Patients with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity who get CBT-based assistance had better medication adherence and health outcomes (Abbas et al., 2023). I will help patients establish healthier behaviors and coping mechanisms via organized questioning, cognitive reframing, and problem-solving. Adding CBT ideas to my therapy communication will help patients feel supported in their well-being journey.

Timeline of Practicum Activities

The following timeline outlines how I plan to achieve my practicum objectives and continuously refine my clinical skills:

· Week 1-2: Orientation to practicum site, shadowing preceptor, reviewing policies, and setting initial learning goals.

· Week 3-4: Conduct independent patient assessments under supervision, refine differential diagnosis skills, and discuss patient cases.

· Week 5-6: Develop and implement treatment plans, focus on integrating pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches, and receive feedback.

· Week 7-8: Increase patient counseling interactions, apply CBT techniques, and use motivational interviewing for behavior change.

· Week 9-10: Continue refining clinical decision-making, improve patient communication, and evaluate progress with preceptor.

· Week 11-12: Demonstrate full autonomy in assessment, diagnosis, and management, participate in case presentations, and finalize practicum evaluations.

Conclusion

This Practicum Experience Plan organizes advanced clinical skills, nursing and psychotherapy theory integration, and patient care competency. I want to improve as an advanced practice nurse by concentrating on advanced evaluation, evidence-based treatment planning, and patient-centered communication. Watson's Theory of Human Caring and CBT will help me provide holistic, patient-centered treatment. Through ongoing involvement with my preceptor, hands-on experiences, and set learning objectives, I am convinced that this practicum will help me prepare for advanced nursing practice.

References

Abbas, Q., Latif, S., Ayaz Habib, H., Shahzad, S., Sarwar, U., Shahzadi, M., Ramzan, Z., & Washdev, W. (2023). Cognitive behavior therapy for diabetes distress, depression, health anxiety, quality of life and treatment adherence among patients with type-II diabetes mellitus: a randomized control trial. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04546-w

Ferreira, D. C., Vieira, I., Pedro, M. I., Caldas, P., & Varela, M. (2023). Patient Satisfaction with Healthcare Services and the Techniques Used for Its Assessment: a Systematic Literature Review and a Bibliometric Analysis. Healthcare, 11(5), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11050639