Reflective Journaling: Innovative Strategy for Self-Awareness for Graduate Nursing Students

Abstract

Structured self-reflective journaling has the potential to serve as a means of self-awareness and professional growth. The purpose of this study was to describe what graduate nursing students were coming to know about themselves via reflective journaling. The context was a graduate course in psychiatric nursing. Adescriptive exploratory design was conducted using qualitative methods. Content analysis was performed on journals of students enrolled in a graduate nursing course to identify prominent themes and patterns regarding the students’ perceptions of what they were coming to know about themselves as they worked in the psychiatric mental health area. Four themes emerged from the narrative content of the journals: becoming aware, feeling the pain, what I learned, and personal growth exists among colleagues. Caring is one way in which these relationships can be examined. In this study positive correlations were found between manager caring and peer caring and their relationship with RNs’ job satisfaction and intent to stay both in a position and the profession.

An Integrative Literature Review on Self-awareness Education/Training Programs in the Nursing Area

“…Additionally, personal growth was mentioned. 7,10,[25][26][27][28] Self-awareness interventions showed positive effects on self-efficacy and autonomy. 3,4) Psychodrama/action methods enhanced understanding of others and self-related concepts.…”

“…Additionally, several studies did not describe the specific contents of the intervention. 27,28,30) Therefore, these interventions leave the question about how to perform the same intervention in other populations. The types of approaches were varied with different names of interventions.…”

“…Writing report and journals, performing simulations, and workshops are included as methods Comprehensive self understanding used to perform the intervention. 7,10,[25][26][27][28] Two studies used self-awareness programs that had 11 to 12 topics in 10 to 24 sessions. 3,4) The topics were awareness, anxiety, trust, dependence, flexibility, loneliness, helplessness, loss, anger, guilt, power, and hope.…”

What characterizes Norwegian nursing students’ reflective journals during clinical placement in an African country?

“…Incorporating reflective journaling in nursing education has therefore been widely introduced in nursing curricula as a means of developing critical thinking skills, documenting professional practice experiences and fostering students' self-understanding as a way of http coping with critical incidents in practice (Craft, 2005;Schuessler, Wilder, & Byrd, 2012). Reflective journaling can also be an opportunity to reflect consciously about clinical events, to evaluate past choices and to identify learning needs (Williams, Gerardi, Gill, Soucy, & Taliaferro, 2009). These are only possible if students are given opportunities to think critically about their practical experiences in a context that opens up new perspectives, understandings and knowledge (Forneris & Peden-McAlpine, 2007;Williams et al, 2009).…”

“…Reflective journaling can also be an opportunity to reflect consciously about clinical events, to evaluate past choices and to identify learning needs (Williams, Gerardi, Gill, Soucy, & Taliaferro, 2009). These are only possible if students are given opportunities to think critically about their practical experiences in a context that opens up new perspectives, understandings and knowledge (Forneris & Peden-McAlpine, 2007;Williams et al, 2009).…”