A nurse's work is multifaceted, medically complex, technically precise, and physically demanding. But nursing-the act of caring-is also social, emotional, impactful, and personal. Because nursing education programs prioritize the importance of the technical and physical aspects of nursing, that is what they teach. This leaves practicing nurses poorly equipped to understand the science of caring and unprepared for the constant stream of emotional and psychological stressors that come with this profoundly important work. The unintended consequences of this omission include burnout, toxic work environments, and exodus from the profession.
This guide is designed to work as both a companion and a stand-alone resource for integrating the teachings and learnings from Reflective Practice: Reimagining Ourselves and Reimagining Nursing, 3rd ed.. Reflection is crucial for personal and professional growth and development as it allows us to analyze and learn from our experiences. Each chapter begins with learning objectives and subjectives to emphasize the importance of fully integrating cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning into our teaching and learning. Micropractices, small-scale reflective activities, encourage readers to seek deeper insights and learn more tools for improving both self-care and caring for others. Learning narratives and reflective questions are also included in each chapter. Learners may use the Reflective Practice Learning Guide & Journal as part of a class, for personal journaling to renew and revision themselves, or as a part of systematic professional growth and development. Educators can use the guide for their own professional development, renewal, and regeneration or as an accompaniment to classroom or clinical learning experiences with any level of learner.