You may have heard about the mental health benefits of journaling, but did you know that NPs can use reflective journaling to sharpen their clinical decision making? Learn the science behind this powerful practice and discover simple ways to incorporate reflective journaling into your daily routine.
How can medical professionals use reflective journaling?
According to the Indian Journal of Continuing Nursing Education, reflective journaling is, “a tool in developing critical thought and reflection through clarifying concepts, giving nurses the opportunity to define and express clinical experiences in their own words. This improves observation and descriptive skills.” The content of each reflective journal entry should include:
- A detailed retelling of a significant clinical event
- An honest evaluation of how this situation affected you, your patient, and if applicable, your peers or supervisors
- A breakdown of the existing knowledge you used to mitigate the event, along with identification of knowledge gaps
- The outcome of the situation for the patient and other key stakeholders, and how your actions contributed to it
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The Reflective Journaling L.E.A.R.N. Model
A simple journaling template called the L.E.A.R.N Model can be used to structure each entry. This ensures that each event is documented in a uniform fashion, and prompts you to thoroughly process both your actions and feelings surrounding significant clinical scenarios.
Look Back
Recall a situation that posed a significant challenge in your workplace, triggered an emotional response, or highlighted weak spots in your clinical toolkit. This event should be particularly meaningful, as the objective of reflective journaling is to dissect and evaluate crucial memories.
Elaborate
Create a timeline of the event from beginning to end—from the moment you greeted the patient through the time you parted ways, plus the time you spent debriefing and charting. Details can be both objective and subjective, such as key information about the patient and their condition, as well as the thoughts running through your mind at the time.
Analyze
How and why did the situation occur? What could you have done differently to change the outcome (for better or worse)? Make connections to academic concepts that may have prepared you for this type of scenario, and whether you adequately recalled this knowledge and put it into practice.
Revise
This is your space to turn back time in a theoretical way, correcting your mistakes and learning from them. Note that reflective journaling is not a space for you to beat yourself up over mistakes, but rather learn from them and create a blueprint for yourself moving forward.
New Perspective
Look toward the future. How can you learn from this scenario and change your actions going forward? It can be helpful to write a checklist of foundational concepts that may strengthen your judgement and critical thinking.
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Key Takeaways
A reflective journaling practice ensures that your learning journey never stops, no matter what career stage you are in. By processing memories—especially ones that may be distressing—you can build a more comprehensive practice philosophy. Remember to be honest and consistent during these exercises. This will help you learn more about yourself, the populations you serve, and the niche practice areas you occupy.
