Reflection Journal (Essay Sample)

Practicum Experience Reflection Journal Student's Name Institutional Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor's Name Date Introduction Throughout my pediatric clinical exposure, the experience has been quite educational and interesting. My practicum exposure gave me the much needed experience especially on ways to talk to pediatric patients in a language they love for them to see more of a friend than simply someone they should be afraid to share their experiences with. This paper is a personal reflection of my growth and progress throughout my practicum experience as a pediatrician, reflecting on my clinical strengths and improvement opportunities. This too entails reflecting on my pediatric patients alongside various diagnosed and treated conditions.     a) Excitements and concerns throughout my pediatric clinical experience. Well, I can argue that indeed my pediatric clinical exposure has been full of concerns and exciting moments and that I really treasured each and every moment in my practicum. What excited me the most was how I interacted with pediatric patients professionally and in a friendly manner, and their liveliness in answering my questions. Among my concerns throughout my practicum included worries on how to handle parents on matters affecting their children. Dealing with parents seemed frustrating sometimes. My concern remained that parents were the sole decision makers when it came to treatment options for their children. This taught me to be resilient and tolerant to parents, especially on the basis of ethnicity, culture and religion.  b) My personal definition of family and family roles I strongly consider family and family roles to remain similar throughout my clinical practicum. My definition given in week 1 journal centered around family duties and responsibilities by family members as they act on the basis of illness. In a pediatric setting, parents remain the sole decision makers on matters of health of their children, and how they compose themselves and interact with caregivers highly impact how care is given to their children. Through experience, I realized that the presence of family members while attending to a child increased the child’s confidence, stability and security (Coats et al., 2018).  c) The impact of my personal comprehension of family and family roles on children and family assessment Parental involvement and Family roles in pediatric nursing have vastly affected the care process and can equally risk children’s lives (Terp et al., 2023). In most cases, parents whose children are ill tend to be stressed, confused, and distraught, thus, caregivers ought to portray excellent communication abilities that will give them morale. Health care practitioners ought to educate family members on the negative impact of grasping certain cultural beliefs, such as posing risk factors in the treatment and caring of patients (Terp et al., 2023).  d) the changes and impact of my comprehension of culture on my assessment carried out throughout my practicum Throughout my practicum, I have been able to identify and comprehend diversity in cultural beliefs and practices, in addition to cultural roles in shaping the behavior, health beliefs and outcomes  of patients. Cultural experiences faced have offered me an opportunity to integrate patient-centric care, in addition to culturally suitable care per patient. Amid all cultural beliefs, of utmost significance is to consider the child’s safety and welfare. I have come to learn that despite any disagreements, child welfare ought to be supreme, and parents and nurses should strive to respect all health decisions on the basis of cultural beliefs (Leijen & van Herk, 2021). e) Goal and objectives accomplishment in week 1  During week 1, the following goals were set:  a) the need to enhance my knowledge and expertise as a primary caregiver throughout my practicum  b) my make good use of my preceptor and colleagues by being a good listener and observer  c) to enhance my expertise in my clinical skills and the FNP program so as to excellently practice the acquired skills  d) to inclusively and efficiently care for patients courtesy of all acquired skills, current evidence-based practice and literature (Watwood, 2016). f) Refining/developing my goals throughout my professional practice  Throughout my practicum, my goals have remained consistent; yet, given the competitiveness in this profession, I have been compelled to embrace other people’s culture and show my patients and their family members compassion.  My experience throughout this practicum has given me a different perspective of love in an attempt to prevail over challenges and embrace success. In light of NAPNAP's position in advocating for children and their health, it is important that the g...