Psychotherapy

Cultural Competence/Awareness, Vulnerable Populations, and Other Special Considerations

Welcome to the last week of your practicum! As you have proceeded through the practicum experience, you have been regularly challenged to reflect on your growth and development as you made progress on your goals. Additionally, you have been evaluated by and gained feedback from your Preceptor. As you end this practicum, consider what you have gained from the experiences in your practicum setting. Did you meet your goals and objectives? What were the challenges, and how did you manage them? What were the successes, and what lessons can you take from those experiences and apply to future experiences? Use your reflections to seek opportunities for growth in the areas you found challenging, while simultaneously celebrating your successes. 

This week, you complete a reflective journal on your practicum experience. Additionally, you must log in to Meditrek and download and print out your Patient Log. This serves as a record to provide to healthcare organizations when requested.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Assess the achievement of goals and objectives for the practicum experience 

· Assess clinical skills related to advanced psychiatric mental health nursing practice 

Assignment: Journal Entry

Critical reflection on your growth and development during your practicum experience in a clinical setting helps you identify opportunities for improvement in your clinical skills, while also recognizing your strengths and successes. 

Use this Journal to reflect on your clinical strengths and opportunities for improvement, the progress you made, and what insights you will carry forward into your next practicum.

To Prepare

· Refer to the “Population-Focused Nurse Practitioner Competencies” found in the Week 1 Learning Resources and consider the quality measures or indicators advanced nursing practice nurses must possess in your specialty of interest.

· 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 and 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 three 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?  

Communicating and Feedback 

· Reflect on how you might improve your skills and knowledge and how to communicate those efforts to your Preceptor. 

· Answer the questions: How am I doing? What is missing?  

· Reflect on the formal and informal feedback you received from your Preceptor.