Community-Based Practicum Reflective Journal Guidelines

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 4143 - Clinical Immersion
Community-Based Practicum

Professional nursing meeting experience (4 hours)

Guide for Reflection Using Tanner’s (2006) Clinical Judgment Model
Introduction

What professional nursing meeting(s) did you attend and where was it located?
I attended one of the Virginia Board of Nursing Formal Hearings at the Department of Health
Professions in Henrico, VA.
Background

Describe the purpose of this professional nursing meeting? Describe the agendas of the group
and subgroup. What type of issues did they address?
The purpose of this formal hearing is to give an opportunity to the complainant and the

respondent to provide their own testimonies and present any evidence or witnesses to the Board

Members. Then the Board Members will deliberate and have a ruling on the case.

In today’s hearing, the agenda included cases concerning two LPNs, a CNA applicant

and a RMA (registered medical assistant). The first case on the agenda was concerning an LPN

who’s license was in question due to being diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and

known multi substance use. Evidence was provided to the board and their decision was to

suspend the nurse’s license until she proves to be in good mental health and recovers from the

substance use. In the second case, another LPN was due for her formal hearing but due to major

transportation issues her legal representative asked for a reschedule. The reschedule was granted

and the case was not presented. The third case was concerning a CNA applicant who disclosed

being charged with petit larceny, the Board allowed the respondent to continue with her

application. The final case I attended was concerning a RMA. She was accused of working as a

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CNA without the proper certification and of medication discrepancies. The board ruled to have

the RMA take a refresher course in medication administration.

Noticing

What did you notice about the professional nursing meeting initially? Describe what you saw,
heard and did during the meeting?
The first thing I noticed was that this was a very serious setting where we were going to

hear a lot of sensitive information. The layout was very similar to a court where the complainant

and respondent had to face the Board Members. While the audience listened silently. Later, I

noticed that the Board Members were very friendly and approached us to answer any questions

we had.

Interpreting

Describe what you thought about the information being discussed. Have you been involved in
similar discussion during your previous student nurse experiences? Describe the similarities
and/or differences to those encounters.
This was definitely an entirely new experience for me. Some of the information being

shared seemed almost unreal and it shed light on a side of nursing/healthcare that I hadn’t seen

before. While, I have never had any extensive discussion about these types of situations, having

your license in jeopardy is something all health professionals fear, especially us new grads.

Responding

Describe stresses (both positive & negative) you experienced as you responded to the new
learning or the challenge.
Reflection-in-Action
What role would you take being assigned to represent your unit in this group? What
subcommittee would you like to participate with and why?
Seeing the hearing unfold in front of me was stressful because you never know what the

verdict will be or how the respondents would act. At the same time, it was positive knowing that

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each side had the opportunity to state their case and the respondent had the chance to advocate

for themselves. If I had to pick a role, I would pick to be a member of the Board. They dedicate

so much time and effort into their role outside of the formal hearings. They are also essential in

making sure that professionals who are not being competent in their role are given consequences

or completely revoke their license.

Reflection-on-Action and Clinical Learning

What written evidence is available to support professional nursing groups and their impact on the
development of evidence-based practice and improved patient outcomes. Cite/reference all
journal articles that contributed to the evidence.

A great resource is the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). This is a

non-profit organization that counsels on matters such as public health and developing licensure

exams (ncsbn.org). Another source would be the Virginia Board of Nursing (VBON) who

regulates multiple health professions as well as education programs to ensure that all involved

are upholding their standards and performing safe practice (dhp.virginia.gov).

What is the value of professional nursing meetings both as a part of a healthcare system and
within a professional organization?

This particular nursing meeting is very valuable to upholding our standards as an entire

nursing practice. It is very important to have a profession filled with people who are capable and

practice safely within their scope of practice. This is also important to a healthcare system, so

they ensure proper training is done to try and mitigate the risk of their employees having to

present themselves in front of the Board Members.

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Describe any changes in your values or feelings as a result of this experience.

This was a very grounding experience for me. It really put in perspective that anyone

could be in the respondent’s place, facing the board. The line we have been told since day one of

nursing school, “If you do not document it, it didn’t happen”, was drilled into me today.

Documentation is what we have to speak for us if we were ever put in a situation like this. This

experience was just another reminder of how fragile our profession really is, and that we should

never get too comfortable and “cut corners”, which can happen after time. Nursing should

always be performed to the upmost standards to provide the best care for our patients.

Nielsen, A., Stragnell, S., & Jester P (2007). Guide for reflection using the Clinical Judgment

Model. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(11), p. 513-516.

References

About NCSBN. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/about.htm

Virginia Board of Nursing Home Page. (2018, July 6). Retrieved from

http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Nursing/index.html

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Professional Nursing Meetings

St. Mary’s Hospital

NOC: first and third Wednesday of each month. Let me know when you would like to attend.

Shared governance council meetings:

Professional Practice Council-Second Wednesday 8a-12n

Strategic Planning Council-Second Thursday 8a-10a

Applied Research Council-Third Thursday 10a-12n

Education Council: third Thursday from 12n-4p (the meeting part lasts for 2-2 ½ hours and then
the members work on unit education)

Memorial Regional Medical Center

Third Tuesday of each month (Room 3008, Net Center)

Nursing Practice council 0800-0930

Nursing Quality Council 0930-1100

Nursing Recruitment & Retention Council 1100-1300

Nursing Education/Research 1300-1430

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