Journal Entry

Points:

Points Range:
45 (45%) – 50 (50%)

Reflection demonstrates a high level of critical thinking in applying and integrating key course concepts and theories from readings, lectures, and/or experiences. Insightful and relevant connections are made through contextual explanations and examples.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
40 (40%) – 44 (44%)

Reflection demonstrates moderate level of critical thinking in applying and integrating key course concepts and theories from readings, lectures, and/or experiences. Connections are made through explanations and/or examples.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
35 (35%) – 39 (39%)

Reflection demonstrates minimal critical thinking in applying and integrating key course concepts and theories from readings, lectures, and/or experiences. Minimal connections made through explanations and/or examples.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
0 (0%) – 34 (34%)

Reflection lacks critical thinking. Superficial connections are made with key course concepts and resources, and/or assignments.

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Points:

Points Range:
27 (27%) – 30 (30%)

Expresses solid evidence of reflection on own work. Demonstrates substantial personal growth and awareness of deeper meaning through inferences, well developed insights, and significant depth in awareness and challenges. Synthesizes current experience into future implications.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
24 (24%) – 26 (26%)

Expresses moderate evidence of reflection on own work. Demonstrates satisfactory personal growth and awareness through some inferences, insights, and challenges. There is mention of the future implications of student’s current experience.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
21 (21%) – 23 (23%)

Expresses minimal evidence of reflection on own work. Demonstrates less than adequate personal growth and awareness through limited or simplistic inferences made, insights, and/or challenges that are not well developed. Minimal thought of future implications of student’s current experience.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
0 (0%) – 20 (20%)

Expresses inadequate evidence of reflection on own work. Personal growth and awareness are not evident and/or demonstrate an impersonal experience. Lacks personal insights, challenges, inferences, and/or future implications are overlooked.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)

Well written and clearly organized using standard English, characterized by elements of a strong writing style and basically free from grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling errors.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
12 (12%) – 13 (13%)

Above average writing style and logically organized using standard English with minor errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
11 (11%) – 11 (11%)

Average writing style that is sometimes unclear and/or with some errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
0 (0%) – 10 (10%)

Poor writing style lacking in standard English, clarity, language used, and/or frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling. Needs work.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)

Contains no APA errors.

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Points:

Points Range:
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)

Contains one to two (1–2) APA errors.

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Points:

Points Range:
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)

Contains three to five (3–5) APA errors.

Feedback:

Points:

Points Range:
0 (0%) – 2 (2%)

Contains more than five (>5) APA errors.

Feedback:

Desired Clinical Skills for Students to Achieve

Confident (Can complete independently)

Mostly confident (Can complete with supervision)

Beginning (Have performed with supervision or need supervision to feel confident)

New (Have never performed or does not apply)

Comprehensive psychiatric evaluation skills in: 

Recognizing clinical signs and symptoms of psychiatric illness across the lifespan

Differentiating between pathophysiological and psychopathological conditions 

Performing and interpreting a comprehensive and/or interval history and physical examination (including laboratory and diagnostic studies) 

Performing and interpreting a mental status examination 

Performing and interpreting a psychosocial assessment and family psychiatric history 

Performing and interpreting a functional assessment (activities of daily living, occupational, social, leisure, educational).

Diagnostic reasoning skill in:

Developing and prioritizing a differential diagnoses list

Formulating diagnoses according to DSM 5 based on assessment data 

Differentiating between normal/abnormal age-related physiological and psychological symptoms/changes

Pharmacotherapeutic skills in:

Selecting appropriate evidence based clinical practice guidelines for medication plan (e.g., risk/benefit, patient preference, developmental considerations, financial, the process of informed consent, symptom management) 

Evaluating patient response and modify plan as necessary 

Documenting (e.g., adverse reaction, the patient response, changes to the plan of care)

Psychotherapeutic Treatment Planning:

Recognizes concepts of therapeutic modalities across the lifespan

Selecting appropriate evidence based clinical practice guidelines for psychotherapeutic plan (e.g., risk/benefit, patient preference, developmental considerations, financial, the process of informed consent, symptom management, modality appropriate for situation) 

Applies age appropriate psychotherapeutic counseling techniques with individuals, families, and/or groups

Develop an age appropriate individualized plan of care

Provide psychoeducation to individuals, family, and/or groups

Promote health and disease prevention techniques

Self-Assessment skills:

Develop SMART goals for practicum experiences 

Evaluating outcomes of practicum goals and modify plan as necessary 

Documenting and reflecting on learning experiences

Professional skills:

Maintains professional boundaries and therapeutic relationship with clients and staff

Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to improve clinical practice in mental health settings 

Identifies ethical and legal dilemmas with possible resolutions

Demonstrates non-judgmental practice approach and empathy

Practices within scope of practice

Selecting and implementing appropriate screening instrument(s), interpreting results, and making recommendations and referrals:

Demonstrates selecting the correct screening instrument appropriate for the clinical situation 

Implements the screening instrument efficiently and effectively with the clients

Interprets results for screening instruments accurately

Develops an appropriate plan of care based upon screening instruments response

Identifies the need to refer to another specialty provider when applicable

Accurately documents recommendations for psychiatric consultations when applicable

Endurance

Endurance is one of my strengths and I possess both physical and mental endurance skills. Physical endurance is important because it provides me with the energy and strength needed to keep going during the different activities that take place in a practical setting. Mental endurance helps me in various ways, such as remaining focused and being dedicated to caring for the patients and families who depend on me. As a strength, endurance can help boost a provider’s performance positively (Macfarlane, 2019).

Patience

Nursing as a practice involves setting goals and working towards achieving them. However, sometimes achieving some of these goals can be difficult due to the nature of the profession (Xie et al., 2020). Practical environments can have a lot of activities going on and it may be easy for a nurse to lose patience. Therefore, this strength helps me to remain calm and rational even in difficult situations and focus on making effective decisions as needed (Xie et al., 2020).

Problem-solving

Identifying troubles and ways of solving them is a critical part of nursing that cannot be avoided. Various groups like patients and the interprofessional teams will require different things from me. Therefore, this strength will enable me to know exactly what is expected of me, identify the problems, and develop solutions to ensure that every situation is successful.

Communication

I have top-notch written and verbal communication skills which make this strength critical to achieving my goals and objectives. The strength enables me to communicate effectively with different people in a health care setting. Examples may include patients, doctors, other nurses, and additional health care staff. These groups will need to understand the information being conveyed to them about various situations. Communication skills play the role of ensuring that information is conveyed accurately and effectively because this is the only way of making effective decisions and establishing collaboration (Wei et al., 2019).

Networking

Networking is an opportunity for growth where I will develop a strong support system within the medical community through my interaction with other professionals in the same and different fields. These professional relationships can come in handy by offering support and guidance as I pursue my goals and objectives. Networking can be a growth opportunity for me through discovering new specialties and sharing knowledge with other professionals (Buljac-Samardžić, & van Woerkom, 2018).

Advancing Education

I have an opportunity to advance my knowledge and skills through education. This can occur in various ways and an example is through this course where I enhance my existing knowledge and discover newer concepts about my field. Education will enable me to remain knowledgeable about the current evidence-based approaches for improving patient care. Through advancing education, I will be able to specifically and effectively differentiate between my strengths and weaknesses and how I can keep working on my strengths while eliminating the weaknesses (Foster et al., 2018).

Research

I have an opportunity to research various practices as they relate to my duties and responsibilities in the field. Research using scientific techniques can help retrieve evidence-based information about ways of improving my clinical skills and enhancing my professional goals. The research will enable me to gain a deeper and better understanding of concepts and topics, and this impacts my clinical and professional development positively (Foster et al., 2018).

1. Goal: To improve skills for selecting and implementing screening instruments, interpreting results, and making recommendations

a. Objective: To identify and select appropriate screening instruments appropriate for a clinical situation.

b. Objective: To effectively implement screening instruments with clients.

c. Objective: To successfully interpret results for screening instruments accurately.

2. Goal: To improve skills for psychotherapeutic treatment planning.

a. Objective: To successfully identify concepts of therapeutic modalities across the lifespan.

b. Objective: To successfully select appropriate evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for psychotherapeutic plans.

c. Objective: To successfully provide psychoeducation to individuals, families, or groups.

3. Goal: To improve diagnostic reasoning skills.

a. Objective: To successfully and dependently develop and prioritize differential diagnoses lists.

b. Objective: To successfully distinguish between abnormal and normal age-related physiological and psychological changes or symptoms.

c. Objective: To successfully formulate diagnoses according to DSM 5 criteria based on the evaluation data.