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 the Virginia Board of Nursing meeting on 1/28/19 from 9am to 1pm. It was located at the
Perimeter Center Building off of Mayland Drive in Short Pump.
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 meeting was for the board members to conduct hearings and make decisions regarding
the legal standing of the respondent's license or certificate. The board members were all either nurses or
they had a PhD. The respondents were either CNAs, LPNs, or RNs. The board members addressed issues
relating to alcohol abuse, felony and misdemeanor charges, and patient abuse.

Noticing

What did you notice about the professional nursing meeting initially? Describe what you saw, heard and did during
the meeting?

Initially, I noticed that the hearing were a lot more long than I thought they would be. The meeting was
running about an hour behind schedule because some of the hearing were taking longer than expected.
When we first got there, we were placed into a holding room and then we went into the actual meeting
room around 9am. I saw several nursing students from BSMCON and Rappahannock Community College.
During the meeting I saw the board members, witnesses, and respondents. I heard testimonies from the
respondents, witnesses, and members of the commonwealth that testified against the respondents. I took
notes during the meeting and listened attentively. We were required to leave the room while the board
members deliberated, so we had frequent breaks.

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.

I was a little surprised about some of the information that I heard during the meeting. There was one
particular hearing where a CNA was accused of pulling a resident's hair, slapping her, cursing at her, and
dragging her to her room at a skilled nursing facility. It was disgusting because I couldn't imagine someone
ever doing that to a patient, but I know things like that happen every day. I haven't particularly been
involved in similar discussion during my previous student nurse experiences, but I have heard of situations
like this happening in nursing homes, home health, and even in hospitals.

Responding

Describe stresses (both positive & negative) you experienced as you responded to the new learning or the challenge.

One of the positive stressors that I experienced as I responded to the new information would be just
realizing that anything and everything in your life can affect your nursing license. There was a woman that
had multiple DUIs and that affected her license. Sometimes, it is easy to think that only what you do in
 your nursing practice will affect your license, but that is wrong. One of the negative stressors that I
experienced was when I learned about how badly patients can get treated by health care workers. I could
never imagine treating a patient badly because that could easily be my family member, so I would not want
anyone treating them terribly.

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?

I believe it would be an insightful experience to be one of the board members for the Virginia Board of
Nursing. I would get to see what types of things happen in the nursing profession and how that can impact
someone's ability to practice nursing. I am not too sure about the subcommittees for this particular
professional organization, but I would definitely want to do be one of the main board members. I would
want to help make decisions on the hearings and keep the nursing profession as safe as possible.

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.
There are studies that have found professional nursing groups to be significant in the development of
evidence based practice, leading to better patient outcomes. Catallo, Spalding, and Haghiri-Vijeh (2014)
conducted a study that suggested how professional nursing groups are essential to creating new hospital
policies and the implementation of those policies, which lead to improved patient otucomes. There have
been fewer falls, fewer readmissions, and lower health care cost associated with these health policies
(Catallo, Spalding, & Haghiri-Vijeh, 2014).
What is the value of professional nursing meetings both as a part of a healthcare system and within a professional
organization?
I believe that professional nursing meetings are a valuable asset to the healthcare system because it allows
us to see what we are doing well and what we can improve upon. Also, within a professional organization,
these meetings are necessary because they allow all of the group members to come together to discuss these
issues and plan accordingly. It also allows for the health care professionals to expand upon their
professional skills and network with some amazing people within their organization and other
organizations.
Describe any changes in your values or feelings as a result of this experience.

My values have not necessarily changed as a result of this experience, but I do know that I have to live my
life professionally outside of my (future) nursing practice because everything that you do outside of work
can also be used against you. As one of the board members told us during a break, "if it doesn't feel right, it
probably isn't". That statement is so true and I will be sure to always hold myself to a higher standard at
work and outside of work because nothing is work losing my (future) nursing license.

Catallo, C., Spalding, K., & Haghiri-Vijeh, R. (2014). Nursing Professional Organizations: What Are They Doing to

Engage Nurses in Health Policy? SAGE Open, 4(4), 1-9. doi:10.1177/2158244014560534

Nielsen, A., Stragnell, S., & Jester P (2007). Guide for reflection using the Clinical Judgment
Model. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(11), p. 513-516.