SPECIAL SESSION: An Evidence Base for Using Reflection to Teach the QSEN Competencies: Making Sense of Practice

Description/Overview: Purpose: Evidence from Phases I, II, and III of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses project indicates reflective, interactive and innovative pedagogy best engages learners in learning to think like a nurse as well as move from novice to expert. Reflection has been called a critical reasoning process that helps nurses make sense of their practice. This engagement fosters engagement in a spirit of inquiry that leads to improved quality and safety. Background: The Institute of Medicine reports over the past 10 years have confirmed the urgency of improving the health care system; education is cited as the bridge to bring about change; reflection is further cited as a primary learning method to help health professionals expand their capacity to understand their work and lead change. The quality and safety goals are based on a culture of inquiry, the art of asking questions both to determine the evidence for why actions are implemented but also to always ask if there is a better way to complete a task. Application of reflective methods can help to uncover gaps in the system to move towards improvement. Method: The session will lead participants through a series of interactive exercises to examine critical reflection both as pedagogy and as ways to improve their practice, examine application of the QSEN competencies, and engage in critical reflection on work events to being to see ways to act differently in the future. Reflection used as a systematic way to "make sense of experience" can be the avenue by which we improve the outcomes of one’s work. Reflection builds from asking questions, thus becomes a change process by which one can improve one’s work. Reflection helps make sense of events in one’s work experiences to feel more effective and satisfied, contributing to a healthy work environment.