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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Tracy A. Evanson, PhD, APRN, BC, College of Nursing, University of North Dakota, P.O. Box 9025, Grand Forks, ND 58202, 701-777-4559, tracyevanson@mail.und.nodak.edu

Development of reflective practice has become a valued learning tool in nursing education. Reflective practice exercises provide students with the opportunity to examine their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is hoped that through the process of critical reflection, they will develop the skills and habits that are needed to become life-long learners. However, many nurse educators struggle with how to effectively implement reflective practice assignments with their students. This presentation will discuss the use of learning portfolios as a valuable tool to develop reflective practice in undergraduate public health nursing students. The primary purpose of the learning portfolio assignment is to assist the students with identifying and evaluating their own learning in relation to public health nursing that occurs over the course of the semester. The portfolio also assists the clinical instructor in gaining insight into what the students learned and evaluating their learning in relation to course objectives. Students identify their personal learning objectives at beginning and mid-semester, evaluate their progress at mid-semester and the end, and gather evidence of their learning throughout the semester and place that evidence into various sections of their portfolio. Reflective journaling occurs each week, and at the end of the semester students are given 8 guided questions to reflect upon to evaluate their overall learning. The specific components of the assignment as well as a grading rubric will be shared during the presentation, and outcomes of the reflective practice assignment will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant in the session will be able to

• Describe how learning portfolios can be used to develop reflective practice skills in public health nursing
• Analyze the applicability of one model of a learning portfolio for use in their own public health nursing course(s)
• Describe the major components for evaluation of learning through the use of a grading rubric

Keywords: Public Health Nursing, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered