Reflective Practice Paper

Purpose
Relational inquiry is an approach to nursing practice to promote patient/family well-being,
nurse well-being, and system well-being. The purpose of this assignment is to use a
relational inquiry lens to increase self-awareness of your own practice through reflective
writing. You will use relational orientation by analyzing one of your own nursing practice
situations, according to each of the three dimensions: intrapersonal, interpersonal and
contextual. Explore how to think beyond yourself at the individual level. A relational inquiry
approach to your nursing practice serves to both interrupt normative patterns and make
clear some options for your nursing actions. Taking a relational inquiry approach, you will
become aware of intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual factors and be better able to
navigate through complex situations to promote well-being.

Objectives
Through this assignment, students will:

1. Recognize that a relational inquiry approach to nursing practice includes two

components: relational orientation and inquiring action.
2. Analyze a situation you were a part of in nursing practice by extending your
attention beyond the individual level to the relational interplay occurring at and
between the intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual dimensions.
3. Summarize how paying attention to the relational interplay among people and
context changed your understanding of the situation.
4. From this analysis, identify two specific actions that you could have taken in your
situation for effective nursing action to promote patient/family well-being, nurse
well-being, and/or system well-being.

Grading
This assignment is worth 30% of your total grade.

Assignment Criteria
1. Identify an event or interaction that you were involved in/present for during your
current nursing practice experience. Choose a moment that stood out for you, made
you feel unsettled, curious, surprised, puzzled or had uncomfortable feelings.
2. Provide a brief, detailed description of the interaction in a logical manner,
considering the timeline and sequence of events. Be specific and include only
relevant details.
3. Analyze the experience according to the three dimensions of relational orientation:
intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual. Consider and include some of the
following (this list is not inclusive):
 your thoughts
 feelings/emotional responses
 questions that arose
 assumptions you made
 unconscious biases at play
 personal and professional values you brought to the situation
 your verbal and non-verbal communication before, during and/or after the
event or situation
 the relational aspects of the event or situation
 your actions, and/or the actions of others

NURS 2116 Reflective Practice Paper Assignment Blizzard © Copyright 2022 Reviewed Sept 2022 1
 4. Building from your relational analysis, employ inquiring action to determine what
was transpiring and how best to intervene. How did paying attention to the
relational interplay among people and context change your understanding of the
situation?
5. Identify two distinct actions that you could have taken in your situation for your
professional practice to have been more effective in promoting patient/family well-
being, nurse well-being, and/or system well-being.

Assignment Guidelines & Format

 Write a 4 page paper, addressing the above criteria.
 Typed, Times New Roman font, 12pt font size, double-spaced, 1-inch margins,
format and style as per APA Publication Manual 7th edition recommendations.
 Include a Title page.
 APA format is required for in-text citation of references.
 APA format is required for Reference page. When using resources and information
from websites, books, journal articles, or any other source of information that is not
your own, reference it using APA style.
 Ensure you have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. We strongly
recommend using headings to structure your paper. Follow APA guidelines to
format the headings.
 Do not include an ABSTRACT, this is not a paper for journal publication.
 It is expected that you will use personal pronouns e.g. I felt… My patient…
 Submit the assignment through BlackBoard Assignments as a Word document by
the Due Date/Time. If the assignment is submitted in a format other than Word, the
instructor will not be able to open it. If this occurs, the instructor will notify the
student via BB mail and the late assignment penalty (see course outline) will apply
until the student submits the paper in proper Word format.
 Follow the grading rubric included in this document to ensure that you are
completing the assignment in line with the marking criteria.

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Revised June 2024 Rampersaud © Copyright 2024.
 *Use this Paper Layout*

Title

Introduction (with no heading)

Situation
It was our first day of clinical practice and we we’re partnered up and just got told of
our Nurse and patient assignments. Our instructor has introduced us to our nurse
and afterwards told us that we are very much limited to what we can do and that we
are not to do unsafe procedures without supervision. Right away we started our
patient rounds and introduced ourselves as student nursed to one of our patients. Our
nurse informed this particular patient that we were just there to learn and that we
can’t do anything else but observe and help out to the best we can. Though the nurse
was pleasant and did her job magnificently, we were out of the patient’s room very
quickly.

Analysis
Analyze the interactions

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Contextual

New Insights
Summarize what did the analysis above revealed to you about your own relational
practice?

Relational Actions
What could you have done to promote patient/family well-being, nurse well-being, or system
well-being?

Action 1

Action 2

Conclusion

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Revised June 2024 Rampersaud © Copyright 2024.
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE PAPER GRADING RUBRIC: This assignment is worth 30% of your total grade for N2116

Name: ______________________________________________________ Section: _________________ Instructor: _________________________________________

CRITERIA UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD ACHIEVEMENT OUTSTANDING

ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT

Sharing of experience  Assumes the experience that  Provides very little detail for  Uses some concrete detail to  Very concrete detailed
(35%) prompted the reflection is reader to understand the illustrate the experience explanation of experience
implicit experience  Clear explanation of  Specific descriptors used to
 Vague explanation of  Somewhat clear explanation experience make experience clear
experience of experience  Organization is clear and easy  Highly organized with logical
 No organization evident;  Organization minimal to follow sequence
confusing  Experience peripheral to your  Experience centers on your  Implicitly reveals feelings and
 Experience focusses on own practice own practice thoughts through
someone else’s practice presentation of experience
 Experience centers on your
own practice

(0-22 marks) (23-25 marks) (26-31 marks) (32-35 marks)

Instructor Comments

Reflective Analysis &  Uses only simple, obvious  Is limited to weak  Is thoughtful, convincing,  Meets all criteria listed in
Insights (40%) statements generalizations insightful, and exploratory Good Achievement
 No tie in between experience  Few connections to relational  Is firmly grounded in  Demonstrates that a lot of
and relational concepts concepts relational concepts effort was made to reflect,
 Little or no reflection evident  Does not go deeply enough  Reveals a strong connection synthesize your thoughts
 No questions raised into the reflection between the experience and  Makes the reader understand
 No analysis according to  Does not make clear relational concepts the abstract ideas underlying
relational concepts connection between  Addresses several of the the reflection through use of
 Little or no evidence of experience and relational personal reflection prompts specific, detailed analysis
critical thinking concepts  Some questions raised according to relational
 Criticism of another person’s  Repeats same idea(s)  Most relational concepts concepts
practice unnecessarily included in analysis  Addresses all reflection
 Addresses a few of the  Some critical thinking is prompts
personal reflection prompts expressed  Many questions raised
listed in the assignment  Clearly summarizes insights  Elaborates on specific points
criteria stemming from analysis  All relational concepts
 Few questions raised included in analysis
 Some relational concepts
 High level of critical thinking

NURS 2116 Reflective Practice Paper Assignment Blizzard © Copyright 2022 Reviewed Sept 2022
 included in analysis is expressed
 Minimal critical thinking
evident
(30-35 marks)
(26-29 marks) (36-40 marks)
(0-25 marks)
Instructor Comments

Relational Actions &  No inferences are made  Identifies one relational  Identifies two relational  Meets all criteria listed in
Conclusion (15%)  No obvious links between action actions clearly linked to Good Achievement
actions and patient/family  Weak links between your insights from analysis  Offers new knowledge,
well-being, nurse well-being actions and patient/family  Clearly specify what each insights & perspectives on
 No comprehension or well-being, nurse well-being, action targets: patient/family your own practice
reflection and/or system well-being. well-being, nurse well-being,
 No relational actions for your  Comprehends surface level and/or system well-being.
practice identified meaning  Comprehends deeper
 Minimal reference to nursing meanings
theory, professional value  Conclusion clearly explains
and standards. how understanding of your
practice has changed
(0-9 marks) (10-11 marks) (12-13 marks) (14-15 marks)
Instructor Comments

Organization, Structure,  Issues with sentence  Moderate errors exist which  Minor errors with grammar,  Consistently uses appropriate
Spelling, and Grammar structure effect readability; could have been avoided with spelling, punctuation, language. Shows deep insight
(5%)  Biased language or careful editing or proof- abbreviations, sentence through a natural flow of
slang/jargon is used. reading; structure, and appropriate ideas
 Limited organization;  Intermittently organized; word choice are present.  Begins with an effective
 Writing is not as clear or  Clarity of writing is  Most information organized introduction and ends with an
concise as it could be; inconsistent; in logical sequence; effective conclusion
 Headings are seldom used or  Use of headings is  At times writing could be  Grammar, spelling,
used incorrectly; inconsistent; more clear and concise; punctuation, sentence
 Lacks pertinent sections such  Logical sequencing of  Transitions between papers structure, and word choice
as introduction or conclusion; introduction, body and sections need further are exceptional.
 Proof reading not evident. conclusion not evident or the development;  Logical sequencing of ideas is
 Paper lacks any obvious link between these sections  More judicial use of headings demonstrated;
organization or structure. are not apparent. could improve readability;  Writing is clear and concise;
 Introduction or conclusion Paper transitions well from
needs further development. one idea to the next;
(0-3.1 marks) (3.2-3.6 marks)  Headings are used
appropriately for ease of

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 reading;
(3.7-4.4 marks)  Introduction presents main
ideas of the major paper and
conclusion accurately
summarizes paper.

(4.5-5 marks)
Instructor Comments

APA Style (5%)  Does not follow APA paper  Does not consistently follow  No more than 2 errors with  No errors in APA paper
format APA paper format APA paper format format

(0-3.1 marks) (3.2-3.6 marks) (3.7-4.4 marks) (4.5-5 marks)

Instructor Comments

Additional Comments:
Assignment Grade: /100

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