Journal writing in health education

Abstract

Journal writing is both a process and a product. As a product, journals are personally written accounts that promote the expression of perspectives, ideas, and feelings. They are one means of enabling nurses and others to address challenging educational and practice-based issues and simultaneously getting in touch with the depth, complexity, sensitivity, and even humor experienced as they journey through their educational experience. A journal in the health education context is more than and different from a diary (a daily record of personal experiences and observations) or a log (a structured, factual account of events maintained on a prescribed basis over a period of time). A journal combines the objective data of a log with the personal expressions of a diary and becomes a tool for personal growth and development.The unique and discriminating characteristic of journal as product is its ability to create an interactive dialogue between the writer of the journal and the reader. This dynamic dimension distinguishes the journal from other forms of communication that are primarily descriptive in nature. Through journals, the writer and the reader create a personal exchange in which each tries to make meaning out of the lived experience of the learning situation (Holmes, 1997).As a process, journaling is a popular method of promoting exploration and facilitating reflection on learning and new experiences within the context in which the learning unfolds. In health education in general, and nursing education in particular, journals are useful in locating the personal in the fast-paced health care environments that are increasingly dominated by technology and impersonal procedures against a backdrop of market forces and competition (Koch, 1998). This context makes it difficult for learners to 49 5

Becoming a reflective practitioner

“…Personal reflection can be successfully performed through keeping a journal, which is a collection of handwritten or electronic notes built up over time recording one's thoughts, observations and experiences. It is personal to you and can enhance learning through the action of writing and critically exploring your experiences (Gillis, 2001). To make the best use of your journal, each entry should end with conclusions, things learnt, and an action plan of things to implement (Gillis, 2001).…”

“…It is personal to you and can enhance learning through the action of writing and critically exploring your experiences (Gillis, 2001). To make the best use of your journal, each entry should end with conclusions, things learnt, and an action plan of things to implement (Gillis, 2001). Table 2 describes some examples of what might be included in an action plan.…”

The electronic journal as reflection‐on‐action: a qualitative analysis of communication and learning in a peer‐mentoring program

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Building emotional resilience to foster well‐being by utilising reflective practise in the sonography workplace

“…29 Reflective writing involves three primary skills of introspection, reflection, and dialogue, which in concert, are powerful tools for deep understanding. 30 Written dialogue has the benefit of providing distance from the lived experience, with the first-person narrative prompting further reflection and introspection. 30,31 Additional benefits of writing as a reflective process, as compared to an oral or discussive process, is the permanency that a written narrative offers.…”

“…30 Written dialogue has the benefit of providing distance from the lived experience, with the first-person narrative prompting further reflection and introspection. 30,31 Additional benefits of writing as a reflective process, as compared to an oral or discussive process, is the permanency that a written narrative offers. 31 In the clinical environment, the importance and value of reflective writing enable a depth of analysis that may not be achieved through conversational debriefing alone.…”