Master of nursing specialist experiences of an internship through the use of written reflections: A qualitative research study

BACKGROUND: Reflective practice is an educational strategy and an essential part of the professional development of nurses. However, there are few reflective journals in the master of nursing specialist program or clinical nursing education. OBJECTIVES: Based on Gibbs' reflective cycle theory, masters of nursing specialists (MNS) will use a diary to record their reflections on a particular clinical event. The purpose of this study was to identify reflective practice as tool to help MNS improve their professional and personal development. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative study. METHODS: The purposive sampling method was used in the qualitative study. The data were derived from the master of nursing specialist who interned at the hospital from June to December 2021. After completing the job rotation and relevant course training within 6 months, a clinical experience was selected as a reflection. The traditional qualitative content analysis method was applied to analyze the collected data in the research. RESULTS: A total of 10 reflective diaries completed by ten students were analyzed. This qualitative study demonstrated that the Gibbs' reflective cycle is valuable and helpful in the clinical practice of master of nursing specialists. This program helps master of nursing specialists reflect on their clinical practice and translate real-life experiences into valuable learning experiences for developing their professional development and personal skills. CONCLUSIONS: By writing reflection diaries, master of nursing specialists can reflect on the problems encountered during clinical rotations and take action following that reflection, which can assist them in improving their professional development and personal skills to handle clinical nursing aspects in the future, as well as improve their full participation in clinical practice.