| Course | NUR 675 MSN Seminar: Preparation for Practicum |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 10 |
| Paper type | closing reflective journal on preparing for an advanced nursing role |
| Length | About 490 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | MSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 675 Module 10
Module Ten Journal
I Came in Annoyed and Leave Ready to Be a Beginner
In my first discussion post this term, I admitted that the practicum requirement annoyed me. Twelve years at the bedside and five as charge nurse felt like enough experience to skip supervised practice. Ten weeks later, I have a signed agreement with my preceptor, a letter settling the ethics question, a full project plan and, more surprisingly, a different attitude.
The first shift came from Benner (1984). I had read her stages before, but I had always placed myself firmly at the expert end. Her point that expertise belongs to a particular domain changed that. When I tried to write my first practicum objectives, I could not describe how I would analyze a year of fall data because I had never done it. I could sense a patient's decline from across the room, yet I did not know how to build a run chart. Admitting that I was a beginner in quality work was uncomfortable, but it made the rest of the term easier, because I stopped pretending and started asking questions.
The second idea was harder to hear. Ericsson (2008) reviewed research showing that professionals often stop improving once their work becomes routine, and that continued growth comes from deliberate practice on tasks just beyond one's ability, with feedback. I recognized myself. My bedside skills are strong, but I have not deliberately practiced anything new in years; I have mostly repeated what I already do well. Planning the practicum around stretch tasks, such as presenting to the falls committee and facilitating a huddle with a pharmacist and a physical therapist, felt risky, but I now see that the discomfort is the point.
The third idea is the one I expect to use most. One account of professional learning describes practitioners who learn by reflecting in action (Schön, 1983), adjusting as surprises arise, and reflecting on action afterward. My practicum will not go exactly to plan. Staff may resist the toileting rounds, the data may not show a change and my first presentation may fall flat. Schön gave me a way to treat those moments as material for learning rather than as failures. I have started a short reflective log, and even during this seminar it has helped me notice what I would do differently.
Three habits will come with me into the practicum and, I hope, beyond it. I will name the domain in which I am a beginner whenever I take on something new, instead of borrowing confidence from what I already know. I will choose at least one task each week that stretches me and ask for specific feedback on it. And I will write five minutes of reflection after every practicum day. I came into this seminar annoyed at being asked to learn. I leave it ready to be a beginner again, which may be the most useful thing a practicum can teach an experienced nurse.
References
Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice. Addison-Wesley.
Ericsson, K. A. (2008). Deliberate practice and acquisition of expert performance: A general overview. Academic Emergency Medicine, 15(11), 988-994. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00227.x
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
What the NUR 675 Module 10 instructions ask for
The final NUR 675 entry generally invites you to consider how the seminar prepared you for the practicum and how your view of yourself as a learner or future leader has changed. It is personal writing, but two or three scholarly sources in APA 7 are generally expected. Plan on something between 400 and 600 words. Compare where you started with where you are now, anchor each change in a concrete moment from the seminar, such as struggling to write an objective, connect each change to a reading and close with specific habits you will practice during the practicum that your preceptor could notice. Stay candid about where you began.
How this NUR 675 Module 10 journal example is built
This journal comes from a composite charge nurse who began the seminar resenting the practicum. Benner's domain-specific expertise helps her admit she is a beginner in quality work when she cannot describe how to analyze a year of fall data. Ericsson's research on plateaus shows that years of repetition have not produced new skills, making stretch tasks the point rather than a threat. Schön's reflection in and on action gives her a way to learn from a practicum that will not go to plan. The entry ends with three habits: naming her beginner domain, one stretch task a week and daily reflection. The voice stays frank. It ends where it began.
Where the NUR 675 Module 10 rubric puts the points
Closing journals in NUR 675 are commonly scored on the honesty of the self-assessment, the clarity of change from the start of the seminar, the connection between readings and experience, relevance to the practicum, organization and APA 7 mechanics. The strongest entries return to where the writer began and show specifically what shifted. Graders reward readings used to explain a real change, such as recognizing a plateau, rather than summarized in general terms. Habits framed as observable routines, such as a weekly stretch task or a daily reflective note, carry more weight than broad hopes for a successful practicum. Candor about the starting point helps. A clear link from each reading to a moment in the seminar is what graders look for most.
NUR 675 Module 10 help: the mistakes that cost points
Practicum preparation journals lose points when they list completed assignments instead of reflecting on growth, when the writer claims readiness without describing any change, when sources are named but not tied to moments or when closing plans are vague. Return to your starting point, anchor each change in a moment, pair it with a reading and finish with routines others could see. If your prompt asks about professional identity, work-life balance during the practicum or your goals after graduation, send it with your NUR 675 notes so the reflection focuses there. Admitting where you are a beginner often strengthens the entry. End with routines.
Get NUR 675 Module 10 written to your instructions
Describe how your view of the practicum shifted and share the prompt. Your reflection will tie each change to a seminar moment and a reading and close with habits your preceptor could notice, written in your voice, within 24 to 48 hours, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
More NUR 675 papers and related MSN samples
- NUR 675 Module 1 Discussion: Why Supervised Practice Matters
- NUR 675 Module 2 Objectives Paper: Writing Practicum Objectives a Preceptor Can Assess
- NUR 675 Module 3 Milestone One: A Practicum Proposal on Inpatient Falls
- NUR 675 Module 4 EBP Model Paper: Choosing an Evidence-Based Practice Model
- NUR 675 Module 5 Milestone Two: A Search and Appraisal Plan for a Practicum Project
- NUR 675 Module 6 Preceptor Paper: Learning From a Preceptor
- NUR 675 Module 7 Milestone Three: A Project Plan Built for PDSA Cycles and SQUIRE Reporting
- NUR 675 Module 8 Ethics Paper: Quality Improvement or Research: Ethics for a Practicum Project
- NUR 675 Module 9 Final Project: A Practicum Readiness Portfolio and Plan
- NUR 603 Module 8 Milestone Three: Preventing Alcohol-Induced Deaths at Three Levels
- NUR 631 Module 2 Environmental Scan: A SWOT of Medical-Surgical Staffing
- NUR 520 Module 5 Statistical Inference Paper: Confidence Intervals Around County Estimates
- NUR 654 Module 1 Discussion: Why the Goldmark and Brown Reports Still Matter
NUR 675 Module 10 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 675 Module 10 Journal sample?
Read the full reflection here: an experienced charge nurse on becoming a beginner again, deliberate practice and reflection before her MSN practicum.
What should a NUR 675 closing reflection include?
Where you started, how your view changed, the moments and readings behind the change and habits you will practice in the practicum.
Why can experienced nurses stop improving?
Research on expertise shows that routine repetition often leads to a plateau; growth requires deliberate practice on tasks just beyond current ability.
What is reflection on action?
Schon's term for reviewing what happened after an experience to understand it and decide what to do differently.
Why is being a beginner useful in a practicum?
Admitting you are new to a domain makes it easier to ask questions, seek feedback and take on tasks that build real skill.