Overview: Co-Op Log/Journal
One of the requirements of this course is completion of 120 clinical/work hours (verified by your supervisor) and another is an essay reflecting upon your experience. Keeping a daily log of your actions and reflective journaling will: 1) foster development of knew knowledge, skills, and behaviors associated with the role of the BSN-prepared nurse 2) help you focus upon your project goals and keep track of what contributed to accomplishment of those goals as well as factors or events that hindered your success.
Your final essay will be a minimum of 5 pages long (not including title and reference pages), written in APA format with references. It should describe how you achieved your goals and the lessons you learned while working. The key is to remember that the intent of doing Co-Op is to have you apply the concepts you learn in class to your real work environment.
The learning in this course occurs by intentional reflection. That is, you have to think about what you want to do/learn before you start the hours you will be counting for cooperative credit. These are the goals you submitted in Module 1. While working the hours, you need to be actively seeking ways to achieve the goals you established and thinking about how you will describe the things you see and do during the cooperative.
You will see and do some things that will help you become more confident and competent in your role as a BSN-prepared nurse. You may also see some things that serve as “negative examples” – things you will strive NOT to do in your practice. Both types of observations and experiences are important opportunities for learning. Record those in your journal so you will remember specifics when you prepare to write your essay during the last week of the experience. Most importantly, you will be reflecting on situations that directly relate to Evidence-Based Practice, As a BSN-prepared nurse, you will participate in some activities and observe some things that will help you become more confident and competent in your profession. It’s also possible that you’ll come across certain things that serve as “negative examples,” or things that you’ll make it a point to avoid doing in your own practice. Learning can take place through a variety of avenues, including experiences, observations, and combinations of the two. Make a note of them in your diary so that during the final week of the event, when you are getting ready to write your essay, you won’t forget the specifics. You will, above all else, be required to think on issues that have a direct bearing on evidence-based practice. Professionalism, and Team Dynamics in your work setting/specialty. You also need to relate these situations to your goals and the articles you find. Remember, we don’t want you to just describe situations – we want you to focus on how to identify a situation, find up-to-date information and resources you need to practice according to the best available evidence/science, and reflect upon how these situations can serve to change your practice in the future. This is the information we want you to document in your logs and your final essay.
This is a cumulative document; you will save it to your own computer desktop or memory device and update it after each shift. Then, you will upload and submit the latest version to your Academic Coach by 2359 Saturday of each week. It is not necessary that your entries be formatted or written in any particular way because it is for your benefit. Your entries will only be reviewed to ensure that you are making sufficient progress and accumulating sufficient hours and information for success in the course.

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