Reflection – Evidence of the experiences you had while preparing for the CPE
My clinical practice experience involved the development of a curriculum focusing on critical thinking for LPN students. At the start of my CPE, I understood that adequate preparation was crucial to the timely achievement of objectives and overall completion of the project. The initial phase of preparing for the project involved consultation with my class preceptor about various course requirements necessary to effectively address the task. During the consultation, I learned that the CPE experience was meant to prepare students to work collaboratively with academic mentors and interprofessional stakeholders to analyze the need gap for a curriculum change. I also learned that the course was evidence-based and it was going to utilize a lot of research to inform the proposed changes to the nursing curriculum.
The second phase of preparation for the CPE involved assembling required documents and uploading them to the system. These documents demonstrated the agreement between the student and the preceptor to start the project including the curriculum instruction module that was proposed to improve the LPN curriculum. I consulted with the preceptor and other staff to upload the documents safely. The next step involved a review of the CPE requirements including tasks for adequate preparation. I found the WGU institutional catalog important in the preparation for the project because it highlighted the essentials of completing the CPE project. I combined the resources from the catalog with the course materials to come up with a comprehensive list of documents explaining the requirements before the successful completion of the project. Additionally, I contacted my preceptor to ask for additional materials that could enhance my understanding of the curriculum development project.
The third phase of preparation involved the creation of a project timeline. A project timeline is a list of activities placed in chronological order to allow project managers to view the entirety of the project in one place (Rew et al., 2020). I understood that the timeline was crucial to help organize tasks and for the prevention of time-wasting and confusion of activities. Luckily enough, I was able to use the project timeline software to create a list of tasks and deadlines that aligned with the course requirements. For instance, I included tasks like literature review, contacting stakeholders, pilot testing, implementation of each phase of the ADDIE model, and timelines for completing surveys. Creating a timeline for the project helped me balance between my studies and routine daily life activities including work.
The last phase of preparation for the CPE involved the identification of necessary resources for the successful completion of the project. I realized that time was the key factor for the management of the project (Rew et al., 2020). The created timeline served as a reference point for routine activities that were necessary during the entire process. With the current COVID-19 restrictions, I understood that access to the library was limited and I had to only travel a few times to gather all the required information from the library. Luckily enough, I was able to receive all the support I needed from the librarian including the identification of literature to support the curriculum development. I also assembled materials for pilot testing including a list of items to observe and how they could be used to address various parts of the CPE. I believe taking these steps during preparation helped in the successful completion of the CPE program.
References
Rew, L., Cauvin, S., Cengiz, A., Pretorius, K., & Johnson, K. (2020). Application of project management tools and techniques to support nursing intervention research. Nursing Outlook, 68(4), 396–405.
