Field Experience Report: Visiting a CAM Practitioner (BSN Capstone Clinical Practicum, Miami Dade College)

BSN students in the Miami Dade College Capstone clinical practicum visit a licensed complementary and alternative medicine practitioner, then write a 2 to 3 page APA 7th edition reflection answering six prompt questions and submit it with a redacted paid receipt of service.

This assignment asks nursing students to step outside hospital walls and into the growing world of integrative health. Roughly one in three adults in the United States uses some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which means nurses meet these therapies in almost every care setting, and patients rarely volunteer the information unless someone asks. A first person account of an actual CAM visit gives students direct insight into what patients experience, what practitioners promise, and how evidence is presented outside conventional clinics.

STEP 1: Instructions

Submit your Field Experience report here. The experience itself must be genuine, so plan the visit early in the week rather than the night before the deadline.

1. Visit a CAM practitioner as a patient. Choose a licensed provider when possible, such as an acupuncturist, chiropractor, massage therapist, naturopath, or herbalist, since licensure makes the experience easier to evaluate and discuss.
2. Write a report on your experience.
3. Your report should be in APA format, 2 to 3 pages, and it should answer the following questions:

• Where did you go and why did you choose to go there?
• What was your initial impression? Note the setting, the intake process, the length of the visit, and how the practitioner greeted and assessed you, since first impressions shape patient trust in any care encounter.
• What ailments did you “share” with the practitioner? Pick something truthful but low risk, such as tension headaches, poor sleep, stress, or lower back soreness, so the recommendations you receive are realistic to evaluate.
• What recommendations did the practitioner give you? Record whether those recommendations were supported by any cited evidence, and compare that habit with the evidence appraisal you practiced in your BSN courses.
• Will you follow his or her recommendations?
• Did you experience any results? Allow at least a few days between the visit and writing this section so any reported effects are honest rather than imagined.

4. Attach the paid receipt of service. Remove credit card or bank information when submitting the receipt; black out any account numbers, card digits, or billing codes that could expose your financial data.
5. Type your report/summary in a WORD Document, then upload your file by clicking “Upload File.”

Choosing a Practitioner and First Impressions

A strong report usually opens with a concrete reason for the choice: a classmate’s recommendation, a chronic issue that conventional care had not resolved, or simple curiosity about a therapy the student had only read about. Students who visit licensed acupuncturists or chiropractic offices often describe calm waiting rooms, lengthy intake questionnaires about sleep and digestion, and appointment times far longer than the average fifteen minute primary care visit. It helps to describe the practitioner’s communication style in detail, because communication quality predicts whether patients return and whether they follow advice. Nursing students frequently report surprise at how thoroughly they were listened to, and that reaction alone makes a worthwhile observation about patient centered care. Cite the visit location, the practitioner’s credentials, and the exact service received, since specificity separates a reflective report from a vague summary.

Ailments, Recommendations, and Results

The middle of the report should state the ailment plainly, quote or paraphrase the recommendations, and then evaluate them. For example, an acupuncturist treating stress related insomnia might recommend weekly sessions plus a wind down routine and caffeine limits, while a chiropractor might propose an adjustment schedule and home stretches. Ask yourself whether each recommendation carries evidence behind it, and say so; the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health maintains plain language summaries of what research supports for common therapies, which makes an excellent citation. One systematic review found that nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward CAM vary widely across settings and training backgrounds, which is exactly why a supervised field visit adds something a textbook cannot. Close with an honest verdict on results, even if the result was “no noticeable change,” because negative findings are still findings in nursing practice.

Why the CAM Visit Matters for Nursing Practice

The receipt attached to this report is small, but the lesson behind it is not. Patients combine conventional and complementary care constantly, often without telling anyone on the hospital team. A nurse who has personally experienced a CAM intake asks better medication reconciliation questions, spots herb supplement interactions earlier, and counsels patients without sounding dismissive.

• Patients who feel judged about CAM use often stop disclosing it, which raises the risk of interactions and gaps in care.
• Nurses with direct CAM exposure can explain which therapies have reasonable evidence and which carry risk, using sources such as the NCCIH rather than opinion.
• Reflective writing about the visit builds the same observation and appraisal habits that feed into evidence based practice projects later in the program.

Research, Writing, Citation & Referencing Notes

Frequently Asked Question

Can I write a strong CAM field experience report without prior knowledge of the therapy I chose? Yes, and most students do. Read one credible overview of the therapy before your visit, from a source such as the NCCIH or a peer reviewed review article, then use the visit to test what you read against what you were actually told. Your report is graded on honest reflection and APA execution, not on expertise in the modality.

Why This Matters in Practice

Joint Commission standards and routine medication reconciliation both assume nurses ask about supplements, herbs, and therapies used at home. A field experience makes that screening question personal rather than procedural, and employers notice new graduates who can hold a respectful conversation about integrative care without endorsing or ridiculing it.

References

• Balouchi, A., Mahmoudirad, G., Hastings-Tolsma, M., Shorofi, S. A., Shahdadi, H., & Abdollahimohammad, A. (2018). Knowledge, attitude and use of complementary and alternative medicine among nurses: A systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 31, 146–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.02.008
• Gutiérrez-Sánchez, B., Gutiérrez-Gascón, J., da-Silva-Domingues, H., & del-Pino-Casado, R. (2024). Complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) in nursing education in Spanish universities. Nursing Reports, 14(3), 2283–2290. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14030169
• Reuter, P. R., Turello, A. E., & Holland, L. M. (2021). Experience with, knowledge of, and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine among pre-nursing and nursing students. Holistic Nursing Practice, 35(4), 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0000000000000453

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Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Skills for Nurse Leaders (BSN Capstone, Miami Dade College)

Nursing students in the Miami Dade College BSN Capstone course read four assigned articles and write four 150 word minimum APA reflections linking empathy, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, communication styles, and transitions of care communication to real clinical encounters.

Assignment Overview

This week, students will critically reflect on the role of emotional intelligence, empathy, communication styles, and conflict resolution in nursing leadership and patient-centered care, drawing on professional frameworks and scholarly insights by reading and reflecting on the following articles. The habit of connecting assigned reading to lived clinical moments is the core skill of reflective practice, and it carries directly into professional portfolio work after graduation.

• Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Interpersonal Skills in Healthcare Education
• Conflict Resolution Strategies for Nurse Leaders
• Communication Styles
• Communication During Transitions of Care

Effective nurse leaders must navigate complex interpersonal dynamics while fostering safe, inclusive, and collaborative environments. This assignment invites you to explore how emotional intelligence (EI), empathy, communication, and conflict resolution strategies have shaped your leadership during your Capstone clinical practice experience.

Instructions

1. Read the four articles above. Skim each once for structure and read twice for claims you can quote or paraphrase, since strong reflections anchor emotion in specific framework language.
2. Answer the following questions for each article listed below. Each response must reach the 150 word minimum to earn credit.
3. Reflect on a clinical situation during your Capstone experience where emotional intelligence, empathy, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution strategies, and the use of different communication styles helped overcome communication challenges with patients, family members, nurses, or other team members:

• Empathy & Interpersonal Skills – Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Interpersonal Skills in Healthcare Education
• Conflict Resolution Strategies – Conflict Resolution Strategies for Nurse Leaders
• Communication Styles – Communication Styles
• Communication Challenges – Communicating During Transitions of Care

4. Your response must be a minimum of 150 words to earn credit for each article.
5. In your response, address all of the following:

• In what ways did empathy and interpersonal skills, as discussed by McNulty and Politis (2023), influence your interactions during your Capstone practice experience?
• In what ways did you apply ANA’s (2023) conflict resolution strategies to address workplace issues during your Capstone practice experience? Name the strategy you used, such as collaboration, compromise, or escalation through the chain of command, and describe the outcome.
• Since reading the Think Cultural Health (n.d.) article on communication styles, name three ways you have changed your communication style when interacting with patients, families, nurses, and other team members during your Capstone clinical practice experience.
• What strategies, as outlined by Gurses et al. (2024), did you use to overcome communication challenges with patients, nurses, and other team members during your Capstone clinical practice experience?

Empathy on a Busy Med-Surg Floor

A useful reflection might describe a Capstone afternoon when a patient’s daughter cornered the student at the med room door, angry that her father’s pain medication was late. Instead of reciting policy, the student named the emotion first (“you’re worried the pain plan is failing him”) and only then explained the workflow, a sequence that mirrors how empathy research describes validating feeling before informing. In the reflection, connect that move to McNulty and Politis (2023) and note exactly which sentence you changed once you read their work. Mention one moment that did not go well too, since honest reflection about a missed cue earns more credit than a polished victory story. Close the paragraph by stating what you will repeat on your next shift, because transferable behavior is the point of the exercise. The strongest submissions quote one line from the assigned article and then show the same idea appearing in their own clinical dialogue.

Conflict, Styles, and Handoff Breakdowns

Leadership reflections often center on a shift handoff where a night nurse disputed a student’s SBAR report, or a preceptor and provider disagreed in front of the student about a discharge plan. Describe which ANA conflict resolution strategy you observed or used, and judge it: did collaboration actually happen, or did one party simply concede? When you address communication styles, give three concrete changes rather than abstract ones, such as switching from passive to assertive when clarifying an order, mirroring a patient’s plain language instead of clinical jargon, and asking an open question before offering education. For transitions of care, Gurses et al. (2024) describe how combining structured handoff tools with teach-back and redundant verification reduces information loss, and you can compare that against what your unit actually does at 0700. One qualitative study of nurse leaders found that emotional intelligence functioned mainly through relationships, meaning EI shows up in what you say at the bedside rather than in any test score. End each 150 word block with a sentence tying the framework to a named patient outcome, because graders look for that bridge.

Why EI Drives Patient Safety

Emotional intelligence sounds soft until you connect it to hard outcomes. Teams with emotionally steady leaders report fewer near-misses, and patients who feel heard disclose more accurate histories.

• Mansel and Einion (2019) found that nurse leaders exercised emotional intelligence almost entirely through the quality of relationships they built with staff, not through formal authority.
• Structured communication during transitions of care measurably reduces handoff errors, which remain one of the most cited contributors to sentinel events.
• Adapting your communication style to the listener, the exact skill the Think Cultural Health article targets, improves teach-back success with patients from different language backgrounds.

Research, Writing, Citation & Referencing Notes

Frequently Asked Question

Do I need four separate stories, or can one clinical situation answer all four article questions? One well chosen situation can anchor all four reflections, and many strong papers do exactly that. If your handoff conflict let you practice empathy, shift communication styles, and apply a transition strategy, describe the same shift four times with a different analytical lens each time, and meet the 150 word minimum in every section.

Why This Matters in Practice

Magnet-designated hospitals screen leadership candidates for emotional intelligence competencies, and residency programs increasingly score new graduates on conflict and communication behaviors. The reflections you write this week double as interview material later, since “tell me about a time you resolved a conflict” is nearly guaranteed in any nurse residency panel.

References

• Gurses, A. P., Sousane, Z., & Mossburg, S. (2024). Communication during transitions of care. AHRQ PSNet. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/perspective/communication-during-transitions-care
• Mansel, B., & Einion, A. (2019). ‘It’s the relationship you develop with them’: Emotional intelligence in nurse leadership. A qualitative study. British Journal of Nursing, 28(21), 1400–1408. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2019.28.21.1400
• Rhodes, E., & Foran, P. (2023). Leading with emotional intelligence in perioperative nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Perioperative Nursing. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.T2025030800005091152230607

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Professional Development Plan (Module 5, BSN Capstone, Miami Dade College)

BSN Capstone students at Miami Dade College build a six section professional development plan that pairs self-assessment, networking, leadership, and continuous improvement objectives with two SMART goals each, formatted in APA 7th edition.

Assignment Overview

Students will develop a comprehensive professional development plan that integrates self-assessment, networking, leadership, and continuous improvement to enhance their nursing careers. Healthcare employers increasingly ask for individualized development plans during residency applications and annual reviews, so this document has a life after the course ends.

Instructions

1. Complete each section listed below for the Professional Development Plan.
2. Your plan must follow the guidelines listed below.

Sections

Introduction

Provide a brief overview (minimum of 100 words) of the importance of professional development in nursing. Ground the overview in something concrete, such as the link between development activity and retention, since employers track both.

Self-Assessment and Reflection

Objective: Engage in self-assessment and reflection to identify areas for professional development and set actionable goals for continuous improvement.

• Actions – SMART Goals: Name two actions that you can take to achieve the above objective using the SMART Goals format, meaning each goal states a specific behavior, a measurable target, an achievable scope, a relevant career link, and a time bound deadline.

Networking Opportunities

Objective: Participate in networking opportunities to build professional relationships and expand career prospects.

• Actions – SMART Goals: Name two actions that you can take to achieve the above objective using the SMART Goals format.

Leadership Skills

Objective: Demonstrate leadership skills through active involvement in team projects and organizational initiatives in the clinical practice environment.

• Actions – SMART Goals: Name two actions that you can take to achieve the above objective using the SMART Goals format.

Continuous Improvement

Objective: Foster a culture of continuous improvement by seeking and incorporating feedback from peers, mentors, and supervisors.

• Actions – SMART Goals: Name two actions that you can take to achieve the above objective using the SMART Goals format.

Conclusion

Summarize the key points of your professional development plan using a minimum of 100 words. Reflect on how this plan will help you achieve your career goals.

Goals That Survive Contact With Reality

Weak plans fail at the letter A of SMART, so make each goal achievable within your actual schedule. A self-assessment goal might read: “By October 31, I will complete the AACN self-assessment module on telemetry interpretation and score at least 85 percent, to close the gap my preceptor flagged during week three of Capstone.” Networking goals work best when they name a specific body, for instance joining the local chapter of the American Nurses Association or attending one Sigma Theta Tau event per quarter, rather than “network more.” Leadership goals should point at observable behavior such as leading one huddle per week or presenting one journal club article by a set date. Continuous improvement goals can be built around a formal 360 style feedback request at midterm and a documented change you made because of it. Embree (2022), in Teaching nurses how to create a personal and professional development plan, emphasizes that written plans connect nurses to personal purpose and raise engagement, which is a strong sentence to adapt in your introduction. Close every goal with the date and the evidence you will keep, such as certificates or meeting notes, so progress is provable at review time.

Why a Written Plan Beats Good Intentions

Research on nurse scientist trainees found that individual development plans worked when they paired career goal mapping with short and long term milestones, yet many templates skipped measurable criteria entirely. That finding translates directly to this assignment: eight SMART goals sound repetitive only if each one aims at the same behavior. Vary the verbs across your plan, using “complete,” “attend,” “lead,” “request,” “publish,” and “mentor,” so each section reads as a distinct capability. A realistic five year arc might move from residency certification in year one toward a charge nurse role by year three, with committee work bridging the gap.

Why This Plan Matters Beyond the Grade

Hospitals that embed development planning report stronger engagement and lower turnover intent among new nurses, and hiring managers often ask to see a sample plan during interviews.

• Keep the plan to one page of goals per section so it stays readable during performance reviews.
• Review it every six months and revise any goal that no longer matches your specialty direction.
• Share it with your preceptor or manager; a witnessed plan gets resourced, a private plan gets forgotten.

Research, Writing, Citation & Referencing Notes

Frequently Asked Question

Can two of my SMART goals overlap between sections? They should not. Each objective targets a different capability, so a networking goal about attending association meetings should not double as a leadership goal about leading a committee. If your goals genuinely overlap, rewrite one until each section stands on its own.

References

• Embree, J. L. (2022). Teaching nurses how to create a personal and professional development plan. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 53(11), 489–495. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20220907-04
• Thompson, H. J., Santacroce, S. J., Pickler, R. H., McDougall, G. J., McCoin, J. A., Reynolds, N. R., Amaya, M., Schmiege, S. J., & Voss, J. (2020). Use of individual development plans for nurse scientist training. Nursing Outlook, 68(6), 749–757. https://pmc.ncbi.nlmih.gov/articles/PMC7605358/
• Varndell, W. (2020). Career planning and development. In Professional transitions in nursing (pp. 293–308). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003116868-14

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EBP Model ePoster Project: Johns Hopkins Model (BSN Capstone, Miami Dade College)

Miami Dade College BSN students design a Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model ePoster on the MDC template, presenting a PICO question, search and appraisal methods, synthesized findings, and translation strategies, with the Medical Campus logo, due October 5.

Assignment Overview

Here is a step-by-step instructions guide for creating an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) ePoster using the (c) 2025 Johns Hopkins EBP Model. This guide helps you organize and present your EBP project in a professional poster format for dissemination, and posters remain one of the most common ways nurses first share project work at conferences and residency showcases.

Instructions

1. Download the required tools to use for this assignment. The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model & Tools website provides all the forms and appendices required, and completing the permission forms first makes every later section faster.
2. After completing the permission forms, students will use the information gathered to create their EBP Model ePoster.
3. Download MDC’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) ePoster template and the Miami Dade College Medical Campus logo to place on your poster.
4. Use each form/appendix to complete each section listed below for the EBP ePoster.
5. Review the example of a Johns Hopkins EBP poster before starting your work; your poster should look similar to the example.

Title and Abstract

Review Appendix A: EBP Project Steps and Overview before starting work. The title should clearly identify the project as evidence-based and stay concise and informative. The abstract should summarize the rationale for the EBP project, the PICO question, literature search and appraisal methods, key findings and synthesis, and recommendations for practice.

Introduction

Describe the clinical problem, its significance, and the risks of not addressing it. Summarize current knowledge from local, national, and global literature, then present the EBP question in PICO format. Dang et al. (2021), in Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, structure this phase around the practice question stage of the PET process, so mirror that language in your headings.

Methods

List databases and guidelines used, such as CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, PubMed, and the AHRQ evidence reports portal. Describe inclusion and exclusion criteria, date limits, keywords, and the screening pathway from title to abstract to full text. Explain how articles were appraised, which tools were used, and how reviewers reached consensus. Close with how evidence was synthesized and translated into practice recommendations.

Results

Report the number of articles screened and included, using a flow diagram such as the PRISMA style figure when possible. Summarize study characteristics (author, population, intervention, outcomes, limitations) and display individual study results in tables or charts.

Discussion

Summarize overall findings, strengths, quality of evidence, and recommendations. Discuss limitations of both the literature and your own review process, then restate the problem and how the project addressed the EBP question.

Implications for Practice

Describe translation strategies and action plans tailored to your organization, and identify the outcome measures used to evaluate success, reporting results if the change was implemented.

Design, APA, and Mechanics

All required APA elements should appear in the written accompaniment: title page, one inch margins, headings and subheadings, parenthetical and narrative citations, and an alphabetical reference list. Keep poster text free of spelling and grammatical errors, use clear headings with consistent formatting, include visuals such as tables and charts, and keep text concise with bullet points where possible. Scoping review data confirm that structured EBP implementation models improve adoption and sustainment of practice changes in nursing settings, which is the argument your poster implicitly makes.

From Question to Poster

A strong poster usually begins with a PICO question narrow enough to answer in one semester, such as whether hourly purposeful rounding reduces patient falls on a medical-surgical unit compared with current practice. The methods section should show your search exactly as it happened: databases searched, date range, keywords and MeSH terms, and the count of records at each screening stage. In the results section, resist the urge to paste paragraphs; a small evidence table with one row per study communicates more to a viewer walking past. Rate each study with the Johns Hopkins research appraisal tool and say whether your team reached consensus, because graders check for that appraisal language. Your discussion should state plainly whether the evidence supports a practice change, and your implications section should name who owns the change, what the timeline is, and which outcome measure will show success.

Why Posters Still Open Doors

Poster presentation builds skills that journals and hiring committees both reward: condensing a project, defending it in conversation, and connecting evidence to an organizational context. Connor et al. (2023) documented that evidence-based practice improves patient outcomes and healthcare system return on investment, a statistic worth placing in your implications section.

• Limit the poster to roughly 800 words so figures carry the load.
• Keep the MDC Medical Campus logo in the corner and readable at arm’s length.
• Prepare a two minute spoken summary, since poster sessions are conversations, not readings.

Research, Writing, Citation & Referencing Notes

Frequently Asked Question

How many sources do I need on a Johns Hopkins EBP ePoster? Quality beats count. A typical BSN poster cites between ten and fifteen sources, including the Dang et al. model text, at least three high level research articles appraised with the JHNEBP tools, and one national guideline or standard, all formatted in APA 7th edition and listed alphabetically.

Why This Matters in Practice

Magnet recognition programs expect nurses at every level to generate and disseminate evidence, and many hospitals fund conference travel for staff whose posters are accepted. The ePoster you build this module can become a real submission within a year of graduation.

References

• Connor, L., Dean, J., McNett, M., Tipton, P. H., Conaway, M., Dietrick, D., Doyle, K., Hinojosa, S., Peltz, K., & Williams, L. (2023). Evidence-based practice improves patient outcomes and healthcare system return on investment: Findings from a scoping review. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 20(1), 6–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12621
• Crawford, C. L., Rondinelli, J., Zuniga, S., & Valdez, R. M. (2020). Testing of the nursing evidence-based practice survey. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 17(2), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12432
• Dang, D., Dearholt, S. L., Bissett, K., Whalen, M., & Ascenzi, J. (2021). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice for nurses and healthcare professionals: Model and guidelines (4th ed.). Sigma Theta Tau International. ISBN 9781948057899
• Duff, J., Cullen, L., Hanrahan, K., & Steelman, V. (2020). Determinants of an evidence-based practice environment: An interpretive description. Implementation Science Communications, 1, 85. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-020-00070-0