Abstract:
Each year, the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) requires all registered
nurses and registered practical nurses in Ontario to complete a Reflective Practice
learning activity. In doing so, nurses are expected to perform a self- assessment,
identify a practice problem or issue, create and implement a personal learning plan,
and evaluate the learning and outcomes accomplished. The process and components
of CNO's Reflective Practice program are very similar to an Action Learning
activity.
The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the perceptions of 1
1
nurses who completed at least 1 Action Learning activity. Data analysis of their
comments provided insight into their perceptions of the Action Learning experience,
perceptions of the negative and positive characteristics of various activities within
the Action Learning process, and perceptions of barriers or challenges within this
experience. The author concluded that participants perceived their Action Learning
activities to be a positive experience because the process focused on practice
problems and issues, enhanced thinking about practice problems, and achieved
practice-relevant outcomes. However, the results indicated that self-directed
learning and journal writing were difficult activities for some participants, and some
experienced negative emotional responses during reflection. The research
concluded that barriers to implementation of Action Learning include a lack of
understanding of the process and a perceived lack of support from employers.
