Writing for self-discovery: a semester-long journey at the graduate level

Writing for self-discovery begins on the first day of class and continues throughout the semester. Class introduction compares this journey to flying an airplane, requiring adjustments to successfully reach the destination. A systems framework promotes writing-to-learn and writing as a self-discovery tool for graduate nursing administration students in this clinical preceptorship. Because writing-to-learn is an unfamiliar concept for many students, the process is incorporated into the self-evaluation tools of writing discovery and intention statements, keeping a clinical learning log, reflective questioning, and feedback strategies. The purpose is to foster the critical administrative processes of writing, thinking, analyzing, and synthesizing. Written instructor feedback probes the relationships between concepts and their relationships with students' learning. Future strategies will include additional formative and summative self-evaluative tools, including videotaping, to foster awareness of self in a written format for both students and instructor. The goal is to prepare master's graduates who are creative thinkers, self-evaluators, and analytical writers for service in clinical and administrative settings.