Reflective peer journals: developing authentic nurses

Nursing education courses often require students to write about their learning experiences in a journal or a log book. Students write the journal/log and submit it to the instructor. The instructor reads, comments, and may or may not grade it. This paper is a reflection on the use and misuse of journals in nursing education from the viewpoints of students and instructors. Related literature is integrated into a dialogue with concepts that relate to nursing education. A theoretical framework, a format and guidelines for peer journals are presented, along with the rationale for having students keep peer journals rather than student/instructor logs.