Clinical Narrative Accounts That Illustrate Nursing Practice

Copyright, 1993

A clinical narrative should be a personal story of a recent clinical situation that may include one or more of the following type of situations:

• A situation in which you feel your intervention really made a difference in patient. outcome either directly or indirectly (by helping other staff members).
  
• A situation that went that went unusually well.
  
• A situation in which there was a breakdown (i.e., things did not go as planned).
  
• A situation that is very ordinary and typical.
  
• A situation that you think captures the quintessence of what nursing is about.
  
• A situation that was particularly demanding.
  
• A situation that stands out in your memory for any reason.

In writing a clinical narrative, you should include:

• Context of the clinical situation (e.g., shift, time of day, staff resources, etc.)
  
• A detailed description of what happened
  
• Why the clinical situation is important to you
  
• What your concerns were at the time
  
• What you were thinking about as it was taking place
  
• What you were feeling during and after the situation
  
• What, if anything, you found most demanding
  
• Important conversations you had with the patient, family, members of the health care team or other relevant parties. (Here, recapturing actual dialogue is helpful.)