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Reflection on My Practicum Experience
Name
Affiliation
Course Unit: Course Number
Instructor
Date
, 2
Reflection on My Practicum Experience
During this practicum, I worked with families of adolescents aged 13 to 17 to
promote awareness and improve understanding of the human papillomavirus (HPV)
vaccine. This experience gave me a chance to see what it's like to apply what I’ve learned
in school to real-world situations. I gained practical experience in education,
communication, leadership, and problem-solving—skills that I know will be important in
my nursing practice. This reflection covers the main things I learned, what challenges I
faced, and how I grew through the experience.
Population and Rationale
One of the first things I had to do was identify a population and a health issue to
work on. The rationale for selecting that particular population was that the selected cohort
is at risk of contracting HPV. According to 2024 statistics, only 45.4% of the female
adolescent population between the ages of 13 and 17 years in Michigan had taken the
complete HPV vaccine, while only 42.9% of males had taken the full dose (MDHHS,
2024). Such a low uptake means that majority of adolescents within that age group are at
high risk of contracting the virus, which could have long-term consequences for their
health. Moreover, the age coincides with the initial of sexual activity. Around 5 to 25% of
adolescents begin engaging in sexual behaviors before the age of 13 years (Matemba et
al., 2024). Adolescents at that age bracket are more likely to have multiple sexual
partners, engage in sexual with older people, experience sexual coercion, and also engage
in unprotected sexual behaviors (Matemba et al., 2024).
For the purpose of the practicum experience, I met with three parent-child dyads
comprising of a 45-year old Hispanic single mother of a 14-yeard old daughter (Dyad A),
Reflection on My Practicum Experience
Name
Affiliation
Course Unit: Course Number
Instructor
Date
, 2
Reflection on My Practicum Experience
During this practicum, I worked with families of adolescents aged 13 to 17 to
promote awareness and improve understanding of the human papillomavirus (HPV)
vaccine. This experience gave me a chance to see what it's like to apply what I’ve learned
in school to real-world situations. I gained practical experience in education,
communication, leadership, and problem-solving—skills that I know will be important in
my nursing practice. This reflection covers the main things I learned, what challenges I
faced, and how I grew through the experience.
Population and Rationale
One of the first things I had to do was identify a population and a health issue to
work on. The rationale for selecting that particular population was that the selected cohort
is at risk of contracting HPV. According to 2024 statistics, only 45.4% of the female
adolescent population between the ages of 13 and 17 years in Michigan had taken the
complete HPV vaccine, while only 42.9% of males had taken the full dose (MDHHS,
2024). Such a low uptake means that majority of adolescents within that age group are at
high risk of contracting the virus, which could have long-term consequences for their
health. Moreover, the age coincides with the initial of sexual activity. Around 5 to 25% of
adolescents begin engaging in sexual behaviors before the age of 13 years (Matemba et
al., 2024). Adolescents at that age bracket are more likely to have multiple sexual
partners, engage in sexual with older people, experience sexual coercion, and also engage
in unprotected sexual behaviors (Matemba et al., 2024).
For the purpose of the practicum experience, I met with three parent-child dyads
comprising of a 45-year old Hispanic single mother of a 14-yeard old daughter (Dyad A),
