Reflection has is an essential part of nursing practice and is paramount in development and learning within the profession (Gibbs, 1988).
Bengtsson (1995) recognises that as a student nurse clinical placements give us opportunity to begin to critically analyse and reflect on situations that may arise in our daily practice. This essay will identify and examine what reflection is and how its role enables learning as a nurse, describing a situation in a clinical placement that may be confirmed as a professional practice issue and what has been learnt from being involved in the situation.
Reflection can be used in all aspects of clinical practice; we can reflect on our own actions or on others and can learn for these experiences for example:
'Reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice.' (Reid 1993, p.306)
In order to carry out efficient reflection practioneers should know their own character this in turn enabling them to become more self aware (Atkins 2008).
Nurses using reflection may examine the situation that has risen and take time to reflect by allowing themselves to process and evaluate the experience. They can then be able to distinguish what factors have been influenced and then be able to come to a conclusion of what appropriate action should be taken (Clarke and Graham 1996).
Having a better understanding of what reflection is I am able to identify and evaluate my own actions and experiences that have taken place in my first clinical placement as a student nurse. I this essay I will use Gibbs (1988) model of reflection to help me analyse my practice. I experienced a situation of accountability and responsibility that I feel would be interpreted as a professional practice issue in a clinical setting.
I had been asked by a staff nurse Angie on duty that day to help Mr Smith a 76 yr old patient get ready for being discharged that morning. He had...