Reflective practice is a cognitive skill that helps nurses learn from their experiences and improve patient care. It requires a conscious effort to look at a situation with an awareness of own beliefs, values, and practice, enabling nurses to learn from experiences, incorporate that learning in improving patient care outcomes. It also leads to knowledge development in nursing.
Reflective practice involves exploring an experience to identify what happened, and what your role in this experience was. It also involves considering the emotional effect nurses and patients have on each other.
Advantages:
It can help nurses:
- Understand their expertise
- Develop clinical competencies
- Recognize their strengths and weaknesses
- Improve their motivation
- Improve the quality of care they provide
- Develop their skills in self-directed learning
- Integrate theory and practice
- Implement what they have learned into practice
Some steps for reflective practice:
- Look back at a situation or experience
- Think in depth about your experience or thought
- Describe what you learned about yourself or your role
- Plan what you will do next
Some tips for structuring a team reflection session:
- Be honest with yourself and with your teammates
- Ask everyone to share their highs and lows and explain why they felt that way
- The facilitator should take notes, encourage participation, and become the mediator when the going gets tough