NHD STUDENT BLOG SERIES

The benefits of reflective practice

By NHD blogger, Sian Cunningham, RD

Being on placement offers many rewards, not least taking you ever closer to qualifying in your chosen career. It is also a busy time that can present you with challenges and, of course, stress from time to time. Carving out some space to reflect on your practice, by yourself, with a fellow student on placement, or as part of a group can help you cope with pressure, share lessons learned and strengthen your relationships with others.

What is reflective practice?

Reflection is a step-by-step process that allows you to consider, what happened, why and what you might do differently (or repeat) to ensure that your professional practice is maintained to a high standard or improves.  

By following a reflective process, you can gain insight and understanding into your professional practice and recognise where you could improve and the actions you could take to make an improvement. 

You can reflect on any element of your professional practice. The reflective process involves you thinking analytically (analysing or considering in detail) about what happened, why you believe it happened, why it matters, and what this might mean for next time.

Some people will prefer to focus on a situation that went well, using reflective practice to understand how to replicate a positive interaction or episode of care. Others will find they reflect more on challenging situations, where things didn't go well and they find themselves naturally going over things in their minds. When this happens carrying out a reflection can be truly beneficial!

When is reflection not reflection?

A mistake lots of people make when reflecting is to simply describe the situation. The key to reflecting is not just to say what happened but to go on to analyse the situation. Describe and consider what happened, why it happened, what could have been done differently, and what might be the consequence of taking a different course of action. 

What are the benefits of reflection?

Reflection has benefits for your well-being, allowing you to recognise where things have gone well and helping you work through challenging experiences. Reflection helps you to process and consider how you might handle a similar situation in the future, making sure you are better prepared foe next time.(1)

Reflecting with others allows you to discuss best practice and to collectively learn from each other on how things could have gone differently, considering other perspectives and pulling people together as a team who can discuss things openly, honestly and in a structured and supportive way.(1) 

Reflective practice contributes to your continuing professional development (CPD) too. Reflections can demonstrate your understanding of the learning outcomes whilst on placement, and can contribute to your CPD profile,  which is required to maintain registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.  Just make sure that in any written reflection you anonymise your writing to avoid sharing confidential information about service users.(1)

Different types of reflection

There are different ways to carry out reflective practice; which is best will depend on you, your learning style and the situation you are reflecting on.(1)

Reflecting individually: This can allow you to identify your personal development needs. You can reflect by following a reflective practice template or you may prefer to just write a free-flowing journal style entry. Some people will find it easier to reflect out loud, recording their reflections. Try a few different ways to find out what works best for you.(1) 

Reflecting in a group: You can also reflect as part of a group, often with a more experienced facilitator who can guide the group through a reflection.  One example of group reflection that you may see in practice is called 'Schwartz Rounds', which are based on a 'structured forum where all staff…come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare'.(2) These rounds aren’t about solving problems or getting into the details of clinical care, but work to help staff feel more supported, less stressed and less isolated, They also help to increase understanding and appreciation of each other’s roles(2) - confirming the old adage that a problem shared is a problem halved!

More information...

Siân works with the British Dietetic Association as Professional Practice Manager. She previously worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham. She has worked in a range of clinical areas, specialising in learning disabilities, palliative care and nutritional support.

Twitter@: siancunningham2

Siân Cunningham, MSc, RD, AFHEA

Professional Practice Manager, BDA