Reflective essay

Clinical placement is a good chance for nursing students to practice clinical skills, as well as experience the real working environment. However, the process of actually bringing theories and knowledge learned from university into practical application is not simple; this requires not only patience and determination but also various learning skills. For myself, after an unpleasant experience of involving an argument between a nurse and patient’s family, I came to realize that reflective skills are crucial not only for my current status as student but also for my future professional development (Sharon, 2014) as registered nurse. The reflective practice helps nurses to maintain and constantly update their knowledge, as well as construct clinical skills by learning from real practice (ANMC 2009). As described by O’Donovan, reflective is “a process of deliberative thinking, looking back, examining oneself and one’s practice in order to improve future practice” (Chris & Sue, 2013, p.4). In this essay I will reflect on my unpleasant experience and demonstrate how this could be used as an evidence to prove how reflective activities effectively assist nurses with professional development. This reflection will follow Gibbs reflective model, which describes the experience, my personal feelings; then analyze and evaluate on my actions, indicate what were my strengths and weakness. Finally, a detailed action plan will be formed for future practice.

In the textbook “Reflective Practice in Nursing” it is recommended that each reflector should choose and use reflective technique that suits their learning style (Chris & Sue, 2013). I chose Gibb’s reflection model as it was the most suitable technique for both my learning style and my pattern of thinking. As a visual learner, I learn best with visualization and mind mapping. My thoughts and actions are easily affected by my feelings. Derived from the principle of experiential learning of Kolk, Gibb’s model of reflection