It is not sufficient to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting on this experience, it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost.

(Gibbs, 1988, p9)

To achieve good reflective writing, you could:

• reflect on what could or did go wrong rather than provide evidence of everything ‘going perfectly’. For example, this could be a reflection on a patient interaction or an observation
• reflect on an adverse incident in the department. What procedures have been put in place to avoid this from happening again and is there anything else that could be done?
• reflect on visits to different departments or areas of practice. For example, produce a reflective account of a visit to A&E and of the practices observed there. You could include mind maps and charts in this kind of account
• use simulation to generate reflection. Simulations can be useful for events and situations that rarely happen
• write a reflective piece of an event you have attended
• with a patient’s consent, film your encounter with them and afterwards you can critically reflect on your performance. You could focus on your communication skills and how they might be improved
• produce a reflective summary of a discussion with your training officer. Consider what was learned from this, that will be put into practice in future events?

Books: Gibbs, G (1988). Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.

The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books. Williams, K, Woolliams, M and Spiro, J (2012). Reflective Writing. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.