Nursing Reflection Examples

What is Nursing Reflection?

Nursing reflection is the process where nurses think critically about their practice, experiences, and interactions with patients to improve their skills, knowledge, and understanding of nursing care.

It involves carefully considering situations or events from the past, analysing what happened, and learning from those experiences to improve future practice.

Reflection allows nurses to grow professionally and personally by identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

Key Points About Nursing Reflection:

1. Thinking about what happened: Nurses think about their actions, feelings, and decisions during patient care.
2. Learning from experiences: They think about both good and bad situations to see what they can learn and do differently in the future.
3. Improving care: The main goal is to provide better care for patients by learning from past experiences.
4. Growing professionally: Reflection helps nurses become more skilled and confident in their job

Models of Reflection:

Nurses use different models to reflect on their practice. Here are a few examples:

• Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle: This is a common model that helps you look at what happened, how you felt, what went well or badly, why it happened, and what you can do differently next time.
• Johns’ Model of Reflection: This model asks nurses a series of questions to help them think deeply about their practice, like what happened, how they felt, and what they could do better next time.
• The Driscoll Model: This simple model uses three questions to help you reflect: “What happened?”, “Why does it matter?”, and “What will I do next?”

Key Parts of a Good Nursing Reflection:

1. Description of the Situation

A good nursing reflection should start by clearly explaining what happened. This includes:

• Where and when the event took place.
• What happened during the situation.
• How you felt and what you thought during that time.

2. Critical Thinking and Analysis

You should reflect on the situation by thinking deeply about it:

• Think about why things happened the way they did.
• Connect what you learned in school to what you did in real life.
• Consider what actions you took and what the results were.
• Recognise what you did well and what you could improve.

3. Learning and Insights

In this part, you explain what you’ve learned from the experience:

• Any new skills or knowledge you gained.
• What you learned about yourself or nursing in general.
• How the experience can help you in the future.

4. Action Plan

A good reflection ends with a plan for what you’ll do next:

• What steps you’ll take to improve.
• Your personal goals for becoming a better nurse.
• How you will work on any weaknesses you noticed.

5. Self-Awareness

A strong reflection shows that you are aware of your own thoughts and feelings:

• Being honest about what you thought or felt during the situation.
• Recognising your personal values, beliefs, and biases.
• Thinking about how these affected the situation.

6. Connection to Professional Standards

The reflection should show that you are following nursing standards:

• Referring to ethical guidelines or best practices.
• Showing you’re committed to learning and improving.
• Taking responsibility for your actions.

Nurse Reflection Example 1:

Description:

During my second year of nursing, I was working on a surgical ward, taking care of Mr. Khan, a 72-year-old man who had just had stomach surgery.

I was asked to take off his wound dressing so the doctor could check it. I did this under my mentor’s supervision, but then my mentor was called away.

When the doctor came to examine Mr. Khan, I noticed she didn’t wash her hands or use hand gel before touching the wound. She was also wearing a long-sleeved shirt that could have germs on it.

Feelings:

I was worried and concerned about the risk of infection, but I also felt nervous about speaking up to the doctor, since she was more experienced. I didn’t want to upset her or make the patient worried.

Evaluation:

This situation was difficult for me. I wish I had spoken up right then about the hand hygiene issue before the doctor checked the patient. However, I’m glad I talked about it later with my mentor, who then spoke to the doctor. The doctor was understanding and changed her practice after that.

Analysis:

This situation taught me how important it is to speak up for the safety of patients, even if I’m just a student. I realised I need to be more confident about politely pointing out unsafe practices, while still being respectful to my colleagues who are busy.

Conclusion:

I learned that sometimes, to protect patient safety, you have to have difficult conversations. It’s important for me to work on becoming more confident in speaking up when I see something unsafe, and this will be key to growing as a nurse.

Action Plan:

In my future placements, I will focus on building my confidence to speak up. I will ask my mentor for tips on how to raise safety concerns with colleagues in a professional way. I’ll practice addressing issues like hand hygiene in a calm and constructive way.

Nursing Reflection Example 2:

Description of the Situation

As a second-year nursing student on a surgical ward, I had a tough situation that taught me an important lesson. I was asked to remove the dressing from a 72-year-old patient, Mr. Khan, so the doctor could check it. I did this with my mentor’s help, using a safe technique.

Afterward, my mentor was called away, leaving me alone with the patient.

When the doctor arrived to check Mr. Khan’s wound, I noticed she didn’t wash her hands or use hand gel before touching the wound. She was also wearing a long-sleeved shirt, which could carry germs.

I was worried about the risk of infection but didn’t speak up because I felt nervous. The doctor was more experienced than me, and I didn’t want to upset her or make the patient feel uncomfortable.

Feelings and Thoughts

I had many mixed feelings during the situation:

• I was worried about the risk of infection.
• I felt nervous because the doctor was much more experienced than me.
• I didn’t want to make the doctor feel embarrassed.
• I didn’t want to upset the patient.

These feelings made it hard for me to act right away. Looking back, I regret not speaking up to protect the patient’s safety.

Evaluation

Even though I didn’t speak up in the moment, I’m happy I talked about it with my mentor afterward. My mentor and I spoke with the doctor about the hand hygiene issue. The doctor listened to the feedback and promised to improve.

This situation taught me how important it is to speak up for patient safety, even as a student nurse. It also showed me that giving feedback in a kind and respectful way can help people change for the better.

Learning and Action Plan
I learned some important lessons from this experience:

• Patient safety should always come first, no matter what.
• Being confident and speaking up is an important skill for all nurses.
• Giving feedback gently and respectfully can help improve practices.

To make these lessons stick, I will:

• Focus on building my confidence and speaking up during my next placement.
• Talk to my mentor about ways to speak up effectively.
• Practice how to raise concerns in a respectful way through role-playing.
• Remind myself that patient safety is more important than being uncomfortable.

By reflecting on this situation and making a plan, I want to get better at standing up for patient safety in the future. This experience is an important step in my growth as a nurse.

Example 3 of a nursing reflection​

Description:

During my clinical placement on a surgical ward, I was caring for Mr. Smith, a 65-year-old patient who had just had surgery on his abdomen. I was asked to remove his wound dressing so the doctor could check it during rounds.

After I removed the dressing, with my mentor’s supervision, she was called away. When the doctor arrived, I noticed she didn’t wash her hands or use alcohol gel before checking Mr. Smith’s wound. She was also wearing a long-sleeved shirt that could be contaminated.

Feelings:

I felt worried and concerned about the risk of infection, but also a bit intimidated as a student nurse talking to a more experienced doctor. I was scared of embarrassing the doctor or making the patient nervous.

Evaluation:

This was a tough situation. I regret not speaking up right away about the doctor not washing her hands. However, I am glad I spoke to my mentor later, and she discussed the issue with the doctor. The doctor was understanding and promised to change her practice.

Analysis:

This situation taught me that it’s important to speak up for patient safety, even as a student. I need to become more confident in respectfully raising concerns about unsafe practices, while still being supportive of colleagues who are busy.

It also reminded me of how important hand hygiene and infection control are in keeping patients safe.

Conclusion:

I learned that sometimes patient safety means having tough conversations. Being able to speak up and be assertive will be an important skill for me as a nurse. This experience showed me how important infection control is, and how speaking up when safety is at risk can lead to better practices.

Action Plan:

In my next placements, I will:

• Focus on developing my assertiveness and talk to my mentor about how to raise safety concerns with colleagues in a professional way.
• Practice speaking up about hand hygiene and other safety issues in a helpful way.
• Review infection control rules to better understand the correct procedures.
• Reflect on each experience to find ways I can improve and learn more.

What’s Next? Enhance Your Nursing Journey Today!

As you reflect on your nursing practice, it’s time to take the next step in advancing your skills and knowledge. Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise in patient care, take on leadership roles, or ensure you’re prepared for emergencies, there’s always room to grow.

Book your mandatory care courses, clinical nurse courses, and Train the Trainer courses today! Strengthen your abilities to provide exceptional care and empower others. And don’t forget to sign up for First Aid courses to be ready for any situation.

Start your journey to becoming a more confident, skilled, and compassionate nurse—book your training today! Call 01782 563333 or send a mail: enquiries@caringforcare.co.uk