writing a reflection in nursing

Writing Reflective Essays for Nursing Students

Reflective writing is essential for nurses as it allows them to analyze their experiences, thoughts, and emotions to improve their practice. A nursing reflective essay requires the writer to reflect on a particular experience and explore how it has impacted their personal and professional growth. In nursing and midwifery, reflective essays are often used for self-reflection and self-improvement.

What Is a Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay is a piece of writing that explores a particular experience or event and reflects on its significance. The purpose of a reflective essay is to encourage the writer to think critically about their experiences and to analyze how those experiences have shaped their personal and professional growth. Unlike other types of essays, such as argumentative or expository essays, reflective essays focus on the writer’s personal thoughts and feelings rather than presenting objective facts or arguments.

Importance of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective practice is an important tool for student nurses as it allows them to reflect on their experiences and learn from them. By engaging in reflective writing, nurses can better understand their practice and identify improvement areas. Reflective writing also helps nurses develop self-awareness, crucial for providing high-quality patient care. By reflecting on their experiences, nurses can identify their strengths and weaknesses and work towards becoming better healthcare professionals.

Reflective Essay Outline

A reflection paper follows a basic structure, which includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should provide a brief overview of the experience or event being reflected upon and include a thesis statement stating the essay’s main point or purpose. The body paragraphs should explore the experience in detail, providing specific examples and reflecting on its impact on the writer’s personal and professional growth. The conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points and provide a final reflection on the experience. An effective outline is essential for organizing your thoughts and ensuring your essay flows smoothly. When creating an outline for a reflective essay, it is important to consider the main points you want to address and the order in which you want to present them. You should also think about the specific examples and evidence you will use to support your reflections. By creating a detailed outline, you can ensure that your essay is well-structured and coherent.

20 Best Reflective Essay Topics: Nursing

Choosing a topic for your reflective essay can be challenging, especially in nursing, where there are so many experiences to reflect upon. Here are 20 examples of reflective essay topics for nursing students:

My First Day on the Ward: Navigating emotions, challenges, and expectations.
The Patient Who Changed My Perspective on Nursing: A personal transformation story.
Balancing Empathy and Professionalism: Finding the middle ground.
Handling Medical Ethical Dilemmas: Personal experiences and lessons learned.
The Role of Continuous Education in Nursing: Adapting to new medical advancements.
Coping Mechanisms for Nurse Burnout: Personal strategies and recommendations.
The Value of Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Collaborating with doctors, therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
Cultural Sensitivity in Patient Care: Lessons from a diverse patient encounter.
The Evolution of My Communication Skills: From novice to proficient.
The Most Challenging Shift I Ever Worked: Insights and personal growth from adversity.
Incorporating Holistic Care in Modern Medicine: Personal experiences and the broader implications.
End-of-Life Care: Navigating emotions, ethics, and patient wishes.
The Role of Family in Patient Recovery: Observations from the Ward.
From Textbook to Reality: Bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical application.
Adapting to Different Nursing Environments: From emergency rooms to pediatric care.
The Emotional Impact of Pediatric Nursing: The highs and lows.
The Importance of Self-Care in Nursing: Personal routines and their impact on professional life.
Addressing Mental Health: My Role as a Nurse: Encounters, challenges, and insights.
Reflecting on Patient Advocacy: Standing up for patient rights and wishes.
Learning from Mistakes: An introspective look at errors made and the invaluable lessons derived.

When choosing a topic for your reflective essay, it is important to select an experience that is meaningful to you and has significantly impacted your personal and professional growth. Choosing a topic that allows for self-reflection and analysis is also important. Check out these other nursing reflective essay samples:

Doctor Of Nursing Practice Essentials Reflection
Case Management In Nursing: Benefits And Disadvantages
Doctor Of Nursing Practice (DNP) Course Reflection
Video Reflection On Interprofessional Collaboration For NURS 4010
Registered Nurse Course Reflection
Nursing Values And Philosophy In The Correctional Setting
Nursing Violence In The Workplace
Nursing Role: Course Reflection And Personal Assessment
Nursing Professional Capstone And Practicum Reflection
Nursing Course Reflection And Future Plans
Nursing History: Today And Beyond
Doctor Of Nursing Practice Program In Reflections
Implementing Artificial Intelligence And Managing Change In Nursing

Nursing Reflective Essay Examples

Reading well-written nursing reflective essay samples can be a helpful way to improve your own writing. Analyzing these essays’ structure, language, and content, you can better understand what makes a strong reflective essay. Here are two examples to guide you:

Example 1: Reflecting on a Challenging Patient Interaction

During one of my regular shifts in the Medical-Surgical ward, I encountered Mrs. Smith, a patient known for her particularly assertive demeanor. I was met with resistance as I entered her room to administer her evening medications. She questioned the necessity of each drug, casting doubt on my professional judgment. Initially, I felt a rush of defensiveness, my immediate instinct being to assert my knowledge and the doctor’s recommendations. But I paused, taking a deep breath, recognizing the importance of patient autonomy and their right to understand their care. Rather than reverting to a purely clinical explanation, I sat beside Mrs. Smith and discussed her concerns. I inquired about the root of her hesitancy, which revealed a recent incident where she had suffered side effects from a prescribed medication at another facility. This incident left her feeling vulnerable and distrustful. By understanding this context, my perspective shifted from viewing her questions as challenges to my competence to seeing them as her way of seeking safety and assurance. Upon reflection, this situation underscored the significance of effective communication in nursing. It reminded me of Schön’s “reflection-in-action” model as I adapted my real-time approach based on Mrs. Smith’s feedback. Considering the workload and time constraints nurses often face, dismissing her concerns would have been easy. However, the brief moment I took to understand her concerns resolved her immediate anxieties and built a foundation of trust for our subsequent interactions. I’ve since carried this experience, ensuring I always prioritize patient communication, even facing challenges. Patients like Mrs. Smith have taught me that behind every question or concern is a story, and by taking the time to listen and understand, I can provide care that is not only clinically effective but also emotionally supportive.

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on a challenging patient interaction and discusses what they learned. The essay begins with an introduction that provides an overview of the experience and states the essay’s main point. The body paragraphs explore the experience in detail, providing specific examples and reflecting on its impact on the writer’s personal and professional growth. The conclusion summarizes the essay’s main points and provides a final reflection on the experience.

Example 2: Reflecting on End-of-Life Care

In the early days of my nursing career, I had the profound responsibility of caring for Mr. Martinez, an elderly gentleman in the final stages of terminal cancer. Assigned as his primary nurse, I observed him gradually weaken, his once-vivacious spirit dimming each day. One evening, as the sunset painted a golden hue on the horizon, he wished to see it for what he felt might be the last time. The weight of his words struck me profoundly, and I felt the rawness of the impending loss. The hospital protocols were strict about moving critically ill patients, but at that moment, recognizing the gravity of Mr. Martinez’s request, I consulted with the on-duty physician. Together, we decided to make an exception. Assisting him in a wheelchair, we moved to the window, silently watching the sunset. Mr. Martinez shed tears of gratitude, and I found myself profoundly moved, our hands intertwined. This experience illuminated the profound nature of end-of-life care. It’s not just about medical protocols but about honoring the human spirit, its desires, and its need for closure. I recalled Boud’s Reflective Model, which emphasizes integrating feelings into the reflection process. The melancholy, the sense of impending loss, and the gratitude were emotions I had to process at the moment and the days that followed. Reflection upon this experience taught me that end-of-life care transcends clinical routines. It’s about recognizing the sanctity of life and the dignity of death. In our profession, we often get wrapped up in technicalities, but moments like these remind us of the deeper essence of nursing. Being present for Mr. Martinez in his final days reshaped my approach to care, reinforcing that sometimes, the most profound healing we can offer is understanding, presence, and the space for a patient to find peace.

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on their experience providing end-of-life care and discusses the emotions and challenges they faced. The essay begins with an introduction that sets the stage for the reflection and states the essay’s main point. The body paragraphs explore the experience in detail, providing specific examples and reflecting on its impact on the writer’s personal and professional growth. The conclusion summarizes the essay’s main points and provides a final reflection on the experience. By studying these examples, you can understand how to structure your reflective essay and effectively convey your thoughts and emotions.

Tips for Effective Reflection in Nursing

Engaging in effective self-reflection is essential for improving your nursing practice. Here are some strategies for effective reflection:

Set aside dedicated time for reflection: Schedule a regular time for reflection in your daily or weekly routine. This will allow you to focus on your experiences and give them the attention they deserve.
Use a reflective journal: Keep a journal to record your thoughts and reflections regularly. This will help you track your progress and identify patterns or trends in your practice.
Seek feedback from others: Ask for feedback from colleagues, mentors, or supervisors. Their perspectives can provide valuable insights and help you identify areas for improvement.
Practice active listening: When interacting with patients, colleagues, or other healthcare professionals, practice active listening. This will help you better understand their perspectives and experiences, which can inform your own reflections.
Be open to criticism: Be open to receiving constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity for growth. Reflect on the feedback you receive and consider how it can help you improve your practice.
Engage in self-reflection exercises: Many can help you explore your thoughts and emotions. These exercises can range from simple prompts to more structured activities.

Incorporating these strategies into your practice can enhance your self-reflection skills and improve your nursing practice.

Reflective Tools and Models

Several reflective tools and models are commonly used in nursing to guide the reflective writing process. These tools and models provide a framework for organizing your thoughts and reflections. Here are some examples of reflective tools and models used in nursing:

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

John Dewey, a prominent philosopher and educational theorist, posited reflection as a systematic process. Contrary to merely a passive pondering of thoughts, In Dewey’s reflective thinking model , a reflection is a conscious and intentional act. In his framework, the reflection process begins by recognizing a genuine problem. This recognition then moves to a thorough problem analysis and formulation of potential solutions. After deriving possible solutions, the most plausible one is tested, with the final stage being a reflection on the actions taken.

Kolb Reflective Model (Experiential Learning Cycle)

Originating from the insights of educational theorist David Kolb, this model underscores the pivotal role of experience in the learning process. Kolb’s reflective cycle is dynamic, suggesting we start with a concrete experience. This experience becomes the subject of reflection, from which we draw conclusions and construct theories or concepts. These developed theories are tested in new situations, contributing to new experiences and further reflection. It’s a continuous loop of learning through experience and reflection.

Schön Reflective Model

Donald Schön’s model centers on the professional’s ability to reflect when confronted with unexpected situations. Schön’s keen observation led to the classification of reflection into two types. The first, “Reflection-in-action,” is “thinking on one’s feet.” It encompasses reflection that occurs concurrently with action, allowing real-time modifications of techniques. Conversely, “Reflection-on-action” involves retrospection after an event to glean understanding and knowledge from that experience.

Bouds Reflective Model

David Boud championed a reflection model that encourages profound thinking and seamlessly integrates an individual’s feelings into the reflective process. Boud’s approach starts with revisiting the experience, emphasizing the recall of associated emotions and feelings. The next step requires recognizing and confronting any adverse feelings that could impede learning. By synthesizing feelings and the event, a clearer perspective guides future actions.

Driscoll Reflective Model

Developed by John Driscoll and influenced by Borton’s developmental framework , this model is known for its simplicity and easy recall. Driscoll’s model prompts individuals to objectively describe what transpired, posing, “What?” Following this descriptive phase, significance is sought with the query, “So what?” This analytical step paves the way for the final, future-oriented question: “Now what?” Here, the individual identifies lessons learned and considers how they can be integrated into future endeavors.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

Graham Gibbs extended upon the foundational work of Kolb to produce a more detailed and structured reflective cycle . Gibbs prompts individuals first to describe their experience. This descriptive phase showcases thoughts and feelings during the event. An evaluation phase then discerns the positive and negative aspects of the experience, leading to an analytical phase that seeks to make sense of the situation. Conclusions are then drawn about potential alternative actions, and an action plan is formulated for future similar scenarios, completing the reflective cycle.

Using each model of reflection can enhance your reflective writing and help you better understand your practice. Their distinctions cater to varied preferences and contexts, ensuring that individuals can find a model that resonates best with their reflection style.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Nursing Reflective Writing

When engaging in reflective writing, it is important to avoid common mistakes that can undermine the effectiveness of your reflection. Here are some common errors to avoid:

Superficial reflection: Avoid providing a superficial or surface-level reflection. Instead, strive to explore your thoughts and emotions in depth and consider the underlying factors that influence your practice.
Lack of critical analysis: Avoid describing your experiences without critically analyzing them. Instead, reflect on the impact of those experiences and consider how they have shaped your personal and professional growth.
Lack of self-awareness: Avoid acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses. Instead, strive to develop self-awareness and identify areas for improvement.
Lack of evidence or examples: Avoid making general statements without providing specific examples or evidence to support your reflections. Instead, use concrete examples to illustrate your points and provide evidence for your reflections.
Lack of action plan: Avoid failing to identify actions for future practice. Instead, consider how you can apply your reflections to improve your nursing practice and develop an action plan.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure that your reflective writing is effective and meaningful.

Final Thoughts on Reflective Nursing Essays

Reflective essays provide a means for nurses to engage in self-reflection and self-improvement. By reflecting on their experiences, nurses can gain a deeper understanding of their own practice, develop self-awareness, and identify areas for improvement. Reflective writing also helps nurses enhance their critical thinking skills, increase empathy and compassion, and promote professional growth and development. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this article, nurses can effectively reflect and improve their nursing practice.

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How to Write a Nursing Reflective Essay (Guide for Nurse Students)

If you are a nursing or medicine student, you are aware that you will come across or have already come across assignments requiring you to write a nursing reflection essay. At first, such a task always appears challenging, but given the understanding of the steps, things flat out, and you can write reflective essays and get better grades.

Reflective practice is highly encouraged in nursing. Reflection entails making sense of situations, events, actions, and phenomena in the workplace.

As a nursing student, you will be asked to write a reflective essay on your clinical placement, practicum, shadowing experience, shadow health DCE activities, personal nursing philosophy, why you want to become a nurse, nursing program, ethical dilemma, knowledge, skills, and abilities, systems, and processes.

The easiest way to complete the reflective essay assignment is by first determining what reflective writing entails, its significance, its steps, and some of the best tips that form the core of this ultimate guide.

Basics of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective writing is an analytical writing practice where the writer describes a real or imaginary event, scene, phenomenon, occurrence, or memory, including their takeaway. It entails the critical analysis of an experience, including recording how it has impacted you and what you intend to do with the new knowledge or how to act when such an occurrence recurs.

As you document the encounter, you can use first-person pronouns and write subjectively and objectively. This means that you can decide to either use personal experiences alone or support these experiences using citations from scholarly sources.

When writing a reflective essay in nursing, you must recount the events and give critical detail of how the events shaped your knowledge acquisition. Reflection helps nursing students develop skills in self-directed learning, which is directly associated with high motivation and improved quality of care .

In most cases, reflection occurs on what went well and what went wrong. It could be a successful operation, a thank you note from a patient, a patient who regained their health faster, or a new nursing care plan that worked. However, it can also be about adverse events such as death, postoperative complications, death of an infant at birth, dissatisfied patient, medical error, or a failed procedure.

As a nursing student, when you learn to reflect on situations, you grow to become a professional nurse who diligently does their noble duty.

When writing a reflective essay, you begin by setting the scene (explaining what, where, how, and who-the situation), detailing how you felt (emotional state), why it happened (making sense of the situation), critical review and development of insights, a note on what was learned, and strategies to address future recurrence.

Your professor may ask you to write a nursing reflective paper about various topics in your course or your experience working in a group, how you solved a problem, a healthcare issue, or clinical practice. Consider the following example of a reflective statement in nursing; in my clinical practices, I realized I focused more on the technical aspects but failed to explain what it was doing to improve their health. I would like to understand more about listening to patience and their concerns to better care for them.

As you will notice later, these reflective stages are structured into different reflective models and frameworks that we will explore in-depth. So, with the understanding of what comprises reflective writing and its importance in nursing, let's now get solid on the structure.

Structure of a Reflective Essay in Nursing

A reflective essay is an analytical writing piece describing and evaluating encounters or experiences. When asked to write one, you should know that an excellent reflective essay consists of different parts, just like a typical academic essay. It comprises the cover or title page, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusions, and a references page.

The title page contains information about the assignment. If you are writing the reflective essay in APA, include these on the title page:

Title of the reflective essay
Course code and name
Instructors name
Name of your institution
Date of submission

When writing in Harvard format, the title or the cover page will consist of the following:

Title of the essay in title case and the page number (upper right margin),
Title of the essay in CAPS,
Name of class or course,
Name of the instructor,
Name of your school,
City and state where your school is located and,
The date of submission.

Introduction

The introduction begins with an attention grabber or a hook sentence to attract readers' attention. It should then explain the essay's purpose and signpost the ideas that will come later in the essay. The introduction also has a thesis statement at the end of the paragraph- the last sentence. The thesis is concise, clear, and relatable and should reflect your position.

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of a reflective essay can be three or more, depending on the length of the essay. Essentially, the body comprises 80% of the total word count.

The first paragraph is where you describe the situation, including the events, why they occurred, how they occurred, and those involved.

The second paragraph entails your personal feelings or reaction to the situation and how it made you feel.

The third paragraph can include making sense of the situation. You have to think about why things happened the way they did. You should also critically review and develop insights based on the situation. Finally, think of the factors that could have influenced the situation.

The next paragraph should explain how the event or situation will change your practice, approach, decisions, perspective, or perception. This is where you evaluate the experience by detailing the knowledge and skills you took from the experience.

The last body paragraph should entail a critical reflection on the learning opportunities. First, describe the situation and what it made you learn. Next, elaborate on how you intend to make yourself better poised to address such situations.

Mostly, you should structure the body of your essay as per the preferred nursing reflective model.

After everything else falls into place, you need to summarize the information you presented in the essay. Then, finally, restate your thesis and have a call to action to bring a sense of closure to your readers.

Steps for Writing a Nursing Reflection Essay ï¿½ The Guide

When assigned to write a reflective essay for your nursing class, here are the surefire steps to get you to success.

Read the instructions

The first step after receiving an assignment is to begin reading the instructions. as you read, note what your instructor or professor expects in the paper you will submit for marking.

Reading instructions helps you to get informed on the scope of the paper, word count, number of references and pages, and the formatting style to use.

Besides, you also get to plan your paper with the deadline highlighted in the instructions.

You need to get a conducive environment where you can start writing.

The first step of writing is to brainstorm about situations during your clinical hours when you were shadowing a Nurse Practitioner or one you have read about.

Assess whether the situation or scenario you have thought, encountered, or chosen can help you write a reflective essay that meets the requirements.

Research and Plan

After choosing a scenario, the next step is researching the best reflective model.

You can use your class text, the instructions, the college library, course readings, and online nursing journals to get articles and resources with information about specific reflective models.

Select the best reflective model and take notes on the steps it entails.

As you research, write down notes on how to address your paper based on your selected framework or model of reflection . Additionally, research nursing journal articles with information you can use when critically analyzing a situation.

Plan how you will handle the paper as well. For instance, as you research, develop a thesis statement that grounds your entire paper, then draft an outline on how to develop the thesis.

Write an Outline

Outlining is a crucial aspect of writing. It helps you envision how you will meet the objective of writing a reflective essay. As an essential part of the essay writing process, outlining helps create a good flow of ideas and can come in handy in helping you overcome writer's block. Your outline should comprise the following:

The hook or attention grabber
Thesis statement
Main points of each body paragraph (topic sentence, evidence, examples, illustrations, etc.)
Conclusion (restated thesis and call-to-action)

With the outline done, you should take a break and resume writing your first draft of the nursing reflection essay. Writing with an outline helps avoid mistakes and also helps you write faster.

Describe the Experience

Once you have identified the relevant experience, begin describing it chronologically.

Describe the experience that prompted you to consider nursing your ideal career goal. Think of this experience's key elements, such as the setting, patient demographics, and significant events that impacted you.

Show how these events changed your perspective on life. Ensure you are as descriptive as possible to paint a clear picture for readers.

Consider the following questions to come up with a good description:

What happened?
Was there someone involved? If yes, what part did they play?
Where did the event take place?
What actions did you take?

Set the context of this experience by giving relevant background information. Ensure you are objective and pay attention to the facts.

Provide a Reflection

Talk about your feelings and thoughts concerning the particular experience you went through. You have to be honest and open up about your initial expectations and challenges you faced at each stage of the experience. The following questions can help you come up with a good reflection:

What was I trying to achieve?
What prompted me to act the way I did?
Are there any consequences for my actions? If yes, what are they?
How did I feel about this event as it was happening?
How did those around me react to it?
How do I know how those around me felt about it?

Analyze the Experience

Description of an experience is essential, but so is analysis. You have to move beyond the surface and give a critical analysis of your experience.

State your actions, and your overall experience will give insights into your experience. Think of how the experience has impacted your actions, feelings, and thoughts.

Give an Evaluation

Evaluate the skills and knowledge you got from the experience. Show how you can apply these skills and knowledge in your nursing practice. Also, state the actions and interventions you took during the nursing experience.

State whether you achieved the desired outcome and if there are any specific areas that you need to improve on.

Talk about how you built or improved skills like communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.

As you evaluate the experience, identify what you believe to be your strengths and weaknesses in the nursing experience. What have you learned from the experience? State the areas where you excelled and what abilities contributed to your success.

Talk about how those you were with during the clinical experience complimented you. Similarly, acknowledge your weaknesses.

What kind of mistakes did you make, and how did you improve them? Talk about the tasks that drain you most during the experience.

Illustrate Learning

Demonstrate elements of deeper thought and reflection levels. This is a great point to include nursing theories in your reflection essay to support analysis of your experience.

Relate your experiences to the theoretical frameworks you were taught in class. This is effective learning and will demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge to real-life nursing situations.

Doing this will also show that you can effectively deduce different things from observations made during the reflection process.

Ensure you also demonstrate a change in perspective, as this will prove that you learned something from the experience.

Write Your Conclusion

Conclude by summarizing your points and highlighting the lessons learned.

The lessons you reached as part of your reflection should support your overall conclusion.

Also, restate your thesis statement.

Come Up with an Action Plan

Now that you have learned from your reflection develop an action plan for future nursing practice.

This part should contain all the details you have learned and actions needed to improve when faced with a similar situation. Consider the following questions:

What would I change if faced with a similar situation?
How can I develop the necessary skills needed to face this situation?
How can I act differently in a similar situation?

Ensure you identify areas to improve and set realistic goals to enhance your nursing skills. Discuss how you intend to seek additional education, training, or mentorship to address your shortcomings.

Finally, end the essay with a happy note so readers know you learned something from the experiences.

Proofread, Edit, and Polish

After doing your first draft, take a break to relax and get out of the writing mood - it helps you to become objective.

You can then resume reading out loud to yourself, make necessary tweaks, and ensure that every part you include meets the rubric requirements.

Edit for grammar, punctuation, tenses, voice, spelling, and use of language. You should also proofread the essay to adhere to the style, organization, and presentation requirements.

Ensure that all the in-text citations are accounted for in the reference list and are up-to-date. You are good to go when you have an essay that meets all the instructions.

Finally, you can submit the paper for grading.

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Choosing the suitable Reflective Model or Framework

As you can see above, many reflective models are used for your reflective essay. We have not exhaustively listed and expounded on all of them. Other reflective models and frameworks you can also consider when writing a reflective essay in nursing include:

Bouds Reflective Model
Brookfield Reflective Model
Pender's Health Promotion Model
Roper Logan and Tierney Model
Driscoll Reflective Model
The Johari window model

Note that most nursing instructors will often suggest the models they prefer for you to use in your essay.

For example, in most nursing reflective essays. Whichever the case, readily available information expands on each model to make it easier to write a reflection essay on a specific aspect of nursing education or practice.

Read the assignment rubric and instructions to understand the specific model. If it is unclear, ask for clarification from your instructor early enough.

Tips for Writing a Good Nursing Reflective Essay

As you try to figure out how to write a nursing reflective essay, keep the following tips in mind.

Choose the Right Topic

If the instructions from your professors involve choosing a topic for the reflective essay, you must select one that is meaningful to you.

This will ensure you can easily write and easily develop relevant elements about the topic. Therefore, take time to pick a topic that you find interesting.

As you write, ensure you stay on topic, whether sharing a one-off event or a recurrent story.

Use the Right Tone

A reflective essay is more personal, unlike other types of academic essays. This means you don't need a strict or formal tone.

Since this is about your experiences, use personal pronouns such as I and Me.

Be Vulnerable

You must be extremely vulnerable to learn how to write a reflective essay in nursing.

Be open about your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about something you went through that sparked an interest in nursing.

It's okay to share mistakes or things you did wrong that eventually led you to this career path.

Choose the Right Focus

A reflection essay is all about narrating your experience during the nursing experience.

While including other people in your experience is okay, please let them not be the center of your reflection.

This is your essay, so you should be the focus of attention.

Keep it Brief

A good nursing reflection essay should be between 300 and 800 consciously written words. Because of this length, you must only write relevant information about your reflection. Refrain from lengthy reflections, as they make it difficult to pass your points across.

Convey Your Information Wisely

Even though a nursing reflection essay is about your personal experiences, it doesn't mean you should reveal everything about yourself. Ask yourself whether something is appropriate before including it in your paper.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Reflection Essay in Nursing

A good reflection essay involves reflecting on your nursing studies and practices throughout school and career to demonstrate your competence. For this reason, there are certain mistakes you should be aware of when writing an essay.

Not including a Personal Story

Like food tastes bland without salt, so does a reflection essay without a personal story. At the center of a reflection essay is You. This means the essay should focus on your personal story that led you to want a nursing career. A lot of times, students miss out on this instead of talking about their story. You need more than just the personal qualities you think will be a great fit for the nursing program; you must also share a story that shows how well you contributed to nursing care.

Failing to Share Your Experience

You will lose points when you fail to include nursing-related experiences in your reflection essay. Mentioning that you want to be a nurse is great, but failing to show specific events that led to the desire will cost you a great point.

Plagiarizing Your Essay

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense because it is considered taking other people's ideas and using them as your own without crediting the author. So, provide relevant citations and references for any ideas that aren't your own. Also, an AI will not write your essay as a human writer would.

Sample of a Nursing Reflective Essay

The following is a sample of a nursing Reflective essay using Gibb's Model of Reflection. Use this sample to guide you when writing your own.

Introduction Communication is an important element in healthcare practice as it determines patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. This essay will focus on reflecting on an experience I went through with a 40-year-old diabetic patient who also had a foot infected with an ulcer. When I approached the patient to sign the consent form, I noticed that he wasn't happy because of the news given to him about his health. I concluded that there must be a communication dilemma. I will reflect on the experience using Gibb's Model of Reflection. Using this model, I will identify and discuss the actions taken to resolve the issue. Description This incident happened a few months ago when I was working as a wound nurse in a Methodist hospital in my hometown. I was part of a care team handling the case of a 40-year-old male patient with diabetes and an infected diabetic foot ulcer. After careful examination, a team comprising various specialists concluded that his leg needed amputation below the knee. After making this decision, the team left, and I was asked to give the patient a consent form to sign. When I came back from retrieving the form, I noticed the patient looked sorrowful because of the news given to him. Feelings As soon as I saw the patient, I knew what he was going through. He perceived the situation to be irreparable, but I wasn't sure whether to console the patient or not. I was powerless and couldn't imagine what he was going through. At the same time, I was startled that the team left without showing any compassion. They could have handled the situation more delicately. I, on the other hand, could have relayed the information better. I wasn't sure whether my approach would be acceptable or appropriate. Evaluation I always go back to that particular situation and wonder whether I could have acted better. The situation helped me better understand the importance of good communication in patient care, particularly in therapeutic care. Before the incident, I didn't acknowledge the role of nurses play in caring for patient's emotional needs. I realized nurses must show compassion and console patients in their low moments. Analysis Most healthcare professionals do not know how to deliver bad news to patients. They find the process extremely challenging and always feel psychologically unprepared. This has a negative impact on patients and could lead to bad health outcomes. Furthermore, how information is relayed could impact a patient's adherence to treatment. Because of these effects, multiple protocols and approaches were developed to help with communicating bad news to patients. One of the approaches that was proposed is emotion-centered. This proposes that a healthcare provider acknowledges how sad the patient is and builds a professional relationship based on empathy and sympathy. Action Plan I now understand the essence of communicating bad news with compassion. The experience allowed me to look closely at different aspects of my professional development that needed more improvement. Thus, I plan to be more empathetic and speak up in support of patient's emotional and psychological well-being, especially when presented with traumatic news about their health. Additionally, I now understand I am not powerless when dealing with a sorrowful patient. I believe I have learned from my experience, and I'm not able to communicate well with patients any more. Conclusion The experience allowed me to value good communication in nursing and the need to incorporate it into daily nurse-patient interaction. Nurses must learn how to deliver bad news and manage patient's sorrow. This has been and will continue to be my biggest priority in patient care. References Street Jr, R. L., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). How does communication heal? Pathways linking clinicianpatient communication to health outcomes. Patient education and counselling, 74(3), 295-301. Buckman, R. (1992). Breaking bad news: why is it still so difficult? BMJ: British Medical Journal, 304(6842), 886. Ptacek, J. T., & Eberhardt, T. L. (1996). Breaking bad news: a review of the literature. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 276(6), 496-502.

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