The Importance of Reflection in Nursing Practice - Essay Example

This process, called a meta-cognitive process, is normally reflected in a number of our daily routines and activities. Thus when we have to attend a call from a patient in pain, what priority we accord to it will be determined by the values and beliefs we hold and how we assess the situation. Reflective learning calls for instilling of the critical nursing skills in nurses through participative and emancipative education. This in turn helps in empowering the practitioners to deal with contradictory situations.

Such training implies learning continuously with regular evolutionary inputs. Daloz (1986) describes the characteristics of support and challenge and the ways in which they might combine to foster learning. He describes support as an affirming activity. When a teacher supports a learner, the teacher lets the learner know that the learner is cared about. White (1997) suggests that new knowledge and theory can be generated when a structured and analytical methodology is applied to reflect on experience.

In general, reflective practices can be categorized in two types; Reflection-in-action is when someone is working, and learning at the same time i.e. being fully aware of he's doing. Reflection-on-action is learning in a simulated environment when the nursing practitioners are taught by their tutors with the help of practical. For example nursing calls for advice being offered to the relatives and friends of the patients. Nursing is a science as it requires studying the medical practices and science, but it's an art as well because working with different types of people requires an attitude of understanding the feelings and compassion.

Profession of Nursing involves being well versed with the technical gadgets, bio-medical terms, clinical tests, test reports as well as psychology, since during the majority of the times, when doctors are not around, nobody from family or friend circle is nearby, a Nurse is supposed to be the bedside companion taking care of the person with all sincerity. During such times most of our behaviors represent a mixture of influences from both implicit, subconscious activations, and conscious considerations.

The profession often requires long hours of working and heavy workloads while dealing with a range of people from all walks of life. Therefore, reflection-in-action is observing the things and the surroundings from one point of view and then devising 'in-time' appropriate reflections. Therefore in my opinion the profession of nursing requires;Compassion for another's suffering and love for the feelings of their patientsVery high ethical standardsCommitment to their professionGood interpersonal communication abilityCritical cognitive process based thinking abilityHighest standards of integrity and honestyDealing with difficult and often unpleasant circumstancesWorking in physically demanding and often stressful environmentContinuous aptitude for learning throughout one's life.

Schon (1983) therefore calls for a "reflective practicum" to be an integral part of professional education. Lamb & Huttlinger, (1989) advocates reflection has a method by which nurses can enhance their future prospects and research practices. Williams (2001) enlists the results of a survey