Reflective Nursing Practice (Essay Sample)

Reflective Nursing Practice Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Reflective Nursing Practice The Gibbs reflective model represents a framework used in reflective practice to assess skills and competencies. The model represents a structured debriefing that fosters experiential learning. Professor Graham Gibbs developed the model as a continuous improvement cycle and fostered practical reflection in six stages. The Gibbs reflective model/cycle fosters efficiency in reflective practice, especially in situations that healthcare providers experience regularly (Koshy, Limb, Gundogan, Whitehurst, & Jafree, 2017). In this context, reflection is a conscious effort to reflect on experiences, analyze them, and learn from them. For this reason, the Gibbs reflective cycle is one of the frameworks that help people to make sense of different work experiences and situations. The six stages making up the model include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. Each of these stages comprises a rigorous reflection of the specific experience to improve the experience and outcomes in the future. The rationale for Choosing the Gibbs Reflective Cycle Self-reflection denotes a systematic process that allows for a rigorous review of a specific experience with the core objective of determining the level of learning. In the healthcare sector, using a model during self-reflection is likely to foster positive outcomes because it offers guidelines on the reflective practice. The reflective practice requires a guiding framework that fosters a deeper analysis of the specific scenario or experience and the establishment of a deeper meaning associated with the experience (Wain, 2017). The Gibbs reflective model fosters adequate reflection that empowers individuals to focus on learning and self-awareness while taking the time to consider each element of the incident. The use of a reflective model enhances the purpose of reflective practice. The Gibbs reflective model represents one of the desirable frameworks that healthcare providers utilize to enhance the effectiveness of reflective practice. Reflective practice can be a complex process, a factor that necessitates the use of an effective model. In this context, the Gibbs reflective cycle serves as a cyclic model that captures each successful reflection element. Adopting a reflective model enhances the systematic nature of the reflective process. The six stages of the Gibbs reflective cycle serve as a cyclic framework that allows for the continuous debriefing of an experience in the healthcare sector (Jayatilleke & Mackie, 2013). Using this model can enhance the success of identifying one's strengths and areas that need development. The model also enhances the ability to develop a great plan of action. Each of the Gibbs reflective model steps plays an essential role in guiding the complex reflective process. A guiding framework makes it easier to undertake reflective practice while establishing a deeper meaning of the specific experience of the incident. Outline of the Gibbs Reflective Model The first stage in the Gibbs reflective cycle is the description. The description stage involves recounting what transpired with specific emphasis on when it happened, the people present, and what the practitioner did. During the description stage, it is imperative to highlight what the healthcare provider did and other people's roles present. The description stage involves a careful narration of the specific incident, scenario, or situation of interest (Nicol & Dosser, 2016). Answering all the key questions regarding description sets the stage for successful reflection. It is imperative to remember and record each element of an incident, emphasizing every significant happening that took place. The second stage focuses on exploring the healthcare provider's feelings associated with the specific event that happened. Graham Gibbs noted that individuals undergo a rigorous thought process and feelings when participating in an event or experience in the healthcare sector. When describing the feelings, it is important to pay attention to the feelings one had before, during, and after the incident. The second stage involves a rigorous analysis of the shift of emotions and feelings as one underwent a specific experience in the healthcare sector. During this stage, it is also imperative to pay attention to the emotions and feelings of others regarding the specific incident. Recounting the transition of feelings while reflecting on the emotions governing each experience element is an important aspect of successful reflection (Forrest, 2008). The Gibbs model encourages a high level of honesty with the core objective of expressing all feelings and emotions associated with the event. When describing the feelings, it is easier to focus on each moment of the experience and how it made the healthcare provider feel. The third stage of the Gibbs reflective cycle is evaluation. The evaluation stage focuses on an objective consideration of what happened, highlighting the positive and negative elements regarding the experience or incident. The guiding questions in this stage must address what went well and what did not go well. The evaluation also highlights the steps that the healthcare provider and others took to contribute to the experience positively or negatively (Barksby, 2015). During this stage, it is imperative to pay attention to maintaining an objective perspective that aims to identify aspects of the experiences that were successful and unsuccessful. It is essential to pay close attention to each experience and the elements that characterize it as effective or successful. Maintaining the right perspective during the evaluation stage can highlight the specific areas that need more attention in the future. The fourth stage in the Gibbs reflective model is analysis. The purpose of the analysis is to make sense of the experience, emphasizing relevant literature that defines the experience. Making sense of an experience in the healthcare sector will help develop a clear meaning that makes the experience a meaningful part of active practice. In many cases, the analysis step represents the longest portion of the Gibbs reflective model. The fact that the health practitioner uses the relevant literature enhances the association of the meaning from literature to active practice. The evidence-based approach makes it easier to achieve positive outcomes in the analysis stage. The careful selection of relevant and recent evidence that governs the specific experience fosters the reflective process. It is vital to take more time on the analysis stage because it helps the healthcare practitioner identify nursing theories and concepts that bring light to the experience. Healthcare practitioners that carefully undertake the analysis stage establish a solid basis for developing improvements in the future (Jayatilleke & Mackie, 2013). The theories and concepts associated with a specific experience help reveal the characteristics of a standard procedure. The healthcare practitioner focuses on explaining what transpired sing the existing theory. The analysis stage also establishes associations and comparisons between the experience and the standard protocols from the literature. To ensure that the analysis stage is meaningful, healthcare practitioners should pay close attention to the existing research, theories, and models that foster a better interpretation of the incident. It is imperative to interpret the incident from different perspectives per the available literature. Without a practical analysis of the scenario or experience, achieving the level of understanding required to foster future improvement becomes difficult. The ability to bring together nursing theory and experience marks the success of the analysis stage. When conducting a rigorous reflective practice, it is imperative to pay attention to any related theories and concepts that will enhance interpreting the specific scenario. The fifth stage in the Gibbs reflective model is the conclusion. Notably, the conclusion pays attention to what the healthcare practitioner has learned from general and specific perspectives. It is important to take the time and undertake a rigorous analysis of what happened to develop a general conclusion transferable to other experiences and a specific conclusion that applies to the specific scenario. Based on what the healthcare practitioner has learned, the conclusion section embarks on determining what can be done better and the future skills needed in handling a similar scenario. Drawing conclusions requires a holistic perspective of the event that transpired to establish deeper insight into the specific lessons associated with the scenario (Forrest, 2008). These lessons represent important elements for improving the scenario or experience in the future. Thus, the ability to undertake a successful conclusion has its basis on a rigorous process of learning from an experience and developing insight that leads to potentially concluding remarks. The last step in the Gibbs reflective model is the action plan. Notably, the action plan summarizes what the healthcare practitioner needs to know and highlights the suggested improvements for future practice. The importance of reflective practice is to earn from past experiences and incidents and develop better competencies of addressing a similar scenario in the future (Barksby, 2015). For this reason, the action plan represents a section that pays attention to the importance of new knowledge and experience and specific areas in which it is applicable. The action plan also embarks on determining the potential adaptations of one's actions and improving skills with a focus on registering better outcomes in the future. A successful action plan must highlight what healthcare practitioners will do when facing a similar scenario. The action ...