Why is reflection important for healthcare professionals?
Healthcare professionals need to be able to think critically and solve problems. They need to be able to self-assess their knowledge and skill level and be motivated to increase their knowledge and skills throughout their career.
Reflective writing is personal. It is your response to experiences, events, new information, thoughts, feelings. It is a way to explore your learning and personal growth. Reflections help you better understand what you have learned and should help you think about your strengths and weaknesses. Reflection should also help you identify where you need to direct your future learning. It is important to remember that reflective writing is not just summarizing or describing what you have learned. Reflective writing is personal and requires thought before sitting down to the keyboard to write your statement. Reflective thinking usually includes looking back at an event or activity, analyzing it from different perspectives and thinking about what this experience means to you and your journey as a student or healthcare professional.
Helpful guide to writing reflection statements (see Rubric for grading criteria)
Criteria on Required Components-
Revisit- What happened?
Write a short description of a significant event(s) that you are reflecting on.
Use the past tense since the event has already taken place.
If you are writing about an idea or theory such as increasing access to healthcare, you would most often use the present tense.
React- How did you feel? (Emotions, values & beliefs)
Describe how you feel about the event(s).
As you re-examine the particular event(s), how do you feel now?
Relate- What did you learn?
Make a connection between learning and your own knowledge and/or skill.
What did you learn most about?
How does this event(s) help you learn and further your understanding as a clinician?
Respond- What did you gain from the experience?
How will the learning gained from the event(s) help you as a improve as student in the dental hygiene program and/or as a dental hygienist after you graduate?
How will you incorporate this into your practice?
Learning goals?
Please see the attached rubric with my notes in pink to go off from
