Blog

Reflection: Importance, theory and practice

University of Leeds Within healthcare, reflection has been defined as the active process of reviewing, analysing and evaluating experiences, drawing upon theoretical concepts or previous learning, in order to inform future actions (Reid, 1993). A competent reflective practitioner repeatedly reflects on experience and is capable of reflecting-in-action, continually learning from experience to the benefit of future actions (Schon, 1983). The purpose of this short article is to raise awareness of the pertinence of reflection in clinical practice and briefly describe the implementation of a structured approach which has been used to develop reflective practice skills within the University of Leeds BSc (Hons) Audiology programme. Introduction Reflective practice has achieved wide take-up in healthcare such that the benefits of being a reflective practitioner are well evidenced in several healthcare fields including pharmacy (Owen & Stupans, 2009), medicine (Walker, 1996; Mamede et al., 2008) and, most prominently, nursing (Atkins & Murphy, 1993; Walker, 1996; Wilkinson, 1999; Esterhuizen & Freshwater, 2008). Continual critical thinking and reflection can close the gap between theory and practice, improve quality of care and stimulate personal and professional development (Argyris & Schön, 1978; Schon, 1983; Schon, 1987; Boud & Walker, 1998; Epstein & Hundert, 2002). Indeed, it has been suggested that reflecting from professional experiences, rather than learning from formal teaching, may be the most important source of personal professional development and improvement (Jasper, 2003). Accordingly, within the field of Audiology, reflection is a fundamental component in the British Academy of Audiology Continuing Professional Development scheme and practical guidelines for fostering reflective practice in an audiological setting are available (DePlacido, 2010). Furthermore, clinic based learning and reflection in the training of audiology students has been discussed and noted to be beneficial (Chabon & Lee-Wilkerson, 2006; Goldberg et al., 2006; Ng, 2011). However, scholarly exploration regarding reflection within an audiology setting and how best to develop reflective skills in trainee audiologists is limited. Given that proficient reflection skills can ultimately result in improved practice (Walker, 1996; Jasper, 2003; Mamede, Schmidt et al., 2008; Owen & Stupans, 2009), it is crucial to highlight the significance of reflection and carefully consider approaches that promote development of confident reflective audiologists.


Order Now

You are one step closer to getting a quality paper

Get 20% discount on your first order, enjoy regular coupons from Nursing Research Lab when you sign up with us

Start Now