Nursing Reflective Essay Examples

Reflective practice is a cornerstone of nursing education and professional development, enhancing critical thinking and improving patient care. Writing a nursing reflective essay allows you to analyze your experiences, learn from them, and refine your practice. This article provides comprehensive examples of nursing reflective essays, including a Borton’s reflective model essay and a nursing reflective essay using Gibbs cycle, to guide your own writing. These models offer structured approaches to reflection, with Borton’s model focusing on “What?”, “So what?”, and “Now what?”, while Gibbs’ cycle provides a more detailed six-step process. By examining these examples and understanding their structure, you’ll be better equipped to craft your own compelling reflection. We’ll also provide analysis and practical tips to help you effectively articulate your experiences and insights, ensuring your reflective essay demonstrates deep learning and professional growth in your nursing journey.

Example 1: Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

Title: Reflecting on My First Experience Administering Medication

Description

During my second-year placement in a busy medical ward, I was tasked with administering oral medication to a patient for the first time. The patient was Mrs. Johnson, a 78-year-old woman recovering from pneumonia. She was prescribed several medications, including antibiotics and pain relievers. The nurse supervising me, Sarah, was present throughout the process but allowed me to take the lead.

Feelings

As I prepared the medications, I felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety. The excitement stemmed from the opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge in a real clinical setting. However, anxiety crept in as I realized the responsibility of ensuring the correct medication, dosage, and administration route. My hands trembled slightly as I organized the medication cups, and I found myself double-checking everything multiple times.

Evaluation

Overall, the process went smoothly. I correctly followed the “Five Rights” of medication administration: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time. I verified Mrs. Johnson’s identity using two identifiers and cross-checked the medication against her chart. I also explained each medication to her, its purpose, and potential side effects, which she appreciated.

However, I realized that I took significantly longer than necessary to complete the task. What should have been a 10-minute process took nearly 25 minutes. While thoroughness is crucial, I understood that in a busier situation, this could lead to delays in patient care and potential frustration for both patients and colleagues.

Analysis

My thorough approach ensured patient safety, which is paramount in medication administration. The extra time I took to double and triple-check everything prevented any potential errors. Mrs. Johnson’s positive response to my explanations about the medications highlighted the importance of patient education in nursing care.

However, my lack of confidence led to unnecessary repetition of checks, which increased the time taken. I understand now that while accuracy is crucial, efficiency is also important in a clinical setting where multiple patients require care. The balance between thoroughness and efficiency is a skill that comes with practice and experience.

Moreover, I realized that practical application of skills can differ significantly from classroom learning. In class, we practiced in a controlled environment without the pressures of a real ward. The experience emphasized the need for more practical training to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Conclusion

This experience was a valuable learning opportunity that highlighted several key aspects of nursing practice. It reinforced the importance of medication safety and patient education. At the same time, it revealed areas for improvement, particularly in time management and building confidence in clinical skills.

The positive interaction with Mrs. Johnson demonstrated that taking time to explain medications can enhance patient understanding and cooperation. However, the experience also showed that I need to work on my efficiency to provide timely care in a busy ward environment.

Action Plan

To improve my medication administration skills and overall nursing practice, I will:

1. Practice medication administration in the skills lab to build confidence and improve speed without compromising accuracy.
2. Seek opportunities to observe experienced nurses during medication rounds, paying attention to their techniques for efficiency.
3. Review time management techniques for clinical settings and try to apply them in my future placements.
4. Engage in role-play scenarios with peers to practice patient communication during medication administration, focusing on being both informative and concise.
5. Request more opportunities for supervised medication administration during my placement to gain more hands-on experience.
6. Create a personal checklist for medication administration that incorporates both safety checks and efficiency measures.
7. Reflect on each medication administration experience to continually refine my approach.

By implementing these actions, I aim to develop into a nurse who can provide safe, efficient, and patient-centered care.

Example 2: Using Borton’s Reflective Model

Title: Reflecting on Communication with a Non-Verbal Patient

What?

During my placement in the intensive care unit (ICU), I encountered Mr. Davis, a 62-year-old patient who was intubated following complications from pneumonia. Due to the intubation, Mr. Davis was unable to speak. I needed to assess his pain level as part of my routine checks, but I quickly realized that our standard numerical pain scale wouldn’t be effective in this situation.

I initially tried to ask Mr. Davis to blink once for yes and twice for no, but he seemed confused by this method. I then attempted to use hand gestures to communicate, but this also proved ineffective as Mr. Davis was also experiencing some weakness in his extremities. I felt increasingly frustrated and could see that Mr. Davis was becoming agitated, likely due to his inability to communicate his needs effectively.

After several unsuccessful attempts, I sought help from my supervising nurse, who introduced me to a communication board specifically designed for ICU patients. This board had pictures and words representing common needs and a pain scale with facial expressions. Using this tool, we were finally able to assess Mr. Davis’s pain level and address his other immediate needs.

So What?

This experience was eye-opening in several ways. Firstly, it made me acutely aware of the importance of non-verbal communication skills in nursing. In a critical care environment like the ICU, many patients may be unable to communicate verbally due to intubation, sedation, or other factors. As nurses, we need to be equipped with alternative communication methods to ensure we can still provide effective, patient-centered care.

The frustration and helplessness I felt during my initial attempts to communicate with Mr. Davis gave me a small glimpse into what patients in his situation might feel constantly. It highlighted the psychological impact of being unable to express oneself, especially in a vulnerable state like being in the ICU. This realization deepened my empathy for non-verbal patients and reinforced the importance of finding effective ways to give them a voice in their care.

Moreover, this experience revealed a significant gap in my skillset. While my training had prepared me for many aspects of patient care, I realized I was underprepared for communicating with non-verbal patients. It made me reflect on the need for more comprehensive training in alternative communication methods as part of nursing education.

The introduction of the communication board was a turning point in this experience. It showed me how the right tools can dramatically improve patient communication and care. It also emphasized the importance of resourcefulness and adaptability in nursing – when one method doesn’t work, we need to be ready to try alternatives.

Lastly, this situation reinforced the value of teamwork in nursing. When I struggled, my supervising nurse was there to provide guidance and introduce me to a solution I wasn’t aware of. It reminded me that nursing is a collaborative profession, and it’s okay to seek help when faced with challenges.

Now What?

This experience has motivated me to take several actions to improve my ability to care for non-verbal patients:

1. Research and Practice: I will dedicate time to researching various methods and tools for communicating with non-verbal patients. This will include studying different types of communication boards, hand signals, and electronic communication devices used in healthcare settings. I’ll practice using these methods to become more proficient.
2. Skill Development: I plan to seek out training opportunities specifically focused on communication with non-verbal patients. This could include workshops, online courses, or in-service training at my placement facility.
3. Enhance Observational Skills: I will work on developing my ability to read non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and physiological signs. This will involve conscious practice during my patient interactions and possibly studying resources on non-verbal communication.
4. Create Resources: I will compile a personal reference guide of communication strategies and tools for different patient scenarios. This will help me be better prepared for future encounters with non-verbal patients.
5. Advocate for Training: I will speak with my nursing program coordinators about the possibility of incorporating more training on communication with non-verbal patients into our curriculum. If such training already exists, I’ll advocate for its expansion.
6. Peer Education: I plan to share my experience and learnings with my fellow nursing students. This could involve organizing a study group focused on communication skills or giving a presentation on the topic.
7. Continuous Improvement: In future encounters with non-verbal patients, I will make a conscious effort to apply what I’ve learned. After each interaction, I’ll reflect on what worked well and what could be improved, continuously refining my approach.

By taking these steps, I aim to develop into a nurse who can effectively communicate with and care for all patients, regardless of their verbal abilities. This experience has shown me that such skills are not just beneficial but essential for providing high-quality, patient-centered care.

Example 3: Using Johns’ Model of Reflection

Title: Reflecting on an Ethical Dilemma in Palliative Care

Description of the experience

During my placement in a palliative care unit, I was involved in caring for Mr. Thompson, a 79-year-old patient with advanced stage lung cancer. Mr. Thompson had been admitted to the unit three weeks ago, and his condition had been steadily declining. Prior to losing consciousness, Mr. Thompson had expressed his wish for no extraordinary measures to be taken to prolong his life and had signed a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.

However, as Mr. Thompson’s condition worsened, his family, particularly his daughter, began insisting on more aggressive treatment. They requested that he be transferred to the ICU for intubation and mechanical ventilation, despite the medical team’s explanation that such measures were unlikely to improve his condition and would go against his previously expressed wishes.

As part of the care team, I found myself caught in the middle of this conflict. On one hand, I felt a strong obligation to advocate for Mr. Thompson’s autonomy and his right to die with dignity as per his wishes. On the other hand, I empathized with the family’s distress and their desire to do everything possible for their loved one.

Reflection

This situation stirred up a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. I felt a deep sense of conflict between my professional duty to respect patient autonomy and my human instinct to comfort a grieving family. There was also a feeling of frustration as I witnessed the tension between the medical team and the family escalate.

I found myself questioning the limits of patient autonomy. While Mr. Thompson had clearly expressed his wishes, he was now unconscious and unable to reaffirm them. Did this change anything? Should the fact that he couldn’t advocate for himself now mean that his previous decisions carried less weight?

I also grappled with the concept of beneficence. The medical team, myself included, believed that aggressive treatment would cause more harm than good to Mr. Thompson at this stage. But the family saw any chance, no matter how small, as worth taking. This made me reflect on how different people can have vastly different interpretations of what constitutes “doing good” for a patient.

The situation also made me acutely aware of the emotional toll that end-of-life care takes on healthcare professionals. Balancing medical ethics, patient wishes, and family dynamics while also providing compassionate care is an incredibly complex task.

Influencing factors

Several factors influenced this situation:

1. Family dynamics: Mr. Thompson’s daughter seemed to be the primary driver behind the push for more aggressive treatment. It became apparent that she was struggling to accept her father’s imminent death.
2. Communication gaps: Despite the medical team’s explanations, it seemed the family didn’t fully understand the implications of aggressive treatment or the unlikelihood of recovery.
3. Cultural and religious beliefs: The family’s insistence on doing everything possible seemed to be partly influenced by their cultural background, which viewed letting go as giving up.
4. Legal and ethical guidelines: While the DNR order was legally binding, the situation was complicated by Mr. Thompson’s current unconscious state.
5. Team dynamics: There were some disagreements within the healthcare team about how forcefully to resist the family’s demands, which added to the complexity of the situation.

Alternative strategies

Reflecting on the experience, I can identify several alternative approaches that might have been beneficial:

1. Earlier intervention: Could we have facilitated a family meeting earlier in Mr. Thompson’s stay to discuss his prognosis and wishes more thoroughly?
2. Better communication: Perhaps we could have used more accessible language or visual aids to help the family understand Mr. Thompson’s condition and the implications of different treatment options.
3. Involvement of an ethics committee: Seeking input from the hospital’s ethics committee might have provided valuable guidance and potentially helped resolve the conflict.
4. Palliative care specialist involvement: Bringing in a palliative care specialist to speak with the family might have provided a different perspective and helped them understand the benefits of comfort care.
5. Psychological support: Offering counseling or support services to the family earlier might have helped them process their grief and come to terms with Mr. Thompson’s prognosis.
6. Advocating more assertively: As a nurse, I could have been more proactive in advocating for Mr. Thompson’s previously expressed wishes, perhaps by documenting conversations with the family and escalating concerns to senior staff.

Learning

This experience taught me several valuable lessons:

1. The complexity of end-of-life decision-making: I learned that these situations are rarely straightforward and often involve balancing competing ethical principles.
2. The importance of clear advance directives: This case highlighted the critical role of having detailed, well-documented advance directives to guide care when a patient becomes incapacitated.
3. The need for effective communication: I realized the importance of ensuring that patients and families fully understand prognoses, treatment options, and implications of care decisions.
4. The value of interdisciplinary collaboration: This situation demonstrated the importance of working collaboratively with different members of the healthcare team, including ethicists and palliative care specialists.
5. The role of cultural competence: I learned the importance of considering cultural and religious factors in end-of-life care and decision-making.
6. The importance of self-care: This experience made me aware of the emotional toll of working in palliative care and the need for healthcare providers to have support systems and coping strategies.
7. The need for ongoing ethics education: I recognized that as a nurse, I need to continually educate myself about medical ethics to navigate complex situations like this one.

Moving forward, I plan to:

1. Seek out additional training in medical ethics and end-of-life care communication.
2. Practice having difficult conversations about prognosis and care options with patients and families.
3. Familiarize myself with my institution’s policies and resources for handling ethical dilemmas.
4. Advocate for early and ongoing discussions about advance directives with patients and families.
5. Develop my own self-care strategies to manage the emotional challenges of palliative care nursing.

This experience, while challenging, has ultimately deepened my understanding of the complexities of nursing practice and reinforced my commitment to providing ethical, patient-centered care.

Conclusion

These examples demonstrate different approaches to reflective writing in nursing, each offering a deep, critical analysis of a specific experience. Whether you use Gibbs’ Cycle, Borton’s Model, Johns’ Model, or another framework, the key is to engage in honest, thorough reflection about your experiences.

As these examples show, effective reflection goes beyond simply recounting events. It involves analyzing your thoughts, feelings, and actions, considering influencing factors and alternative approaches, and most importantly, identifying concrete learning outcomes and action plans for future practice.

Remember, the goal of reflection is not just to recount experiences, but to learn from them and use those insights to improve your nursing practice. This process of reflection contributes significantly to your development as a competent, compassionate, and ethically-grounded nursing professional.

As you write your own reflective essays, focus on your personal growth, the impact on patient care, and your plans for future improvement. Be honest about challenges and mistakes, as these often provide the richest learning opportunities. And always consider how your reflections can be translated into actionable steps to enhance your nursing practice.

Through consistent, thoughtful reflection, you can turn every experience – positive or negative – into an opportunity for learning and professional development, ultimately improving the quality of care you provide to your patients.

Need Help with Your Nursing Reflective Essay?

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