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Self awareness and reflection in social work
Principles of reflective practice
Principles of reflective practice
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Discuss the importance of Lifelong Learning/Continuing Professional Development.
The purpose of this essay is to discuss Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the importance CPD has to the nursing profession. Continuing Professional Development and Lifelong Learning (LLL) are both defined the same however CPD will be used throughout this essay. The concepts of CPD will be discussed along with two skills and one attribute that are required to become an effective learner.
Due to the ever increasing changes in society, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can only increase an individual’s understanding and knowledge in life. A definition of CPD published by the General Medical Council (2012) states that learning is a continuing
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With out exception all qualified nurse must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) each year, the NMC is a regulatory body, they measure and set standards of proficiency for nurses and midwives through their code of conduct, they also set standards for education and these standards come under theory and practice. Each nurse needs to accommodate these standards each year to be able to re-register with the NMC (NMC, 2014). The Department of Health (2012) issued a report around CPD for the National Health Service (NHS) staff, this report explains the importance of CPD while discussing how CPD promotes opportunities and ameliorates patient care, the government supported this report widely and introduced a white paper called ‘Learning to Succeed’, in addition to this education has now become a priority in the NHS. LLL and CPD was also a key principle for the United Kingdom Central Council (UKCC) (1983) this was mostly …show more content…
Reflection is very much his basis for learning, although the concept of reflection was originally work from Schon (1983) Jarvis extended his idea, Schon’s work was very much credited and in the mid-eighties his work on reflection was put on the agenda of professional practice in the nursing profession. Likewise reflection is an important process when attempting to integrate theory and practice. Severinsson’s (1998) directed a study in which it showed how the reflective approach focuses on ways which knowledge can be used in practice and how it enables nurses to develop their own personal knowledge, his study indicated that personal growth enhanced a person’s skill and ability to reflect. Using reflection offers people an opportunity to review their decisions and to help learn from past experiences, which will positively influence future learning and practice. Some individuals may find reflection tough due to the self-awareness that is needed to be able to critically reflect in an analytical way (Steverinsson’s, 1998). The reason for this is that people have to be socialized to see themselves as passive recipients of knowledge instead of recipients of critical constructors. Being self-aware enables individuals to identify their own strengths and identify any areas for development,
As a nurse we are responsible for the safety and overall health promotion of our patients. Competency in the nursing field is what ensures patient safety and decreased hospital acquired injury. Continued competence ensures that the nurse is able to perform efficiently and safely in a constantly changing environment. Nurses must continuously evaluate their level of skill and find where improvement needs to be made in order to keep up to date with the expected skill level set by their
Nurses are able to reflect upon their past experiences of work and build and improve this ensuring their level of competence and skills is in line with NMC guidelines. Improving the quality of care provided to patients is an ongoing process and requires practitioners to contently reflect and improve their practice. (Howatson-Jones, 2013) One way in which reflection can improve the quality of care is through the use of professional supervision, as stated by (Daly, Speedy and Jackson, 2014) a focus for supervision should be enhancing a nurse’s skills and ability to reflect on practice. It should reflect on the standard of care provided and highlight areas for improvement such as further training. This, in turn, leads to a greater self-awareness of practitioners’ own abilities. The process is not about finding faults, but to improve and learn to ensure the quality of care is high and professional for all patients. Being self-aware is a skill important to reflection and the provision of quality of
According to the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) continuing professional development is defined as “the way professionals continue to learn and develop throughout their careers so they keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are able to work safely, legally and effectively.” (HCPC, 2012). Continuing professional development (CPD) is an important factor of health care professionals work and practice as it ensures that they are up to date with relevant policies and procedures, that their quality of work is of a high degree and also to benefit the service users.
Burns, S. Bulman, C. Palmer, A. (1997) Reflective Practice in Nursing - The growth of the professional practitioner. London: Blackwell Science.
Reflection has its importance in clinical practice; we always seek to be successful and that can be achieved by learning every day of our life through experiences we encounter. In that way we can reconsider and rethink our previous knowledge and add new learning to our knowledge base so as to inform our practice. Learning new skills does not stop upon qualifying; this should become second nature to thinking professionals as they continue their professional development throughout their careers (Jasper, 2006). According to Rolfe et al. (2001), reflection does not merely add to our knowledge, it also challenges the concepts and theories by which we try to make sense of that knowledge. Acquiring knowledge through reflection is modern way of learning from practice that can be traced back at least to the 1930s and the work of John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator who was the instigator of what might be called ''discovery learning'' or learning from experience. He claimed that we learn by doing and that appreciating what results from what we do leads to a process of developing knowledge, the nature and importance of which then we must seek to interpret (Rolfe et al., 2001).
Middleton, J. (2004). A Practical To Promote Reflective Practice Within Nursing .Retrieved March 31, 2004 from www.nursingtimes.net.
UKCC (1994). The future of Professional Practice – The Councils Standard for Education and Practice following registration. http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Standards/nmcStandardsForSpecialistEducationandPractice.pdf [Accessed 1/4/2014]
The ability to become reflective in practice has become a necessary skill for health professionals. This is to ensure that health professionals are continuing with their daily learning and improving their practice. Reflective practice plays a big part in healthcare today and is becoming increasingly noticed.
Definitions of reflection vary depending on the discipline of the author. Having reviewed the literature, Bulman (2008, p.2), a nurse, defines it as “reviewing an experience from practice so that it may be described, analysed, evaluated and used to inform and change future practice”. It is a personal process requiring honesty, openness, self-awareness, courage and a willingness to act on criticism. It acknowledges that feelings and emotions influence actions. Critical reflection involves in depth examination and questioning of personal, social, historical, cultural and political assumptions and perspectives that are embedded in actions. It is an active process enabling one to make sense of events, situations and actions that occur in the workplace (Oelofsen, 2012). It transforms a situation in which there is confusion and doubt to one that is clear and coherent (Dewey, 2010).
It may have been something you did differently that had a positive result and you may conclude you would do it again upon reflection. The most important part of reflection is making sense of situations and events that occur so that our decision making and any actions we take lead to good, effective practice. Nurses have to keep a record of their continued professional development. At annual reviews, nurses are able to present evidence of their development through a portfolio which should contain reflective accounts of their practice. These reflective accounts will help them identify strengths and weaknesses, highlight their performance, improve their skills and highlight any areas that could be developed.
Nurses need a seat at the table to ensure they have a voice to influence and shape their future. Nursing is constantly evolving and changing, and employers continue to raise the bar for nursing. Nurses understand early in their career the importance of continuing education to enhance future career opportunities. Professional development relates to how nurses continue to broaden their knowledge, skills, and expertise throughout their career, therefore enhancing their professional practice. This advanced knowledge is not only career boosting, but also opens a seat at the table giving nurses the power to make decisions and effect changes. Professional development and continuing education are more important to nurses now than ever before to keep up with the rapid changes in healthcare today. Numminen, Leino-Kilpi, Isoaho and Meretoja’s (2017) article contends professional development enhances personal satisfaction, rejuvenates the love of nursing, builds confidence and credibility. There are many avenues to pursue
The ongoing education and training which supports the nursing as a profession must be maintained. The self-concept of nurses is enormously important in maintaining a professional identity.
The case study focused on a nursing student named Jane, who described how she “absorbed her patient’s emotional trauma like a sponge” (Rees, 2012, pg. 321). Through reflective practice, Jane claimed she was able to “deal with the emotional challenges such as fear she frequently felt in practice” (Rees, 2012, pg. 321). Dr Rees findings established how reflection can help nurses manage their emotions, in order to help the individual gain strength to overcome emotions brought about by the practice of nursing. Clearly reflective practice assists a nurse in being a success throughout their
Continuous professional development is very much part of the process of lifelong learning as it is a range of activities related to learning through which health care professionals maintain their ability to practice safely and effectively within legal boundaries. (Health and Care Professions Council, 2014 p.6).The key consideration regarding the concept of lifelong learning is that there are a multitude of definitions of lifelong learning however the concept of lifelong learning has universal connotations of learning and evolving which are essential in nursing because of the constant changes occurring in health care
In the previous part of this paper, the definition of Lifelong Learning is discussed and elaborated in details. However, it appears that the current conception of lifelong learning focus on “education” rather than “learning” as the recognition of certification and qualification is the main emphasis. This is closely linked to the continual renewal of licenses to practice a profession. Hence, there is a lower emphasis and value placed on “vocational” learning for personal interest and enrichment.