Mindful Learning: Reflective Practice as a Tool for Growth with Learna | Diploma MSc
Althea Cooley,
Digital Marketing Executive at Learna
As a busy healthcare professional, taking the time to engage in reflective practices can seem like yet another thing to think about amidst an already packed schedule - though it’s one whose value should not be underestimated.
Reflection forms an integral part of self-awareness, evaluation and improvement; by slowing down to create meaning and draw learning from experiences - future actions and decisions are informed. In turn, this reflective process creates a cycle of continuous learning and development. That’s why at Learna | Diploma MSc, all of our postgraduate diploma and master’s courses emphasise the importance of reflective practice, and include a reflective journal for students to complete throughout their studies, which holds a 10% weighting of their overall assessment grade.
Below, we explore in-depth the benefits of reflective practice, and why creating a culture of lifelong learning and continuous growth has such a profound impact not only on professionals and patients, but on the whole healthcare industry.
What is reflective practice?
Reflective practice can take the form of a written journal or a reflective conversation - the best option will depend on individual needs and learning styles. Either way, the structure will include questions that provoke deep introspection and analysis and identify areas of success, and those which need improvement.
The process of reflection is one of honesty; there is no need for perfection, no right or wrong answers. Instead of focusing solely on outcomes, reflective practice allows for focus on the process and lessons learned along the way, which can form important learning experiences to apply in future.
Reflective practice models
As reflective practice becomes more widely used in healthcare and other disciplines, there are a number of models available to use as a framework. While the process of reflection is entirely unique and representative of an individual journey, it can be helpful to have a starting point, ensure consistency, and allow the focus to be on the reflective content rather than formatting.
At Learna | Diploma MSc, we have adopted three different models for students to structure their reflective journal from: The Critical Instant Report, Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, and Borton’s Framework.
The Critical Instant Report
The Critical Instant Report encourages deep self-reflection and critical thinking to enhance learning from specific incidents, with a focus on capturing and analyzing critical moments that impact professional practice. The process involves describing the incident, reflecting on the emotions and thoughts experienced, analyzing the situation, and exploring strategies for future improvement.
Benefits of reflective practice
Commitment to self-improvement, learning and professional development. Engaging in reflective practice enables students to identify gaps in their knowledge and skills, which establishes areas to focus on for their ongoing professional development. The process encourages use of evidence-based learning and best practice.
Improved critical thinking skills and clinical decision making. The evaluation skills learned in reflective practice develop critical thinking skills, which can be used to solve complex problems effectively and make informed decisions. By analysing past decisions and understanding the reasoning behind them, healthcare professionals can identify bias or errors which can be eliminated for future practice.
Enhanced empathy and patient-centred care. Reflective practice encourages students to consider different perspectives, including those of their patients. This allows them to improve the quality of care delivered to patients and adopt an approach that is patient-centred.
Increased emotional intelligence. Taking the time to reflect helps students to manage the emotional aspects of their work and to gain a better understanding of their emotions. The skills gained from consistent reflective practice develop emotional resilience and improve overall wellbeing.
Leadership skills. By reflecting on interactions with colleagues and team members, professionals develop skills in teamwork and communication and identify effective collaboration strategies required for leadership.
Developing healthy habits for a fulfilling career
We choose to emphasise reflective practice as part of our courses and assessment because we see the impact that it has not only on our students and graduates for their personal and professional growth, but also on improving the quality of patient care - which aligns perfectly with our mission and values here at Learna | Diploma MSc. By developing reflective practice habits as part of your studies, you establish a foundation for a career of lifelong learning and continuous improvement.
Our online postgraduate courses are designed for busy healthcare professionals; we are mindful of just how challenging it can be to balance everything, which is why all of our courses feature self-directed learning as opposed to more traditional pedagogical models.
With learning delivered 100% online through our exceptional faculty of field-leaders, students can study from anywhere in the world, engaging in our academic forum at a time that suits them. In addition to flexibility, we prioritise affordability to make our courses accessible, with no international surcharges and interest free payment plans available.
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Ready to adopt the art of reflection as you take your career to the next level? Visit our course pages today to find out more.