Cultivating the Contemplative Clinician: The Practice and Pedagogy of Reflection in Palliative Education (TH302)

Abstract

•List five reasons for using reflective activities when teaching palliative care.•Describe evidence from the literature supporting the use of reflection as a pedagogical approach in palliative education.•Integrate effective tools for stimulating and evaluating reflective activities. Sound clinical practice, especially in palliative care, requires much more than the memorization and accumulation of factual knowledge. Indeed, reflective capacity has been linked to deeper understanding of the patient experience, the development of empathy, practitioner well-being, and personal and professional growth and development—all essential for meaning and success in palliative care. Reflective activities range from reflective writing; journaling; developing portfolios; producing video essays; and reacting to art, videos, or writings of others. This interactive workshop will explore the use of reflection as an important pedagogical component of palliative education. The rationale and current evidence supporting the use of reflective activities will be described. Beyond acknowledging its value, this workshop will provide the learner with tools to enhance and evaluate reflective educational experiences. Participants will begin with a reflective exercise that will serve as a foundation for the workshop and be used to illustrate the value of and rationale for reflective activities. Participants will be exposed to a variety of “prompts” used to stimulate reflection and will develop their own prompts as part of the session. The substance and importance of meaningful student feedback that is both supportive and stimulating will be discussed. Examples of effective feedback will be shared. Methodologies for analyzing and reporting the results of reflective activities will be presented. Participants will also develop a plan for integrating reflective activities into their educational efforts.