Is there a place for reflective practice in the nursing curriculum?

Abstract

Within this paper a review of the literature on the area of reflection and reflective practice is presented. Lecturers at Trinity College Dublin currently face a dilemma with regard to including these concepts in the nursing curricula. They are faced on the one hand with national recommendations for the use of reflection and reflective practice, and on the other with personal and professional concerns about the practical, legal, ethical and moral implications raised in teaching and assessing this subj ect. The literature reveals that there is little consensus of opinion regarding the exact nature of reflection. There is also little empirical evidence to support the benefits of teaching and assessing of reflection or reflective practice from either an educational or clinical perspective. This, together with the practical difficulties of teaching and assessing reflection, may negate against the incorporation of reflection and reflective practice into the nursing curriculum. It is suggested that, rathe r than isolate reflection as a distinct topic, that the skills of critical thinking, problem solving, self-awareness and analysis be developed within the curriculum.