reflective writing examples in nursing

How to Write a Nursing Reflective Essay as a BSN Nursing Student

• November 29, 2023

Welcome to NursingWriters.net, your go-to resource for expert information and guidance on writing nursing essays. In this article, we will provide you, as a BSN nursing student , with a comprehensive guide on how to write a compelling nursing reflective essay. Reflective essays are a personal reflection on your experiences in the nursing profession, and we are here to help you navigate this writing challenge.

As a busy nursing student, we understand that you may have limited time to spare. That’s where NursingWriters.net comes in, empowering you to excel in your BSN program by providing expert guidance on different writing and comprehension challenges you may face. Let’s dive into the world of nursing reflective essays and discover how you can effectively express your thoughts and insights.

Key Takeaways:

• Reflective essays allow nursing students to reflect on their experiences and personal growth in the profession.
• A nursing reflective essay is different from a personal statement, focusing on self-reflection rather than academic achievements.
• Key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay are the inciting incident, personal reflections, vivid details, and actions taken.
• The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide a clear thesis statement.
• The body paragraphs should delve into the writer’s reflections and emotions with specific examples and anecdotes.

What Is a Reflective Essay in Nursing?

A reflective essay in nursing is a powerful tool that allows nursing students to analyze their experiences, emotions, and actions related to their nursing practice. It provides an opportunity for self-reflection, critical thinking, and personal growth. Reflective writing can help nurses develop a deeper understanding of their own practice, improve patient care, and enhance their professional development.

Reflective essays in nursing differ from personal statements in that they focus on specific experiences and their impact on the writer’s growth and development. These essays require the writer to critically reflect on their actions, emotions, and thoughts, and identify ways to improve their practice. By examining their experiences and applying reflective frameworks, nursing students can gain valuable insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.

When writing a reflective essay in nursing , it is important to follow a structured approach. This includes describing the incident or experience, analyzing personal thoughts and feelings, exploring the actions taken, and reflecting on the outcomes and implications. By structuring the essay effectively, nursing students can communicate their reflections in a clear and organized manner.

Key Elements to Include in a Nursing Reflective Essay

When writing a nursing reflective essay, it is important to include key elements that will make your essay comprehensive and impactful. These elements will help you convey your thoughts and experiences clearly, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of your reflections on nursing practice.

Inciting Incident or Event

The first key element to include in your nursing reflective essay is the inciting incident or event. This is the moment or experience that triggered your reflection and made a significant impact on your practice. It could be a challenging patient encounter, an ethical dilemma, or a personal realization. By describing this event in detail, you set the stage for your reflective journey.

Personal Reflections

Your nursing reflective essay should also include personal reflections on the experience. This is where you delve into your thoughts, feelings, and emotions related to the inciting incident. Reflect on how the event made you feel, what you learned from it, and how it has influenced your growth as a nursing professional. Be honest and vulnerable in your reflections, as this will allow the reader to connect with your experience on a deeper level.

Vivid Setting and Descriptive Details

To create a vivid and engaging narrative, include specific details that paint a picture of the setting and the people involved. Describe the physical environment, the interactions between healthcare professionals and patients, and any other relevant details that contribute to the overall context of the experience. This will help the reader visualize the situation and understand the complexities of the event.

Actions Taken

Finally, it is important to describe the actions you took in response to the inciting incident. Discuss how you applied your nursing knowledge and skills to address the challenges or opportunities presented by the event. Reflect on the effectiveness of your actions and whether there were any areas for improvement. This demonstrates your ability to critically analyze your own practice and make informed decisions.

By including these key elements in your nursing reflective essay, you can create a comprehensive and impactful piece of writing that showcases your growth and development as a nursing professional.

How to Write the Introduction of a Nursing Reflective Essay

The introduction of a nursing reflective essay plays a crucial role in capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the entire essay. It should provide a concise overview of the main points that will be discussed and create a sense of curiosity and engagement. Here are some tips to help you write an effective introduction for your nursing reflective essay:

• Start with an intriguing opening line: Begin your introduction with a captivating statement or anecdote that relates to the topic of your essay. This will grab the reader’s attention and make them eager to continue reading.
• Provide context and background information: Give a brief overview of the event or experience that you will be reflecting on in your essay. This will help the reader understand the context and significance of your reflections.
• Present a clear thesis statement: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main purpose of your essay and the specific points or themes that you will be exploring. This will give the reader a preview of what to expect in the body of the essay.

By following these tips, you can craft an introduction that captivates the reader and sets the stage for a compelling nursing reflective essay.

“As I walked into the busy hospital ward on my first day of clinical rotation, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. Little did I know that this experience would become a pivotal moment in my nursing journey, shaping my understanding of empathy, communication, and patient-centered care. In this reflective essay, I will delve into the details of this encounter and explore the personal and professional growth that resulted from it.”

With an attention-grabbing opening, providing context, and presenting a clear thesis statement, your introduction will set the stage for a compelling nursing reflective essay that captures the reader’s attention and lays the foundation for your reflections.

Nursing Reflection Essay Tips and Examples

Writing a nursing reflective essay requires careful consideration and thoughtful analysis. Here are some tips to help you craft an impactful and meaningful reflection essay as a BSN nursing student . Additionally, we will provide examples to illustrate how these tips can be applied.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflection Essay:

• Start by choosing a specific experience or event that had a significant impact on your nursing practice. This could be a challenging patient encounter, a critical incident, or a personal realization that transformed your perspective.
• Reflect on the experience and consider how it affected your emotions, thoughts, and actions. What did you learn from the experience? How has it shaped your growth as a nursing professional?
• Focus on the key aspects of the experience that were particularly impactful or meaningful to you. Avoid including unnecessary details or deviating from the main message of your reflection.
• Use specific examples, anecdotes, or patient scenarios to support your reflections. This will make your essay more engaging and relatable to the reader.
• Consider the ethical implications of the experience and reflect on how it has influenced your approach to patient care and decision-making.
• End your essay with a reflection on the implications of your learning for future nursing practice. How will you apply the lessons learned to provide better care and improve patient outcomes?

Now, let’s take a look at two examples of nursing reflective essays to further illustrate these tips:

“During my clinical rotation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I encountered a complex patient case that challenged my critical thinking skills and decision-making abilities. The patient was a middle-aged woman who had undergone a complicated surgery and experienced numerous post-operative complications. This experience taught me the importance of collaboration within the healthcare team and the significance of advocating for the patient’s best interests…”

“One of the most significant experiences during my nursing education was my time spent in the pediatric oncology unit. Witnessing the resilience and bravery of children facing life-threatening illnesses had a profound impact on my perspective as a nurse. It taught me the importance of providing holistic care, not only addressing physical needs but also supporting emotional well-being and promoting a positive environment for healing…”

These examples demonstrate how personal reflections, specific details, and professional insights can be incorporated to create a compelling nursing reflective essay. Remember to structure your essay in a clear and organized manner, ensuring that your reflections flow logically and coherently.

By following these tips and utilizing examples, you can create a compelling nursing reflective essay that showcases your growth and development as a nursing professional.

How to Conclude a Nursing Reflective Essay

The conclusion of a nursing reflective essay serves as the final reflection on the writer’s growth and learning from the experience. It is an essential part of the essay that summarizes the main points discussed and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. The reflective essay conclusion should bring closure to the essay by restating the thesis statement and highlighting the key takeaways from the essay.

To write a strong and impactful conclusion, start by restating the thesis statement in a clear and concise manner. This reminds the reader of the main focus of the essay and reinforces its significance. Next, summarize the key points discussed in the body paragraphs, highlighting the most important insights and reflections. This helps to reinforce the main ideas and ensures that they are not overlooked in the final reflection.

In addition to summarizing the main points, a thought-provoking statement or future outlook can be included to provide a sense of closure and leave the reader with something to ponder. This can be a reflection on how the experience has influenced the writer’s future practice or a call to action for continued personal and professional growth. By ending the essay on a strong and meaningful note, the conclusion enhances the overall impact of the nursing reflective essay.

A well-crafted conclusion is essential for a nursing reflective essay as it reinforces the main ideas, leaves a lasting impression on the reader, and provides a sense of closure. By following these tips, nursing students can create a powerful and impactful conclusion that enhances the overall effectiveness of their reflective essays.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay

Writing a nursing reflective essay can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can also be a rewarding experience. Here are some helpful tips and strategies to guide nursing students in their essay writing process:

• Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, reflect on your experiences, and write and revise your essay. Starting early will help you avoid last-minute stress and allow for a more thoughtful and polished essay.
• Conduct thorough self-reflection: Before you begin writing, take the time to reflect on your experiences and emotions related to your nursing practice. Consider how these experiences have shaped your growth and development as a nurse, and what lessons you have learned along the way.
• Organize your thoughts and ideas: Create an outline or a rough structure for your essay to ensure a logical flow of ideas. Group similar thoughts and reflections together to create cohesive paragraphs, and use headings or subheadings to further organize your essay.
• Seek feedback: Share your essay with trusted peers or instructors and ask for their feedback. They can offer valuable insights, provide constructive criticism, and help you refine your essay to make it stronger and more impactful.

Additionally, it is important to pay attention to the technical aspects of your essay:

• Grammar and spelling: Proofread your essay carefully to ensure it is free of any grammatical or spelling errors. Use grammar and spell-check tools, and consider asking someone else to review your essay for a fresh perspective.
• Coherent writing style: Use clear and concise language to convey your thoughts and reflections. Avoid excessive jargon or technical terms, and focus on communicating your ideas effectively.
• Formatting guidelines: Follow any formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or institution. Pay attention to font style, size, spacing, and citation style if required.

By following these tips and strategies, nursing students can approach their reflective essay writing with confidence and produce compelling and insightful essays that showcase their growth and development in the nursing profession.

Reflective Tools and Models for Nursing Reflective Essays

Reflective tools and models can provide structure and guidance for nursing students when writing reflective essays. These tools help organize thoughts and experiences, allowing for a more comprehensive and meaningful reflection. By utilizing reflection models , nursing students can enhance their reflective writing skills and deepen their understanding of their own growth and development as healthcare professionals.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

“Reflective practice is both an art and a science that requires ongoing commitment and practice.” – Gibbs

Gibbs’ Reflective Model is a widely used reflection framework in nursing. It consists of six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. This model encourages a structured approach to reflection, allowing the writer to systematically explore their thoughts and emotions, analyze the situation, and identify areas for improvement or further development.

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” – Dewey

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model focuses on the importance of reflection as a tool for learning and growth. It emphasizes the need to actively engage with experiences, thoughts, and emotions, and to critically evaluate them in order to gain deeper insights and understanding. This model encourages nursing students to think analytically and develop a continuous learning mindset.

Kolb Reflective Model

“Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it.” – Kolb

The Kolb Reflective Model is based on the concept of experiential learning. It consists of four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. This model encourages nursing students to engage in a cyclical process of learning, where they actively participate in experiences, reflect on them, conceptualize their insights, and apply their learning in real-life situations.

Schön Reflective Model

“Reflection-in-action is the heart of the learning process.” – Schön

Schön Reflective Model emphasizes the importance of reflection in the midst of action. It focuses on the ability to think and adapt in real-time, making decisions based on professional knowledge and experiences. This model encourages nursing students to develop a reflective mindset that allows them to learn and grow while actively engaging in their practice.

Benefits of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective writing plays a crucial role in nursing practice, offering numerous benefits for nursing students and professionals alike. By engaging in reflective writing, nurses can enhance their self-awareness, develop their critical thinking skills, and gain a deeper understanding of patient experiences. This section will explore the advantages of reflective writing in nursing and its significance in healthcare.

Enhanced Self-Awareness

Reflective writing fosters self-reflection, allowing nurses to examine their thoughts, emotions, and actions in various clinical situations. Through this process, they gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This heightened self-awareness enables nurses to provide more effective and compassionate patient care, fostering a patient-centered approach.

Improved Critical Thinking

Reflective writing encourages nurses to think critically about their experiences and the impact of their actions. It requires them to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of their decision-making and problem-solving skills. By reflecting on past experiences, nurses can identify areas where they can enhance their clinical practice and make informed decisions based on evidence and best practices.

Increased Empathy and Understanding

Through reflective writing, nurses develop a deeper empathy and understanding of patient experiences. By reflecting on their interactions with patients, nurses can recognize the emotions, fears, and challenges faced by individuals in their care. This increased empathy enables nurses to provide more holistic and patient-centered care, improving the overall healthcare experience for patients.

Continuous Professional Development

Reflective writing is an essential tool for nurses’ continuous professional development. It allows them to document their growth, learning, and achievements throughout their nursing career. By regularly engaging in reflective writing, nurses can identify areas for further development, set goals for improvement, and ensure they are providing the best possible care to their patients.

Overall, reflective writing in nursing is a powerful tool that empowers nurses to enhance their self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and empathy. By engaging in this practice, nurses can continuously improve their clinical practice, provide high-quality patient care, and contribute to the ongoing development of the nursing profession.

Nursing Reflective Essay Examples

Looking for inspiration for your nursing reflective essay? Here are some examples that showcase different experiences, reflections, and growth in the nursing profession.

These examples demonstrate how nursing reflective essays can provide valuable insights into personal experiences, reflections, and professional growth. They serve as excellent references to help nursing students develop their own reflective writing skills and gain a deeper understanding of the nursing profession.

Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay for Nursing School Application

A nursing reflective essay can be a powerful tool for nursing school applications. It allows applicants to showcase their self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and passion for the nursing profession. When writing a nursing reflective essay for a nursing school application, there are a few key tips to keep in mind.

Reflect on your passion for nursing

Start by reflecting on what drew you to the nursing profession and why you are passionate about it. Consider your personal experiences, such as volunteering or shadowing healthcare professionals, and how they have shaped your desire to become a nurse. Highlight your commitment to providing compassionate and quality patient care.

Share personal experiences in healthcare settings

Provide specific examples of your experiences in healthcare settings, such as clinical rotations or internships. Reflect on the challenges you faced, the lessons you learned, and how those experiences have impacted your growth and development as a future nurse. Discuss any significant interactions with patients, healthcare teams, or mentors that have shaped your understanding of the nursing profession.

Align with the nursing school’s values and mission

Research the nursing school’s values, mission, and educational philosophy. Ensure that your reflective essay aligns with these principles and demonstrates your commitment to the school’s mission. Use the nursing school’s prompts or essay questions as a guide to structure your essay and address the specific criteria they are looking for in applicants.

By following these tips, you can write a compelling nursing reflective essay that effectively conveys your passion for nursing, showcases your experiences, and aligns with the nursing school’s values. Remember to proofread your essay carefully for grammar and spelling errors and seek feedback from mentors or trusted individuals in the nursing profession to ensure your essay is clear, concise, and impactful.

(Table) Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay for Nursing School Application

Writing a nursing reflective essay can be a transformative experience for BSN nursing students. It allows them to gain valuable insight into their own growth and development as future healthcare professionals. Throughout this comprehensive guide, we have provided expert information and guidance on how to write a compelling nursing reflective essay.

By understanding the purpose of a reflective essay and the key elements to include, nursing students can effectively showcase their personal experiences and reflections. Incorporating reflection models such as Gibbs’ Reflective Model or Kolb Reflective Model can also provide structure and depth to their essays.

At NursingWriters.net, we are dedicated to empowering busy nurses and providing them with the tools they need to excel in their BSN programs. Whether it’s writing a reflective essay or any other writing challenge, we are here to support and guide nursing students towards success.

What is a nursing reflective essay?

A nursing reflective essay is a personal essay where the writer reflects on their own experiences and how those experiences have shaped their growth and development in the nursing profession.

How is a reflective essay in nursing different from a personal statement?

While a reflective essay in nursing focuses on the writer’s personal experiences and reflections, a personal statement is more of a formal document that highlights the writer’s qualifications, achievements, and future goals in the nursing profession.

What are the key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay?

The key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay are the inciting incident or event, personal reflections on the experience, specific details to create a vivid setting, and a description of the actions taken by the writer. It is important to avoid including academic details and excessive focus on emotions.

How should I write the introduction of a nursing reflective essay?

To write an engaging and informative introduction for a nursing reflective essay, you can grab the reader’s attention with an intriguing opening line, provide context and background information, and present a clear thesis statement. Focus on the specific event or experience that will be the main focus of the essay.

How should I structure the body paragraphs of a nursing reflective essay?

The body paragraphs of a nursing reflective essay should have a clear structure. Use the first paragraph to present the thesis statement and provide background information on the event. Use subsequent paragraphs to explore your reflections, emotions, and actions taken. Use specific examples and anecdotes to make the essay more engaging.

How should I conclude a nursing reflective essay?

To write a strong conclusion for a nursing reflective essay, you can summarize the main points discussed in the essay, provide a final reflection on your growth and learning from the experience, restate the thesis statement, and leave the reader with a thought-provoking statement or future outlook.

What are some tips for writing a nursing reflective essay?

Some tips for writing a nursing reflective essay include starting early, conducting thorough self-reflection, organizing your thoughts and ideas, and seeking feedback from peers or instructors. Pay attention to proper grammar and spelling, coherent writing style, and adhere to any formatting guidelines provided.

How can reflective tools and models help with nursing reflective essays?

Reflective tools and models provide structure and guidance for nursing students when writing reflective essays. Models such as Gibbs’ Reflective Model, Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model, Kolb Reflective Model, and Schön Reflective Model can be used as frameworks for organizing thoughts and experiences in a nursing reflective essay.

What are the benefits of reflective writing in nursing?

Reflective writing in nursing offers benefits such as enhanced self-awareness, improved critical thinking skills, increased empathy and understanding of patient experiences, and continuous professional development. It promotes lifelong learning and helps improve patient care.

Where can I find nursing reflective essay examples?

You can find nursing reflective essay examples that showcase different experiences, reflections, and growth. These examples incorporate personal reflections, specific details, and professional insights into nursing practice. They demonstrate the diversity of topics and experiences that can be explored in nursing reflective essays.

How can I write a nursing reflective essay for nursing school applications?

To write a nursing reflective essay for nursing school applications, reflect on your passion for nursing, personal experiences in healthcare settings, and future goals in the nursing profession. Address specific prompts and align the content with the nursing school’s values and mission.

How can writing a nursing reflective essay benefit BSN nursing students?

Writing a nursing reflective essay allows BSN nursing students to gain insight into their own growth and development as future healthcare professionals. It helps improve critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and understanding of patient experiences. It also promotes continuous professional development.

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Nursing Reflective Essay: Examples + Useful Writing Tips [2024]

Do you need to write a reflective nursing essay? Whether you are a nursing student or already working, we know that you may be too busy writing papers. We’ve prepared information for you about reflection models and nursing reflective essay examples, writing instructions, and templates for the outline. This article will teach everything you need to make writing your essay easier.

So, how do you write an academic reflective essay?

What Is a Reflective Essay?

15 best reflective essay topics: nursing, nursing reflective essay examples, reflective tools and models, reflective essay writing tips, reflective essay body paragraphs, how to conclude a reflective essay.

In a reflective essay, you express your thoughts based on your knowledge, beliefs, reflections, and experiences. A reflective essay is best described as an exceptional and personal essay: you will have a lot to think about, comprehend, and explain. You have to demonstrate the feelings that you have experienced before. It should be honest. If you have any opposing thoughts and feelings about the topic, you should write them.

The peculiarity of a reflective essay, unlike an analytical one, is in the expression of thoughts based on personal experience.

How long does a reflective essay last? It’s simple. It depends on your topic and how you express your thoughts. But you have to remember that this is a highly brief type of essay, and you can do it with a few pages.

You can check out the 100% free essay samples to see it all.

What Is a Reflection in Nursing Essay?

Nursing involves many aspects of work, and reflection is one of the critical tools for developing professional competence and personal skills. In nursing, reflection is important because it provides all the prerequisites for further personal growth. It is a reflection that will allow you to take a broader look at your strengths and weaknesses and assess your prospects.

Think of your nursing reflective essay as a chance to reflect on your career, skills, and personality, which will lead to further improvement.

• Empathy and support in nursing.
• Communication with patients is one of a nurse’s most important tasks.
• Nursing is the art of caring for the patient during illness.
• The key is not to cause harm but to help afterward.
• Time management in nursing.
• The Patient’s Interests Come First.
• Why did I become a nurse?
• Doctor- patient confidentiality in nursing.
• The importance of enhancing soft skills for the nurse.
• Nursing knowledge should not be limited to narrowly professional information.
• Reflective essay on the internship .
• Nursing culture and ethics .
• Deontology of nursing and its synthesis with my personal experience.
• Nursing clinical reflection essay.
• Nursing issues for the elderly.

To better understand what reflexivity is, let’s look at examples based on these articles:

Scientists from different fields of science invented many models to simplify the process of reflection. Below are reflection models you can use in your essay nursing writing practice.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

In 1998, Graham Gibbs introduced his reflexive model to the world. Gibbs’ model is a cycle and, therefore, excellent for analyzing repetitive experience.

It covers 6 stages:

• Description. What happened? Don’t judge or try to conclude yet; just describe.
• Feelings. What were your reactions and emotions? Again, don’t begin to analyze them yet.
• Evaluation. What was good or bad about the experience? Make value judgments.
• Analysis. Were different people’s experiences similar or different in importance?
• Conclusions. What conclusions can you draw in a general sense from this experience and your analysis? What conclusions can you draw about your particular, unique personal situation or way of working?
• Personal action plans. What steps are you going to take based on what you have learned? What are you going to do differently in this situation next time?

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

John Dewey believed that reflective thinking is the active, persistent, and careful evaluation of a belief or assumed form of knowledge, the grounds for that knowledge, and the additional conclusions to which knowledge leads.

John Dewey’s Reflective Model was one of the first and has been the foundation for many other models. He identified five steps of reflective thinking:

• Step 1: Identify the problem.
• Step 2: Investigate the issue.
• Step 3: Generate several possible solutions.
• Step 4: Evaluate the options and select the best answer from the combination of solutions.
• Step 5: Test and implement the solution.

Kolb Reflective Model

The Kolb Reflective Model or “Kolb cycle” focuses on transforming information into knowledge. The basic four steps of the Kolb model are as follows:

• Concrete experience. Anyone should already have experience in the field or area they want to learn.
• Observation and reflection . This stage implies analyzing the person’s experience and knowledge .
• Forming abstract concepts . A model describing the information and expertise is built at this stage . Ideas are generated, interrelations are made, and new information is added concerning how everything works and is arranged.
• Testing in new situations . The last stage implies experimentation and testing the model’s applicability and concept . The result of this stage is a direct unique experience. Then the circle closes.

Schön Reflective Model

Donald Schön’s reflexive model was described in the book ‘ The Reflexive Practitioner .’ He explained how professionals solve problems with a kind of improvisation that is perfected through practice.

Schön’s reflective model , like his writings, is based in many ways on the Dewey we already know

• Action reflection involves reflecting on an experience you have already had or an action you have already taken. It involves considering what could have been done differently and the positive aspects of that interaction.
• Reflection in action involves reflecting on your efforts as you make them and considering issues such as best practices throughout the process.

Bouds Reflective Model

David Bouds paired with Schön to explore the limits of reflective practice. This model is based on learning by doing. By analyzing his own experience, the practitioner begins to understand better how to improve certain things.

Bouds suggests that by reflecting, a person may be unconsciously learning. In reassessing the events of his life, he systematizes and classifies emotions, ideas, and results, as well as results, and compares past goals with results.

Past experiences, experiences, and ideas require constant analysis attention to feelings. This leads to new perspectives, commitment to action overall positive changes in behavior.

Driscoll Reflective Model

John Driskoll proposed a simple model of reflection at the beginning of the 21st century. It involves reflection through extended answers to questions we are already familiar with. The scholar linked the three basic questions to the stages of the experiential learning cycle and then added trigger questions that must be answered to complete the process of reflection.

Step 1: What? Sets out to recall what happened as objectively as possible, without criticizing anything that happened

• What exactly happened?
• What exactly did you do?
• Was anyone else involved?
• Was it a good experience? Or a bad experience? Or both? And why?

Step 2: So what? It requires you to slow down and start looking for patterns or meaningful moments. The key here is to bring in concepts that help shed light on what is going on.

• How did you feel at that particular moment?
• How did you react?
• Why did you react that way?
• Did you feel the same way about the situation then as you do now?
• Did you experience conflict with your values?
• Do you think past cases influenced your experiences in this situation?
• Who else was involved in the situation? How did they feel? And how did they react? And why did they react that way?

Step 3: Now what? Encourages beginning to transfer new knowledge into future situations and other contexts.

• What did you learn from reflecting on this situation/experience/incident?
• Could you have prevented the negative consequences?
• And how might you have done so?
• What would you have done differently if a similar situation arose in the future?
• What could you have done to better prepare for it?
• Where did things go wrong last time, and what would you focus on now?

5R Framework

The 5R Framework was developed in 2002 by a group of scientists as a universal system of reflection, later modified.

It focuses on five basic steps, each addressing one aspect of reflection. Thinking through the five stages, an individual will engage all of the major reflection components, allowing you to create a critically meaningful review based on your experience.

• Report. What do you see and hear? Write it all down.
• React. What do you think is happening? What works well and what doesn’t? How do you feel about the situation you are reflecting on? What is it about this situation that makes you feel this way?
• Relate. How do my perceptions of this situation relate to my personal and professional experiences? How do they relate to my knowledge and skills? Through what “lens” do you view this situation? From the perspective of classroom management or collaborative learning? Do you need professional development in terms of content knowledge?
• Reason. Do you relate your point of view to someone else’s and how it affects the situation? Does sound practice support your strategies, or do you use different approaches? How does your point of view affect how you understand the problem? Could another point of view be helpful?
• Reconstruct. What did you learn from this observation, and how will it affect your practice?

CARL framework

The CARL framework of reflection involves going through four stages: context, action, results, and learning. The vastness of this model gives a lot of information, and even at the first stage, you can already get a lot of valuable data. But this is also its main disadvantage because it makes the model more complex.

The framework has four steps:

• Context : Description of the context of the experience.
• Action : Explanation of the action taken.
• Results : Explanation of what your actions led to.
• Learning : Identification of the experience and knowledge gained.

Now that we’ve covered the basic concepts let’s write a reflective nursing essay.

Reflective Essay Outline

How to make a reflective essay? First, write an outline.

Any reflective essay is a statement of thoughts about something, and the outline acts as a sketch in which you write them down. Creating it is the first step to creating high quality and vivid essay.

What would make a good outline structure for a reflection essay? Structure all your knowledge. Write what you want to see in the introduction, body, and conclusion.

Here is the reflective essay outline template:

• Hook: Use a catchy statement to set the tone and introduce the article.
• Mention the main points.
• Thesis statement: Include all the important points and ideas in one statement.
• Topic sentence: Carefully explain the first idea in one sentence.
• Proof of topic or idea: Use authoritative sources to support the idea.
• Idea analysis: Apply logic and rational thought to the idea and information from the source.
• Topic sentence: Carefully explain the second idea in one sentence.
• Topic sentence: Carefully explain the third idea in one sentence.
• Repeat the statement of the thesis.
• Review the main ideas
• Final, concluding sentence

Reflective Essay Thesis

A thesis statement is a condensed version of the paper in which you must briefly explain your position. The point is for your audience to read it and understand your work.

To make a good thesis statement for a reflective essay, you need to formulate your thought on paper. To begin with, think well about the problem, and develop your attitude toward it. That’s why the thesis statement should be created after writing the outline. It is unnecessary to give everything out in advance to the reader because later, you will unfold this thought more broadly.

After successfully developing the thesis statement, you can proceed to the actual writing.

And so, below, you can see examples of the reflective essay introduction and conclusion. Learn what its body of it is.

How to Start a Reflective Essay? Examples

You need to start any paper in the right way. How to write a reflective essay introduction? Check these examples:

• Practice and theory do not always agree. Not all of the medical reference books that I have been able to study are fully applicable in practice. John Kimble’s case is a testament that it is often necessary to rely on them and consider the specific situation. He complained of dizziness, and the doctors advised him to get a blood iron test. The test showed that there was nothing wrong. But as it turned out later, this was an erroneous result because Kimble had eaten redfish rich in iron the day before, which temporarily raised the iron in his blood.
• I had always dreamed of becoming a nurse, but my fear of blood robbed me of all desire to study. But still, my passion and ambition made me pull my will into a fist. I had to change and forget what fear of blood was. I lived my dream, which helped me overcome one of my fears.
• A few years ago, I went through a severe emotional crisis. I had always dreamed of going to the University of California, as it is one of the most prestigious medical universities in the United States. But unfortunately, I failed my entrance exams, so I had to study at the university in my hometown. My failure seemed like a disaster, but now I realize it was a real blessing.

The essay’s body carries arguments, explanations of the topic, and the main body of information.

Each paragraph should begin with short introductory sentences, and the body of the sections should be divided into several parts. This will help you better structure what you have written and help the reader navigate through the text.

It is worth remembering about argumentation. There should be several things that you rely on in your position. Describe each of them in detail in a separate paragraph. Observe the semantic sequence. A mistake, in this case, will be to repeat twice the same argument in different words. It will give the reader the impression that there is nothing to say.

You should also remember about transitions in a reflective essay. Move smoothly from one aspect to another and take your time.

How to end a reflective essay? In conclusion, you should focus on pulling together all of the material, summarizing all of the points made and what you have learned. Try to include a few moments about why and how your attitudes and behaviors changed. Here are some examples:

• Was the practice of volunteer nursing helpful to me? Absolutely! I was grateful for these weeks because I learned a lot. But most of all, I have learned my Soft skills, which will help me get used to my professional activities.
• At that moment, I thought about who would be the priority in that situation, and I still believe it was the patient. If the same problem were to arise again, I think I would do nothing but speak up and justify my decisions. I recognize and know that time management and prioritization are essential skills in nursing, and I hope that my skills will improve with practice.
• I reflected on how personal values can affect professional practice from the incident. Still, it is crucial to consider that the organization has its own set of values to follow, regardless of personal values. Finally, in reflecting on the incident, I was able to discuss the importance of quality assurance monitoring and health care evaluation both in general and during the incident, which allowed me to consider what conclusions were drawn from the incident and how to prevent similar situations occurring again.

So, now you have examples and an idea for writing a reflective nursing essay. Writing your paper will become many times easier and faster.

If this article was helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues!

❓ What Is the Purpose of Writing a Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay aims to express one’s thoughts about a previous experience, including how one changed in the process and what one learned. It is often described in a diary entry; they are intended to demonstrate how the author’s thoughts have changed over time.

❓ What Makes a Good Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay is a combination of both objective and subjective elements. We mix scholarly analysis with personal experiences. This type of paper should explain to readers how our experience influences our behavior and what lessons we learned.

❓ What Are the 3 Basic Parts of Reflection Paper?

An essay should have a clear structure and must contain three parts. It should have a clear introduction reflecting the problem, then the central part with an analysis of the causes, and the conclusion with possible solutions to the problem or how it affected the author.

❓ What Is the Best Reflective Model to Use in Nursing?

One of the best options for nurses is the Gibbs model. The model is accessible and extremely simple. Therefore it can be operated without any problems in any situation.

• Reflection toolkit: The University of Edinburgh
• Essay Conclusions: University of Maryland
• Thesis Statements: UNC Writing Center
• A short guide to reflective writing: University of Birmingham
• Outlining: Harvard College Writing Center
• Reflective Practice in Nursing: ZU
• Critical self-reflection for nurse education: NCBI
• Essay Structure: Harvard College Writing Center
• Essay Structure: UAGC Writing Center
• General tips for academic reflections: The University Of Edinburgh
• Reflective essays – ANU
• Writing An Essay Title – Illinois Valley Community College
• Nursing Essay Help: Medical Essay Writing Service in UK
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Reflective Journaling for Nursing Students: A Guide

Did you know that for every experience you encounter, you could reflect on it and learn? As a nurse, you will navigate complex and challenging clinical experiences filled with varied emotions, interventions, decisions, etc, influencing your actions. A nursing reflective journal offers a way to pause, think, and analyze how these feelings and experiences influence and shape your behavior and practice. It is a personal record; call it a diary, where nurses document their thoughts, experiences, emotions, and encounters related to clinical practice.

Knowing how to write a reflective journal assignment is one of the best ways of understanding the past to predict the future. While these papers are personal, they should have an academic tone, which is why most students struggle to write one. However, fear not!

In this guide, our nursing writers have done the heavy lifting, and in this article, they take you through what a reflective journal entails and its importance and provide step-by-step instructions on how to write a reflective journal.

Reflective Journal Meaning?

Reflective journaling in nursing refers to writing about your feelings, thoughts, fears, opinions, and interactions about a specific event. It is a way to explore the “so what" question rather than "what."

Reflective thinking entails the following elements: 1) description, where you talk about the experience; 2) interpretation, which is how your experience challenged your existing knowledge and opinions; and 3) outcome, which is how the experience contributed to your understanding and professional development.

As a nursing student, your instructor will ask you to write your reflections about an experience during clinical rotations. You will need to be introspective and deeply examine your thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the event before writing them.

Reflective thinking is used in nursing to help students and nurses develop critical thinking skills and the art of reflection to understand better and clarify stubborn concepts.

History of Reflective Practice

Reflective writing has its roots in education. John Dewey , a philosopher and educator, addressed reflection in 1910 as "Active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it, and the further conclusions to which it tends." This is considered the first description of reflective writing.

Over the years, this description has had many interpretations, but the message is still the same.

Dewey believed that every experience is a source of learning. Reflective thinking is activated the moment you sense a problem or any situation. By going deeper and understanding those experiences and trying to solve the problem through available data, you create a connection between beliefs, thoughts, opinions, and real actions.

Another prominent contributor to reflective practices was Donal Schön, an American theorist and educator. In his book, “ The Reflective Practitioner ," Schön describes reflection as an important practice that helps professionals, including nurses, to critically examine all their experiences in a real-world context.

Schön’s ideas were not specifically related to nursing. However, they had a profound effect on nursing education, shaping the way nursing students engage in reflective journaling to enhance their future clinical skills.

Why is Reflecting Important in Nursing?

The following are the reasons why reflection in nursing is important:

Close the Gap between Theory and Practice

Nursing instructors believe that writing a reflective journal in nursing can help close the gap between theory and practice by facilitating the inclusion of a theoretical framework into clinical experience. Reflective journaling allows you to apply theories learned in the classroom to real-world hospital situations. When you can document your experience and reflect on how nursing theories and principles apply in practice, you can deepen your knowledge of a theory and how it is helpful in nursing interventions.

Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills

By engaging in reflective thinking practices, you can critically analyze a clinical situation and identify areas of improvement. Remember, reflective thinking is about deliberate stranger contemplation of your experiences and actions. Applying this in real-life situations will force you to critically assess the situation and relate the new knowledge acquired to prior knowledge.

In other words, you will be forced to cultivate in-depth critical thinking, which entails asking questions, analyzing, and integrating your answers.

Teaching Strategy for Educators

Reflective journals in nursing are important for students, but educators can also use them as a teaching strategy. When students engage in reflective writing, educators can identify areas they are struggling with or gaps in knowledge and competence. Then, they can develop additional education and training opportunities to address these gaps.

By taking a proactive approach to learning, educators can ensure their students continuously enhance their knowledge and competence while also staying updated on nursing research and evidence-based practices.

Enhance Self-Awareness

Self-awareness refers to the ability to focus on yourself and how your thoughts, feelings, and opinions align or do not align with your values and standards. Research shows that self-awareness is essential in nursing and profoundly affects nurse-patient relationships and patient care. When you engage in reflective thinking practices, you take a close look at yourself. Still, more importantly, you develop a deeper understanding of your beliefs, values, and biases that influence your decisions and interactions in a clinical experience.

Step-by-step Guide for Writing a Nursing Reflective Journal

Reflective journaling in nursing takes a structured process that involves documenting and reflecting on your thoughts, emotions, and actions about a clinical experience. Use the following steps to write your reflections:

Choose What to Reflect On

First, take time to think about what you want to reflect on before writing the paper. As a nurse or a nursing student, you can reflect on anything you experience during your shift, ranging from a missed diagnosis, stubborn or dissatisfied patients, a nursing ethical dilemma , a failed surgery or procedure, etc.

You can also reflect on things that went right in your shift, such as:

• A cancer diagnosis that was caught early
• A teaching experience with patients
• A difficult procedure that you managed to do successfully.

If you are not sure which experience to focus on, use the following tips to help you:

• Think of a recent clinical experience you went through. Think back to what stood out most and left a lasting impression in your life.
• Consider things that evoked strong emotions during your clinical rotations and enhanced your understanding of nursing education and practice.
• Additionally, consider people (either colleagues or patients) who had a profound impact on you during the clinical experience.

No matter which event happened during your clinical, you can reflect on it and use it for self-development.

Ensure you choose a topic that resonates with you lea, leads to deep introspection, and facilitates personal growth.

Choose a Topic

Just like other types of academic writing, your reflective journal in nursing must have a topic. A topic will provide focus and direction and guide you when writing. The topic you select will guide the writing process, so it is important that you take time to choose the right topic.

So, what is the best topic for a reflection paper? Well, the best topic must have the following characteristics:

• Relevant to the experience and nursing practice that you encountered and reflect your learning.
• It has personal significance and has an impact on your learning.
• Evoke strong emotions, whether positive or negative.
• Complex enough to let you have a deep introspection and provide a critical analysis of the experience.
• The topic must align with your academic and professional goals.

Ensure you consider all the characteristics when selecting a topic to provide a meaningful reflection and learning.

Choose a Proper Format

The first step to writing your nursing reflective journal is choosing the right to follow. Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, your reflection paper must contain the following elements:

• Introductions

The introduction is where you introduce the essence of your paper. Start your reflection paper by briefly introducing what you are reflecting upon so that readers know what to expect. Additionally, provide a thesis statement that provides a general opinion of the subject you are analyzing. This could be a lecture, a nursing article, a clinical experience, etc.

The body of your reflection paper should explore the main idea of your paper. In other words, the thesis statement. Go into detail about what you went through and how it influenced you. This is where you also talk about what you learned from the experience.

Conclusion. As the last part of your reflection paper, the conclusion should briefly state the thoughts, opinions, and experiences discussed in the paper. It should also state what you learn based on your analysis of the experiences.

That said, most reflective journal assignments in nursing are written in APA, Harvard, Vancouver, or AMA format. Ensure that your in-text citations and references align with the formatting styles.

Select a Reflective Framework for Your Nursing Reflective Journal

A reflective framework is a model that guides the thought process and reasoning about a particular event. Whenever you engage in reflective practices, you must use a reflective framework to write down your thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the events.

There are various models of reflection you can use. The main framework is Gibbs's reflective model, a powerful tool that fosters deep learning and critical thinking. Developed by Grahams Gibbs, this reflective model provides a structured framework for writing your reflective journal in nursing.

Some of the reflective models you can use when engaging in reflective practices include:

• Kolb’s Learning Cycle
• Schön’s framework
• ERA framework
• CARL framework
• Brookfield framework
• Roper Logan and Tiernerys reflections
• Atkins and Murphy's model

Ensure you select a reflective model that resonates with you and provides guides that help you write your reflection in a structured format.

Related Articles:

• How to write a nursing reflective essay.
• Nursing theories and theorists.
• Non-nursing theories used in nursing practice.

Describe the Experience

Go into detail about what you went through. Be objective about this and ensure you recount in detail the experience. To help you with this, use the following questions:

What happened?

• Where did the experience take place?
• When did it take place?
• Who was involved
• What did you do? Talk about everyone who participates, even if you feel their role was insignificant.
• Why did the event happen? What was the intention of the event when it occurred?
• What was the outcome?
• What did you want to happen instead?

The main things to include at this point involve what happened. Whenever you talk about the experience, detail it in the order in which it happened. Paint a clear and accurate picture of what occurred. Think of this stage as narrating the story only when you are providing facts. Do not talk about feelings or opinions.

Identify your Feelings about the Experience

This stage calls for self-reflection in your nursing reflective journal. Discuss your feelings during the experience and acknowledge any frustration, joy, anger, empathy, or other emotions you felt during the event.

Take a moment to think back to the event. What emotions were you experiencing? What was your gut reaction? Were you disgusted? Frightened? Angry?

After the event occurred, how did your feelings change? Detail how your feelings change with each passing moment.

Next, think of how those involved in the event might have felt. Did you observe any reactions? For instance, did someone throw up? Cry? Storm out of the room? Ensure you talk about all this, as they will help you make sense of the events.

Use these questions to describe your emotions in detail. Remember, by being detailed in your descriptions, the reader will feel what you felt.

Analyze the Experience

At this stage of your nursing reflection journal, evaluate the experience by considering both your actions and outcomes. Assess the situation by considering both the good and bad. Ask yourself, the following questions to properly make your evaluations:

• What was so good about the experience? Highlight the positive outcomes of the experience.
• What went wrong or what didn't work well?
• Did you contribute anything? If yes, what was it? Highlight all your contributions through the experience. Were they positive or negative?
• What were the contributions of others? Were they positive or negative?
• If the experience was difficult, state whether it was resolved in the end.
• Was there something that the people involved did that made you think twice about the situation or taught you something?

Provide an Analysis 

Up until now, you aimed to describe the events and feelings. Now you have the opportunity to say what it all means. In other words, this is the point where you make sense of what happened during the experience.

Ask yourself the following questions to analyze the situation properly:

• Why did this go well or bad? Reconsider the things that went badly and ask why
• What do you think could have caused the problem?
• Think about your contributions and state whether they made any meaningful impact on the experience.

Basically, ask questions like, so what? And why?

Ensure you connect the experience to a nursing theory. To ensure this is successful, choose a theory that aligns with the topic of your reflection. For example, if your reflection is about the challenges you encountered when communicating with patients, choose a theory like Trans-cultural Nursing Theory.

Once you have chosen the theory, identify its concepts, which will help you as you write. Talk about how your actions, decisions, and emotions align with or diverge from the principles of the chosen theory.

Please note that this part is analytical. So, do not describe it; analyze it by analyzing the experience, emotions, and feelings to make sense of everything.

Pay attention as you write this section, as it will determine whether you indeed learned something from the events that happened. Many students lose marks at this point because they fail to capture the essence of

Write Your Conclusion

Think about what can be concluded from the event that happened and the analyses you have done.

Ask yourself the following:

• Did you learn anything?
• Was there anything you missed that you think could have made an impact on the whole experience?
• Could you have discussed what happened with your instructor? If yes, would it have influenced you or the actions in any way?
• Is there any nursing literature you think you should read to make sense of the

Consider providing examples of how you intend to apply all the lessons learned. This way, you will show your instructors that you have truly reflected on the experiences.

Develop an Action Plan

At this stage, you should wrap up anything else you need to understand about the experience and what you should improve in the future. So, how do you write an action plan for a reflection?

Use the following questions to help you develop a great action plan:

• How will you use what you have learned in a similar situation? Have you become more confident in handling such a situation?
• How has the experience helped you improve in your studies and clinicals?
• Will you be able to communicate with patients and colleagues during your practice?
• What advice will you give others going through a similar situation?
• What actions are you committed to taking?
• What are the benchmarks for these actions?
• When do you think you will be able to complete these actions?

Remember, the action plan is about the future of you and your actions. So, capture this action well in your reflective journal nursing.

Proofread and Revise Your Paper

Once you are done writing, take some time off, preferably a day or two, depending on the deadlines given, before reviewing your paper. This will allow you to review your paper with a fresh pair of eyes and ensure you identify any errors in your work.

Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors and correct them. Additionally, ensure that your nursing reflective journal has properly described your experience and feelings and provided an evaluation analysis before finally writing your action plan.

Example of a Reflective Journal

Below is an example of a reflective journal written by a student who did a clinical rotation with a patient named Mrs. Smith. If you need to hire a nursing writer to write your reflective journal, don't hesitate to place an order on our website. 

Experience Today, I cared for Mrs. Smith, a 78-year-old patient admitted with pneumonia. Mrs. Smith presented with difficulty breathing, a persistent cough, and decreased oxygen saturation levels. Description Mrs. Smith was visibly distressed upon arrival, her labored breathing evident even from a distance. As I approached her bedside, I noticed her apprehension, which mirrored my own. Despite my attempts to maintain a calm demeanor, I could feel my heart racing as I assessed her condition.   Thoughts and Feelings Initially, I felt overwhelmed by the severity of Mrs. Smith's symptoms and the urgency of her situation. Doubts crept into my mind about whether I possessed the skills and knowledge necessary to provide effective care. However, as I focused on attending to her immediate needs, my anxiety began to subside, replaced by a sense of determination and purpose. Analysis Reflecting on the experience, I recognize that my initial reaction was driven by fear of the unknown and a lack of confidence in my abilities. However, as I engaged with Mrs. Smith and collaborated with my colleagues, I drew upon my training and expertise to deliver competent and compassionate care. This experience reaffirmed the importance of remaining calm under pressure and trusting in my capabilities as a nurse. Strengths and Weaknesses One strength I demonstrated during this encounter was my ability to prioritize Mrs. Smith's needs and mobilize resources efficiently. However, I acknowledge that there were moments when I struggled to maintain composure, particularly when her condition deteriorated. Moving forward, I aim to cultivate resilience and emotional regulation to better cope with challenging situations. Alternative Actions In hindsight, I recognize that I could have benefited from seeking assistance earlier when Mrs. Smith's condition worsened. By involving other members of the healthcare team sooner, we could have implemented interventions more promptly and potentially mitigated the escalation of her symptoms. Theory and Practice This experience underscored the significance of effective communication and interdisciplinary collaboration in nursing practice. By leveraging the expertise of my colleagues and adhering to evidence-based protocols, we were able to optimize Mrs. Smith's care and achieve positive outcomes. Goals for Improvement Going forward, I aspire to enhance my crisis management skills and develop strategies for maintaining composure in high-stress situations. Additionally, I intend to pursue further education and training in respiratory care to broaden my knowledge base and enhance my ability to care for patients with pulmonary conditions. Action Plan To achieve these goals, I will seek out opportunities for professional development, such as attending workshops or enrolling in relevant courses. I will also engage in regular reflection and seek feedback from my peers and mentors to continually refine my practice. This journal entry serves as a testament to my growth as a nurse and a commitment to ongoing learning and improvement. Through reflection and self-awareness, I strive to cultivate the skills and attributes necessary to deliver exemplary care and make a meaningful difference in the lives of my patients.

Final Thoughts

Writing a nursing reflective journal is never a walk in the pack. However, by following the above guide, you can write a reflective journal in nursing that captures the vents, critically analyzes them, and improves your future experiences as a nurse.

If you need help with writing these or any other types of nursing papers , we can help. Our writers have the skills and expertise to help guide you when writing a reflection paper. Reach out to us today for high-quality papers.

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Chapter 4: Types of Writing

Reflective Writing

What it is.

Have you ever been asked to reflect on a text or an experience?

Reflective writing is used by different healthcare professions in various ways, but all reflective writing requires that you think deeply and critically about an experience or a text. At the centre of reflective writing is the “self” – including a deep analysis of you in relation to the topic. Reflective writing is a process that involves recalling an experience or an event, thinking and deliberating about it, and then writing about it.

You may be asked to engage in reflective writing related to an array of topics: the reading you are doing for a course, your experience working in a group, how you solved a problem, how you prepared for class or for an exam, a healthcare issue or a new theory. You will be expected to reflect on your clinical practice often throughout your nursing studies and for the rest of your nursing career to grow, learn, and demonstrate your continuing competence.

In nursing, reflective writing is part of what is called “ reflective practice . ” Early in your nursing program, you will become familiar with the College of Nurses of Ontario requirements for nurses to engage in reflective practice: this legislated professional expectation involves an intentional process of reflecting to explore and analyze a clinical experience so that you can “identify your strengths and areas for improvement” with the aim of strengthening your practice (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2019).

Figure 4.3: Reflective writing

How to do it?

There are many approaches and frameworks to guide reflective writing as related to reflective practice in nursing. These approaches guide you to reflect on an experience, what happened, how you felt, what actions you took, what you learned, and how you might do things differently in the future (Mahon & O’Neill, 2020). One common framework called LEARN was developed by the College of Nurses of Ontario (1996). See Figure 4.4 .

Figure 4.4: Writing reflectively

Variations of this acronym have been taken up, but it essentially stands for:

Look back. Recall a situation that was meaningful to you in your practice.

Elaborate. Describe the situation from both an objective and subjective perspective (e.g., what did you see, hear? Who was involved and what interactions were observed? What did you think and feel?)

Analyze. Examine how and why the situation happened the way it did. Think about it in the context of your nursing courses and the literature.

Revise. Consider how and why your practice should remain the same and how it should be changed.

New trial/perspective. Think and move forward. What will you do differently when a similar situation arises?

More recently, reflective writing has been described in the context of narrative writing in which you engage in personal and professional storytelling. A narrative approach to reflective writing asks you to think about storied elements (e.g., characters, events, setting) of an experience: What happened? How did the situation begin? Who was involved? Where did it take place? What emotions were people feeling? How did the situation end? As you can see, these types of questions can easily be integrated into the LEARN framework too.

What to keep in mind?

You will be expected to engage in reflective writing throughout your nursing program. Sometimes you will be asked to use the LEARN framework or another approach. Here are some tips on good reflective writing:

• If possible, choose a topic or situation that is meaningful to you.
• Be vulnerable in your writing and share your thoughts and feelings (you don’t need to write about a sanitized version of yourself – it’s okay to ponder mistakes or areas for improvement).
• Description is important, but so is analysis so that you can gain new insights.
• Think critically about your experience and be open to new perspectives.

Student Tip

The growth of reflection

Graduates or senior-level students will tell you that reflective writing changes over the course of your program. As you advance, your forms of reflective writing will evolve from descriptive to more analytical. You will be expected to refer to the literature to explain your analysis and support your claims. You should also always engage in reflection in the context of the courses that you are taking. Some courses focus on the personal self; others focus on the professional self, as well as nursing in the community or on a broader societal level.

Activity: Check Your Understanding

Think about a healthcare event that you encountered or a health and illness experience of a friend or relative that is meaningful to you. In reflecting on this experience, how could you apply the LEARN format?

College of Nurses of Ontario (2019). Self-Assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.cno.org/en/myqa/self-assessment/

College of Nurses of Ontario (1996). Professional profile: A reflective portfolio for continuous learning. Toronto: CNO.

Mahon, P., & O’Neill, M. (2020). Through the looking glass: The rabbit hole of reflective practice. British Journal of Nursing , 29 (13), 777-783. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.13.777

Thinking deeply and critically about an experience.

Exploring and analyzing a clinical experience.

The Scholarship of Writing in Nursing Education: 1st Canadian Edition Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer Lapum; Oona St-Amant; Michelle Hughes; Andy Tan; Arina Bogdan; Frances Dimaranan; Rachel Frantzke; and Nada Savicevic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Reflective journal writing: how can it help?

Discover the benefits of writing down your thoughts and how to get started

Reflective journal writing is a way of documenting what you’re thinking and feeling in the moment, and can be a useful tool to help manage stress and anxiety.

Dr Christopher Westoby, author of The Fear Talking: The True Story of a Young Man and Anxiety, is a strong believer in the power of stories to educate, improve understanding and benefit the wellbeing of the storyteller.

We spoke to Chris about the benefits of writing for your mental wellbeing.

Can reflective writing help nursing staff?

Absolutely. Regardless of your background, and wherever you work, everyone has this universal need to reflect upon their own experiences and one of the best tools we have for that is writing. It is similar to the process of opening the windows to a room and letting some air in.

Everyone has this universal need to reflect upon their own experiences 

We all have so many thoughts and memories whirling round our head at any given time – especially in the current climate. Sometimes the cloud of everything happening at once can be more overwhelming than any one event itself. Reflective journal writing can help with that.

How does it help?

We often struggle to come to terms with whatever it is we’ve been through unless we take a second and address these things head on. And while it may not always be an easy thing to do – or a quick fix – by writing what’s going on internally, what you’re doing is externalising something that has been haunting you or playing on your mind. Once it’s out there on the page, it’s like you can lay it to rest. 

You also now have a choice on what you want to do with it. Are you going to delete it or keep it for yourself? Are you going to let someone else read it? As you make those decisions, you’re taking control of your emotions and the clouds may start to clear.

So, what are the benefits?

The sense of control over your own experiences can be empowering and help relieve any stress or anxiety you’re experiencing. You’ve let it be acknowledged that what you’re feeling is something, it’s being validated and now it’s written down, it may no longer feel quite so insurmountable.

Any tips to get started?

My first tip is to use whatever format works best for you – whatever it is that will help get you in the habit of doing it. Don’t use handwriting if you’d rather type, and vice versa. 

I’ve worked with students before who have talked about using voice memos. They’ve just hit record and then they either deleted it or transcribed it depending on what they’ve found most beneficial. 

My second tip is to think of prompts. Maybe ask yourself questions to help get you started – what am I grateful for? What have I found difficult? Perhaps focus on one part of the day – how did I feel after my shift? On the way to work? Going to bed?

Finally, think about setting yourself some restrictions. Try setting a timer on your phone and then keep writing until it goes off. The more restrictions you set, the less daunting writing can be. You might actually find yourself more inspired.

How often should I write?

It’s a good thing to try and do every day – even if it’s only a few sentences – for as long as you find it useful. I’d suggest giving it a go for two weeks and see how you’re finding it.

What if I find it hard writing about myself?

If it seems too difficult writing about yourself, try writing about someone else or something you observed today – perhaps something you noticed on your journey home or through your window. If you write about something else, you will inevitably find yourself beginning to include elements of yourself. 

If you’re finding it too emotionally draining to revisit certain memories, remember this writing is your property – you can change what you need to, you can change the details and you can just talk about a small part of it. The key is to remember that you’re in control and it’s up to you how you document it.

The key is to remember you're in control

There are fewer ways to offload to one another at the moment, to distract ourselves and to blow off steam, so even if journal writing doesn’t work for you, it’s worth a try.

The benefits might surprise you.

About Chris

Chris is Programme Director of the Hull Creative Writing MA (Online). His book The Fear Talking: The True Story of a Young Man and Anxiety was published in December 2020. He led the RCN’s workshop “Time to Write for Yourself” last year.

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Nurturing Leadership: 4 Key Strategies for Reflective Practice in Nursing

5 min read • February, 21 2024

Nursing leaders play a pivotal role in guiding change to enhance patient care and improve professional practice environments. Reflective practice stands out as a cornerstone for effective leadership, allowing nursing professionals to evaluate their experiences critically and foster continuous improvement. This article delves into four key reflective practices that can empower nursing leaders to drive meaningful change.

The Power of Reflection in Nursing Change

Reflective practice is more than a method; it's a mindset that enables nursing leaders to learn from their actions, make informed decisions, and engage their teams in the journey towards excellence. By incorporating reflective practices into their leadership approach , nurses can better navigate the complexities of healthcare, adapt to challenges, and implement strategies that align with their goals and values.

Understanding Your Change Goals

Q: What did you say you were going to do? A: Begin by revisiting your initial objectives. Clear articulation of your goals lays the foundation for accountability and sets the stage for impactful change. Reflect on the scope of the changes you envisioned and the outcomes you aimed to achieve. This honest appraisal is your first step towards meaningful progress.

Assessing Your Actions

Q: What did you actually do? A: Reality often diverges from our plans. Assessing your actions with candor enables you to identify discrepancies between your intentions and your actual practices. Acknowledge both your achievements and the areas where you fell short. This recognition is crucial for realistic self-assessment and sets the groundwork for authentic growth.

Learning from Experience

Q: What did you learn? A: Every step in the change process offers valuable lessons. Reflect on the insights gained from your experiences and how they can inform future strategies. These lessons are the silver lining, providing clarity and direction for your next moves.

Planning Your Next Steps

Q: What do you need to do next? A: Armed with new knowledge, plan your forward strategy. Consider who needs to be involved, the resources required, and the timeline for implementation. This step is about translating insights into actionable plans that drive further change.

Incorporating Reflective Practice into Your Routine

Integrating reflective practice into your leadership routine doesn't have to be daunting. Start small with regular reflection sessions, encourage team discussions that foster collective learning, and set aside time for personal and professional development. Embracing reflection as a habit can transform your leadership approach and significantly impact your team's performance and well-being.

Reflective practice is an invaluable tool for nursing leaders seeking to navigate the complexities of healthcare and drive positive change. By focusing on these four essential aspects of reflection, you can enhance your leadership effectiveness, improve patient care , and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement . Start today by taking a moment to reflect on your practice and empower yourself and your team for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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Reflective Practice

• Examples of reflective practice
• Why use reflective practice?
• When to use reflective practice
• Some models of reflection
• Writing reflectively
• Recommended readings
• Need help? This link opens in a new window

Superficial

Superficial (= descriptive reflection)   non-reflectors

Reflection at this level is very basic – some would say it is not reflection at all, as it is largely descriptive! However the description should not just be of what happened but should include a description of why those things happened. Reflection at a superficial level makes reference to an existing knowledge base, including differing theories but does not make any comment or critique of them.

Example - Superficial reflection

Today I spent time with James (client) and his family on the ward. The family had a lot of questions about the rehabilitation process and wanted to know what was going to happen for James.

I wanted to reassure them that things were OK because I knew this was what they needed to know. I said that while it was difficult for anyone to know the rate of James’ improvement I could be sure that he would improve and that it was important for the family to keep hopeful about his future.

James’ father became angry and after raising his voice at me, telling me I was a “patronising little fool”, he stormed out of the room. James mother sat weeping beside his bed and I felt I had really stuffed things up for this family. I need to get some advice about how to handle angry families.

Medium (= dialogic reflection) reflectors At this level of reflection, the person takes a step back from what has happened and starts to explore thoughts, feelings, assumptions and gaps in knowledge as part of the problem solving process. The reflector makes sense of what has been learnt from the experience and what future action might need to take place.

Example - Medium reflection

Today I spent time with James (client) and his family on the ward. The family had a lot of questions about the rehabilitation process and wanted to know what was going to happen for James. I wanted to reassure them that things were OK because I remembered from a uni lecture by a carer that carers needed reassurance, information and hope for the future of the person they cared for. I said that while it was difficult for anyone to know the rate of James’ improvement I could be sure that he would improve and that it was important for the family to keep hopeful about his future.

James’ father became angry and after raising his voice at me, telling me I was a “patronising little fool”, he stormed out of the room. James mother sat weeping beside his bed. I felt confused and like I had done the wrong thing. I remembered from the same lecture about the emotional rollercoaster of caring for someone after a brain injury and how families could experience a range of emotional responses as they adjusted to their new reality.

I started thinking about what was happening in this family and how James’ parents were both clearly distressed and may have been having difficulty supporting each other due to their own distress. James’ father’s abuse of me was possibly not a fair reflection on me but said a lot about how he was feeling.

I decided to ask James’ mother how things were going for the family and she started to open up about how she felt. She revealed that James’ accident had opened up longstanding conflict between her and her husband, and that she didn’t feel hopeful about anything. It seemed like a useful conversation.

Deep (= critical reflection) critical reflectors

This level of reflection has the most depth. This level of reflection shows that the experience has created a change in the person – his/her views of self, relationships, community of practice, society and so on. To do so, the writer needs to be aware of the relevance of multiple perspectives from contexts beyond the chosen incident – and how the learning from the chosen incident will impact on other situations.

For some critical reflective writing tasks it is expected that your writing will incorporate references to the literature - see  Example - Deep reflection incorporating the literature below. Note that these are short excerpts from longer documents previously submitted for assessments (Permission granted by author).

Example - Deep reflection

I started thinking about what was happening in this family and how James’ parents were both clearly distressed and may have been having difficulty supporting each other due to their own distress. James’ father’s abuse of me was possibly not a fair reflection on me but said a lot about how he was feeling. I wondered about his parent’s differing emotional responses and tried to put myself “in their shoes” to consider what it must be like for them. I could see that their questions and behaviours were driven by their extreme emotional states. They both needed an outlet for their emotions.

I also thought about what James needed from his parents to optimise his participation in the rehabilitation program and how I could support them to provide that. I knew I didn’t have the skills or confidence to provide the grief counselling they probably needed but I thought I could provide them with some space to share and acknowledge their grief and to suggest options for them to get further assistance in this area. I sat by his mother and said “This is really hard for you all isn’t it”. She responded with “so hard” and cried some more. We sat without talking for a while and when she was calmer I said “a lot of families find it helpful to talk with our social workers about how they are feeling when things like this have happened”. She agreed it would be good to talk and I helped her organise an appointment for the next day.

From the experience today I have learned that families don’t need superficial reassurance and that this can be perceived as patronising. It will be more helpful if I can acknowledge their emotional distress and fears and reassure them that their response – whatever it is – is normal and expected. If I show that I can cope with their distress I can assist them to get the support they need and this will be critical in getting the best outcome for clients like James.

Example - Deep reflection incorporating the literature

NOTE: These short excerpts are from longer documents previously submitted for assessments (Permission granted by authors). Also note the format of the in-text citations reflect this.

I needed to understand more about what resilience actually is, and whether it is learnable or inherent in a person’s personality.  McDonald, Jackson, Wilkes, & Vickers, (2013) define resilience as the capacity to deal with “significant disruption, change or adversity” (p.134) and that in the workplace, adversity relates to the difficult or challenging aspects of the role. The authors identify traits associated with resilience such as “hardiness, hope, self-confidence, resourcefulness, optimism flexibility and emotional intelligence” (McDonald et al., p.134) and discuss how training programs have been established within the workplace to teach people these skills.

A plan for building resilience for my future role as a midwife would need to start now in order that positive patterns are embedded in my practice and everyday life. This would include activities discussed above as well as attempting to engage in habits of mindfulness on a day to day basis (Foureur, Besley, Burton, Yu, & Crisp, 2013).

Foureur, M., Besley, K., Burton, G., Yu, N., & Crisp, J. (2013). Enhancing the resilience of nurses and midwives: Pilot of a mindfulness-based program for increased health, sense of coherence and decreased depression, anxiety and stress. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession , 45 (1), 114-125.

McDonald, G., Jackson, D., Wilkes, L., & Vickers, M. (2013). Personal resilience in nurses and midwives: Effects of a work-based educational intervention. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession , 45 (1), 134-143.

It is vital to ensure a healthy work-life balance (Pelvin, 2010). Imbalances in professional and personal life can cause burnout (Fereday & Oster, 2010). Burnout increases with the incidence of family-work conflict (Jordan et al., 2013). Non work-related interests help reduce the risk of burnout; exercising, resting, leisure-time and self-pacing all assist in managing stress (Jordan et al., 2013; Mollart et al., 2013). Self-awareness and mindfulness positively affect our personal relationships and make valuable contributions to the professional workplace (van der Riet et al., 2015). Mindfulness also enables midwives to be totally present with women and their families (White, 2013). Keeping an up-to-date family diary has assisted in planning and pacing my study, work, personal and social activities.

Fereday, J., & Oster, C. (2010). Managing a work–life balance: The experiences of midwives working in a group practice setting.  Midwifery, 26 (3), 311-318.

Jordan, K., Fenwick, J., Slavin, V., Sidebotham, M., & Gamble, J. (2013). Level of burnout in a small population of Australian midwives.  Women and Birth , 26 (2), 125-132.

Mollart, L., Skinner, V. M., Newing, C., & Foureur, M. (2013). Factors that may influence midwives work-related stress and burnout.  Women and  Birth , 26 , 26-32.

Pelvin, B. (2010). Life skills for midwifery practice. In S. Pairman, S. Tracy, C. Thorogood & J. Pincombe (Eds), Midwifery: Preparation for practice (2 nd ed.). (pp. 298-312). Chatswood, NSW: Elselvier Australia.

van der Riet, P., Rossiter, R., Kirby, D., Dluzewska, T., & Harmon, C. (2015). Piloting a stress management and mindfulness program for undergraduate nursing students: Student feedback and lessons learned.  Nurse Education Today , 35 , 44-49.

White, L. (2013). Mindfulness in nursing: An evolutionary concept analysis. J ournal of Advanced Nursing , 70 (2), 282-294.

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Reflective Nursing Essay

Reflective nursing essay generator.

Have you ever written a diary where you keep accounts of anything you want to say? May it be in the form of a reflection. Like say at the end of the day, you had done this and done that. It could be work related or personal. A lot of people often keep or write down a reflection paper not because it is necessary or to be used in school or class, but to be able to reflect on the day’s events and be able to release the tension that they may have hid while going about their day. For nurses, this may seem more common than you think.

These reflective essays that nurses do practically helps the majority of them to see how they settle with issues within their work and how they may be able to assess their work or their patients with it. In a way it also helps them take up a way to write what they please and find a way to reflect on it. In general, it is a helpful tool. But how helpful is it you ask? Why is it important? Head on over to the examples and the definition to see. While you’re there, take a sneak peek at the tips to write a good reflective nursing essay.

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What Is a Reflective Nursing Essay?

To start off, we know what a reflection essay is or what a reflective essay is. We know that a reflective essay is a kind of essay that a person writes to reflect on either a topic they are told to write it for or to reflect about either their work, their school or their personal life. In this case, a reflective nursing essay works the same except this is mainly for how nurses are able to reflect on their job , and to be able to use it as practice for their careers. The purpose of a reflective nursing essay is to be able to let nurses be comfortable with their work. To have a good chance to understand and to explore who they are and what they do. They are also able to write about their patients and how they may reflect on that experience. In addition to that, writing a reflective nursing essay gives them good practice from their course and work. Of course when you write your reflective nursing essay, there are also things you need to consider. Watching how you write and what you write would be the most important thing to consider.

How to Write a Reflective Nursing Essay?

Are you planning on writing a reflective nursing essay? Either for practice or for work. As we know that making reflective essays are necessary, they can also be a bit of a challenge especially if you have no idea where and how to begin. However, there is a solution for that. Just as with any problem, there is always a solution and this one is no different.

1. Begin With a Simple but Concise Introduction

The first tip we have is to begin your introduction with a simple but concise paragraph. This is the beginning of your reflective essay. This is the first thing your readers are keen on knowing what you are going to be writing about. Make sure that you do not divulge too much information nor the lack of it. Simple introductions are there to keep your readers’ curiosity.

2. Make It Personal for Your Readers

Another important thing to remember is that when you write your reflective nursing essay, make sure to make it personal. This is one way of getting your readers to sympathize or to empathize with you. The more personal you are to reflecting about your work, patient or personal life, the more your readers are able to understand you.

3. Reflect on What You Have Gone Through

Aside from making it personal, give yourself a short reflection on what you have learned and gone through. From your experiences at work, to your experience with a patient or even from your personal life. Reflect and write them down. Reflect what you have learned and write about it.

4. Assess and Evaluate Your Reflection

In addition to the three tips, it is also good to try and assess and evaluate what you think of your reflection. This means that do you know how far you have gone through, do you understand why you felt this way. Basically comparing your past notes to help you with your full assessment on your reflection.

5. End Your Essay With a Happy Note

Lastly, end your essay on a happy note. In a way that your readers would know that regardless of how you may have felt, you learned something worthwhile. Hence it is best to end on a happy note. But if your reflection may cause you some hurt, end it the same way but with a positive and hopeful mindset.

What is a reflective nursing essay?

A kind of essay that is used by nurses to reflect on the events that may trigger something from them. This essay helps them in a way they are able to understand and be able to write it down and reflect on it.

How long is a reflective nursing essay?

A reflective essay could be as written a page long or as short as three paragraphs. Depending on the one who is writing it.

How helpful is a reflective essay to nurses?

A reflective nurse essay is helpful as it helps them practice taking notes. Either for their patience, for themselves or about their work. Having this as practice not only helps them, but it also gives them the opportunity to open up from their surroundings by reflecting and observing.

It goes without saying, writing reflection essays do help. A nurse’s job is not considered the easiest nor is it considered the sweetest job in the world. They have to go through a lot of emotional turmoil and a lot of emotional stress. A reflection nursing essay is simply a right tool for them to let it all out and still be able to reflect on what they have learned through their days or through the moments of work.

Text prompt

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Write a Reflective Nursing Essay on a significant patient care experience.

Discuss the challenges of adapting to rapidly changing health care environments in your Reflective Nursing Essay.

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How to reflect on your practice for revalidation

• Team meetings.
• Reading a journal or article about a topic and then applying the learning to your practice.
• Discussion with other clinical staff about critical incidents or near misses including lessons learned and good practice.
• Compliments and complaints from patients, which may involve changing practice or policies and procedures.
• GP case conferences where complex patients are discussed.
• CPD sessions that relate to your role.
• What went well?
• What did not go so well?
• What would you do differently next time?
• An instance of your CPD
• A piece of practice-related feedback you have received
• An event or experience in your own professional practice and how this relates to the code
• Practice-related feedback

• Make time to reflect.
• Value the benefits it may bring to your practice.
• Use a structure only if you feel comfortable doing so.
• Write notes – even if these are short, bullet points and in informal language, that is fine

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How to write a nursing reflection paper [+Nursing Reflective Essays]

Bob cardens.

• August 23, 2022
• Essay Topics and Ideas , Nursing

Reflective writing is a skill that every nurse should learn. As health professionals, we are constantly confronted with ethical decisions that we must make. In order to be effective in our roles, we need to be able to think critically and reflect on our experiences. This reflection can be done through journaling , but it can also be done through writing reflective papers. Here’s a guide on how to write a nursing reflection paper and nursing reflective essays that are both effective and meaningful.

What You'll Learn

What is a reflection paper?

A reflection paper is a type of writing that helps you to look back on your experiences in school, work, or life and to think about the ways in which you have grown or changed as a result. A reflection paper can be a simple document that you write yourself, or it can be a more formal piece that you submit as part of a coursework assignment . Reflection papers can be helpful in several ways.

They can help you to reflect on your experiences and to take stock of what you have learned . They can also help you to change or improve your behaviour in future situations.

There are many different ways to write a reflection paper , and the format will depend on the context in which it is being written. However, there are some general principles that all reflection papers should follow.

• Reflect on what you have learned in the past year or so.
• Take stock of your accomplishments and failures during this time period.
• Think about how your experiences have changed you as a person.
• Identify any skills or knowledge that you have acquired during this time period that you would like to share with others.

As you continue,  thestudycorp.com  has the top and most qualified writers to help with any of your assignments. All you need to do is place an order with us.

How to write a reflection paper in nursing

Reflection papers are important for nurses to complete as part of their professional development . They can provide nurses with a unique opportunity to reflect on their own experiences, identify strengths and weaknesses, and develop plans for future development. Here’s a guide on how to write a nursing reflection paper and nursing reflective essays that are both effective and meaningful.

1. Prioritize your reflection When writing a reflection paper , it is important to prioritize your thoughts and feelings. Start by listing the main points that you want to address in your essay. Next, focus on detailing these points in a clear and concise way. Finally, be sure to provide a conclusion that ties all of your ideas together.

2. Assess your own skills Before you can identify any areas where you need improvement, it is important to assess your own skills and strengths. Include questions like the following in your reflection paper: What have I done well in my career as a nursing student ? What do I enjoy doing most in my work as a nurse? How have my performances as a nurse impacted patient care ? How have I developed as a professional over the past year ? This information will help you identify areas where you are strongest and should continue developing those skills. It will also allow you to identify any areas where you may need additional training or practice.

3. Reflect on your experiences When you are writing a reflection paper , it is important to think about the emotions that you experienced during the events that you discuss. This can be difficult, but it is important to remember that emotions are a part of every human experience . Try to be as candid as possible while still maintaining a degree of objectivity.

4. Analyze your experiences When you are writing a reflection paper , it is important to analyze your experiences in order to understand them better. Ask yourself questions like the following: What were some of the challenges that I faced during this time period? How did I respond to these challenges? What did this experience teach me about myself? What did this experience teach me about my profession? How can I use what I have learned from this experience in the future? By analyzing your experiences, you will be able to better understand both the good and bad moments from your past year and career as a nurse.

Reflection papers can be a helpful tool in nurse development . By following these tips, you will be able to write an effective and meaningful reflection paper .

Reflection Paper Example

Nursing Leadership Style Reflective Essay Assignment

Personal and Professional Accountability in Nursing

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What should be included in a reflection paper?

Reflection papers should include an overview of the patient’s care and a personal reflection on what was learned during the course of that care. Additionally, reflection papers should address specific issues or questions that arose during the patient’s stay in the hospital setting. Finally, reflection papers should offer any suggestions or advice that the nurse may have for improving patient care in the future.

Tips for writing a reflection paper in nursing

Reflection papers are a great way to document your learning in nursing . They can be used as an important tool to evaluate your own progress and growth as a nurse or to share your thoughts and experiences with others.

Here are some tips for writing a reflection paper in nursing:

• Think about what you want to communicate in your reflection paper. There are many different types of reflection papers, so think about what would be most helpful for you as a nurse. Some common focuses include assessment of skills, clinical experiences , professional development, and personal growth.
• Start by writing down your thoughts and feelings about the experience or class you’re writing about. This will help you to organize your thoughts later on in the paper.
• Take time to reflect on the content of the class or experience you’re reflecting on. What did you learn? What did you enjoy? What challenges did you face ? How did you overcome them? These are all important questions to ask yourself when writing a reflection paper.
• Choose a specific topic or theme to focus on in your reflection paper , and then research related materials on that topic. This will help you to develop a well-rounded perspective on the topic and to communicate that perspective effectively in your paper .
• Organize your thoughts into logical sections, and then write prose that is clear, concise, and easy to read. Use concrete examples to illustrate your points, and stay away from theological or philosophical rambling.

Writing a reflective paper can be difficult, but it is an important part of nursing. A reflective paper should help nurses learn from their experiences and grow as professionals . By reflecting on the care that they provide, nurses can identify areas for improvement and work to make changes in order to provide the best possible care for their patients. Here’s a guide on how to write a nursing reflection paper and nursing reflective essays that are both effective and meaningful.

How to write a reflection essay in Nursing

Nursing is an incredibly challenging and rewarding career choice. In this article, we will explore the basics of writing a reflective essay , which is a type of writing that helps you reflect on your experiences as a nurse and consider what it has taught you about yourself. We will provide tips on how to structure the essay , outline key points, and give you some ideas for reflective quotes to use.

What is a reflection essay?

When you write a reflection essay , you are writing about your own life experiences and how they have affected you. A reflection essay can be about anything that has affected your life, from a personal experience to something you have read or seen. The purpose of a reflection essay is to allow you to explore your thoughts and feelings about what has happened in your life and to learn from them.

How do I write a reflective essay?

There is no one way to write a reflection essay . What matters most is that you take the time to reflect on your life experiences and share what you have learned from them. You can start by brainstorming some ideas for topics that might interest you, then begin writing down your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself- if something feels uncomfortable or difficult, try not to censor yourself. Let the words flow out of you without restraint.

What are the steps of writing a reflective essay?

There are a few steps to writing a reflective essay in nursing . First, you should assess the importance of reflection for your career. Second, identify what you learned from your experiences in nursing. Third, document your reflections in a cohesive and meaningful way. Fourth, share your reflections with others to gain feedback and improve your skills as a nurse .

As you continue,  thestudycorp.com  has the top and most qualified writers to help with any of your assignments. All you need to do is place an order with us. Here’s a guide on how to write a nursing reflection paper and nursing reflective essays that are both effective and meaningful.

Guidelines for writing a reflection essay

Reflection essays are common assignments for nursing students. They can offer a chance to reflect on their own learning and growth as nurses, and to share that experience with others. Here are some tips for writing a reflective essay:

• Choose a topic that interests you.
• Write about a specific experience or event from your nursing career.
• Consider how the experience has affected you personally.
• Share what you learned from the experience, and why it matters to you as a nurse.
• Reflect on how your experiences have shaped who you are as a nurse today.
• Share any advice you have for other nurses who are struggling to find their path in the profession.
• Thank your readers for taking the time to read your essay.

Tips to help you write a reflective essay

Writing a reflective essay can be a difficult task, but with the right tips, it can be a rewarding experience. Here are four tips to help you write a reflective essay effectively:

• First, make sure that your essay is focused. Make sure that each paragraph addresses a specific point of your reflection. If your essay is scattered or unfocused, it will be more difficult to write effectively.
• Next, be honest with yourself. Don’t try to sugarcoat your thoughts or hide the truth behind your reflection. Be vulnerable and open up about what you’ve learned from the experience. This will help readers understand and connect with your essay.
• Finally, use descriptive language when describing your experience. Use concrete images and words to help readers imagine what you’re talking about. This will help them understand the emotions that you were feeling during the experience.

These tips should help you write a reflective essay that is both effective and enjoyable to read. Here’s a guide on how to write a nursing reflection paper and nursing reflective essays that are both effective and meaningful.

What to include in your reflection essay

In order to write a reflection essay on nursing , you will need to think about what inspired you when you initially became interested in the field. Why did you choose nursing as your chosen profession? Reflect on the reasons why you are passionate about this career and share them with your readers. Additionally, make sure to describe the important aspects of your nursing experience and how it has shaped who you are as a person. Finally, be sure to offer advice for aspiring nurses out there.

How to write a reflection essay in Nursing?

Reflection is a necessary part of nursing. It allows nurses to think critically about their practice and how it can be improved. Reflecting on experience also allows nurses to develop self-awareness. When writing a reflection essay , it is important to follow the three steps analysis, reflection and evaluation.

In order to begin the reflective process, nurses should first assess their experience. This can be done by thinking about the specific aspects of care that were observed during the writing process . For example, did you feel empowered as a nurse during your reflections? Were there any areas in which you felt unsure or uncomfortable? Once the experience has been assessed, it is important to begin reflecting on it.

In order to understand why things happened and what lessons could be learned from the experience, nurses need to reflect on their thoughts and feelings at the time of the event. This includes everything from recalling what was going through your mind as you performed the task to analyzing why certain decisions were made. It is important, to be honest with yourself, and allow your thoughts and feelings to surface without censorship.

After reflecting on the experience, it is important to evaluate what was learned. This can take many different forms, such as writing a list of positive and negative outcomes that came from the experience. It is also important to think about ways in which the experience could have been improved. By evaluating the experience, nurses can learn from their mistakes while still making progress.

Nurses should always keep in mind the three steps of reflection when writing a reflective essay. By following these steps, nurses can develop a deeper understanding of their practice and learn from their experiences.

Reflection essays are a powerful tool for nursing students to use when reflecting on their experiences in the profession. They can provide insight into how nursing has contributed to your personal growth and development, help you identify areas where you need to continue developing as a nurse , and provide you with opportunities to share your clinical skills and knowledge with others.

When done well, reflection essays can provide nurses with a unique perspective on their career path and help them see both the good and bad moments of their experience in the profession .

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Nursing Reflective Essay: Example, Outline, & Writing Guide

A nursing reflective essay is a piece of writing where the writer examines their clinical or medical experiences and reflects on personal outcomes. Composing an impressive reflection requires a lot of creativity. It tends to be a challenging experience for most students.

We are here to make the writing process less intimidating. In this article, we will give you:

• a guide on how to apply a reflective cycle framework;
• four writing prompts with different topics;
• and a nursing reflective essay example.
• 🏥 Nursing Reflection Importance
• ♻️ Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
• ✍️ Essay Outline
• 📝 Writing Prompts
• 💡 Essay Topics
• 📑 Essay Example

🏥 Nursing Reflective Essay: Why Is It Important?

A reflection is a practice of thinking through and interpreting your memories, experiences, and actions to understand yourself and learn from your analysis. Reflective writing also helps you develop critical thinking skills. Students are taught to identify what works well and what needs improvement by writing an essay on the nursing profession.

There are many different approaches to this kind of writing. To write a good reflection, it’s useful to follow a clinical writing framework . A framework helps you situate your ideas, concepts, and theories into the existing knowledge.

The most famous one is Gibbs’ reflective cycle . It’s commonly used by health professionals. Below we will discuss this framework and tell you how to apply it to your reflective essays.

♻️ Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in Essay on Nursing Profession

Graham Gibbs developed his reflective cycle in 1988 to give structure to any learning process. It is an effective action-based model that can be used in reflective essays for nursing students to work through any experience in 6 stages.

Let’s examine if this framework’s format will work for you. Have a look at these statements:

• You want to reflect on your experience and transform it into a learning model.
• You want to unravel repeated behavior patterns.
• You want to understand why you do things the way you do.
• You want to do better in the future.

If they describe your intentions, then Gibbs’ reflective cycle is exactly what you need.

Think about a nursing experience or a situation that didn’t turn out as you expected. These questions will show you what to include for each stage.

✍️ Nursing Reflective Essay Outline

Here is a great example of how to apply Gibbs’ reflective cycle . Pay attention to the contents of each essay part.

Topic : Dealing with death at the scene in paramedic practice.

📝 Essay on Nursing Profession: Writing Prompts

Now that you’ve learned about Gibb’s reflective cycle, it’s time to choose a topic. These prompts should give you some writing ideas. And if you won’t find anything suitable, you are always welcome to use our topic generator .

Mentorship in Nursing Essay

Mentorship is a topic suitable for a reflection essay. This writing prompt involves an assessment of a person who was mentoring you. Alternatively, you may reflect on your own experience as a mentor. You aim to analyze what makes an effective mentor and how it correlates with their mentees’ performance.

You can start with assessing the current situation and then produce an action plan for a student nurse. Reflection examples may include evaluation of one’s competence and knowledge they possess. Make sure not to mention any real names.

Remember that the goal of this essay is not to criticize but improve the mentoring experience for you or your mentees.

Below is an example of a nursing essay that focuses on mentorship:

• Mentoring and Coaching in Nursing

Importance of Communication in Nursing Essay

The importance of communication skills in a nursing career is another topic suitable for a reflection essay. Here is what you can write about:

• Patients open up about the true extent of their symptoms if they can trust their nurse. Show how lack of communication can result in patients misunderstanding treatment protocols and failure to receive proper care.
• If you’ve ever dealt with compassion fatigue, you can use your reflection essay to raise awareness of this issue.
• Evaluating the importance of non-verbal communication during extreme situations could be a great reflective essay topic. Nursing students will definitely benefit from it.

Below are some examples of nursing essays that focus on communication:

• Communication with Patients in Mental Health Nursing
• Nursing Communication: Translational Research
• Silence, Power and Communication in the Operating Room
• Novice Psychiatric Nurses’ Communication Strategies

Leadership in Nursing Essay

Leadership is a crucial part of effective healthcare. In a reflective essay, you can explore it in various ways:

• Say whether you agree that all nurses need to possess leadership skills. Discuss how it improves the patient’s recovery chances.
• You can write about your own leadership journey and what was required of you to become a great leader.
• You may also write about a real-life situation where a lack of leadership resulted in poor patient care quality. This way, you’ll turn that experience into a reflection.

Below are some examples of nursing essays that focus on leadership:

• Personal Philosophy of Nursing and Leadership
• Organizational Leadership and Interprofessional Team Development
• Nursing Leadership: Advancing Workforce Intra-communication
• Leadership Strategies in Nursing Practice
• Nursing: Complex Leadership Discussion

Compassion in Nursing Essay

Compassion is a strong foundation of trust. As a nurse, your goal can be to discuss that genuine compassion is about a deeper level of connecting with your patients. This topic is perfect for a reflection, and here are some of your options:

• You may want to examine your strategies for providing patients with a sense of security.
• You can also discuss how to make them feel heard and recognized. Many patients feel like their concerns are not acted upon and ignored. Show its importance in your reflective essay.

Below are some examples of nursing essays that focus on compassion:

• “Mindfulness and Compassion-Oriented Practices at Work ” by Orellana-Rios Quantitative Review
• Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Challenge for Living
• Patient Satisfaction Influences Health Outcomes

Note that there is another compassion in nursing essay sample at the end if this article.

💡 Nursing Reflective Essay Topics

In this section, we have collected topic ideas for you to write a reflection on your nursing education and experiences.

• The clinical experience course reflection.
• Patient case reflection: Providing palliative care to an older adult.
• Reflections on the DNP essentials .
• Nursing reflection: An ethical-legal challenge.
• Postoperative complications: A reflection on possible causes.
• Reflection on nursing fundamentals .
• Nursing leadership reflection: Clinical decision unit .
• A reflection on misdiagnosis and its outcomes.
• Community and public health nursing reflection .
• Different types of reflective models .
• Patient dissatisfaction: A nursing reflection on what went wrong.
• Reflection on the interview with a registered nurse .
• Aspects of reflective practice models.
• Reflect on a difficult nursing procedure that you performed well.
• Nursing’s metaparadigm: Personal philosophy .
• Personal philosophy of culturally competent nurses .
• A reflection on personal experience in mental health nursing.
• Nursing practice personal experience.
• Personal worldview and model of leadership .
• A nursing reflection on care for terminally ill pediatric patients.
• Nursing personal leadership: Reflection.
• Personal teaching experience: Additional roles of nurses.
• Reflecting on family-centered care in nursing.
• The relevance of nursing theory to personal professional beliefs and values.
• Personal philosophy of scholarship in nursing .
• A reflection on clinical experiences in the critical care unit.
• The development of the personal philosophy of nursing.
• The personal experience in leadership among nursing.
• Reflecting on the importance of providing support to women in maternity care.
• Personal philosophy of nursing.
• Nurses’ experiences during advanced level nursing education.
• Self-reflection in nursing educators: A tool for identifying personal knowledge gaps.
• Nursing practice experience in the elderly care.
• Sharing knowledge learned from a practicum project.
• A reflection on challenges in translating scientific evidence into clinical practice.
• Nursing students in the clinical learning environment.
• The learning strategies in nursing .
• A nurse’s reflection on skills acquired during a clinical internship.
• Professional learning experience in nursing.
• Online learning during working towards a doctoral degree.
• Reflect on your knowledge about a specific health condition.
• Lifelong learning in the nursing career .
• Lack of proper hand washing in my community.
• A nursing reflection on cultural awareness and the importance of culturally sensitive care.
• My nursing philosophy and beliefs.

📑 Critical Reflection Essay Example: Nursing

Finally, let’s have a look at this nursing reflective essay sample. It will inspire you and help kickstart your writing process.

The Role of Compassion in Nursing Care of Terminally Ill Patients

Introduction: Some people define compassion as being nice to people. However, it is much more than that. My personal experience showed me that compassion is an essential quality for a nurse. Thesis: Compassionate care in nursing gives a deeper level of connecting with patients and provides them with a sense of security. Description of the event: It is easier to know what compassion is after a person experiences it firsthand, as I did with one of my patients. My patient was a young woman from Pakistan in the last stages of lung cancer. We provided her with proper treatment and medication so we could make her feel as comfortable as possible. Telling someone that they are going to die so early is not easy. Being a compassionate nurse means being honest and open, so I informed the girl and her parents of every step. Feelings: No matter how often I tell people the bad news, it is always hard. To be compassionate means to treat your patients with care and understanding. It means to relate to them and what they are going through, what sacrifices they must make along the way. After each chemotherapy treatment, the young girl had cravings for ice cream. I found a way to get it for her. Since then, we have had a powerful bond. Comforting my patient did not feel like a job or duty; it felt like the most human thing to do. The girl lived for two more months. She was not scared because her family and I were by her side. Evaluation: I still remember coming home after those long shifts and not being able to sleep. As an experienced nurse, I knew dealing with death was a part of my job. The last thing my patient and her family needed was my anxiety, fear, pity, and remorse. Being a compassionate nurse is a noble and demanding job. It is not just about being nice to terminally ill patients. It is about developing a deeper level of connection to help them feel secure. Analysis: Cancer care is a high-emotion service. The feeling of powerlessness, lack of control, and grief is essential to it. My job was to keep calm, even when I felt emotionally drained. I may never understand what my patients are going through, but I can get to know them. What they need is to be heard. Findings: The compassionate environment created by a nurse improves a patient’s well-being and can be a potential antidote to emotional and mental exhaustion, fear, and depression. Action plan: In addition to work experience and skills, managers must make hiring decisions based on candidates’ humanistic values. Evaluating their capacity for compassion can prove helpful in hiring. Conclusion: As a nurse, I managed to temper lung cancer’s emotional and mental impact on my patient. Being compassionate was key to it working out. Now you know everything about writing a nursing reflection paper. And if you have already written an essay and want to listen to it, you are welcome to use “Read my Paper” tool . We hope that reading our guide will encourage you to look back at your experiences and learn from them. Good luck with your professional nursing career!

❓ Essay on Nursing: FAQ

How do you write a good nursing essay.

– Always make sure you understand the assignment. – Find the topic that interests you. – Do your research and create an outline. – Write the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. – Make sure that your essay’s content is connected to your thesis. – Don’t forget to proofread your paper.a

How do you write a reflective essay in nursing?

A reflection essay allows you to examine your clinical or medical experiences and reflect on personal outcomes. Choose your topic and start by writing an outline. You can use Gibbs’ reflective cycle to help you unravel deeper behavior patterns by analyzing your experiences in 6 simple steps.

What is a nursing essay sample?

A student nurse reflection example can give you some ideas of what to write about. For instance, if you need to write a “Why I want to be a nurse” essay, a sample can provide you with reasons such as the desire to help other people.

How do you write an essay for nursing school application?

The secret to writing an impressive admission essay is to make it a unique personal statement. – Explain why you chose to be a nurse. – Give examples when you went above and beyond to care for someone. – Reflect on your qualifications.

🔗 References

• Gibbs Reflective Cycle: Routledge
• A New Model of Reflection for Clinical Practice: Nursing Times
• Revalidation Requirements: Reflection and Reflective Discussion: Royal College of Nursing
• Reflective Practice in Health Care and How to Reflect Effectively: NIH
• Reflection as an Educational Strategy in Nursing Professional Development: An Integrative Review: Lippincott Nursing Center
• Applying the Gibbs’ Reflective Model: Manchester Metropolitan University
• The Purpose of Reflection: Purdue College of Liberal Arts

• Manukau Institute of Technology
• Writing: Academic & reflective
• Nau mai, haere mai, welcome
• Rauemi- Course resources
• Professionalism: Ethics & Law
• Health Science for nurses
• Nursing & Health Databases
• Health websites
• Pharmacology
• BN3 Professional Practice
• Nursing Care Plans & Diagnosis
• BN4 Nursing with a Mental Health Focus
• Mental health: History, stigma & discrimination
• BN4 Pacific health & wellness
• BN5 Hauora Māori
• Māori health development
• BN6 Focused Experience & Transition

Reflective writing examples and resources

• Writing tips
• Exemplars & essays
• MIT Study Toolbox Reflective writing
• NZNO: Reflective writing, 2021
• Reflective writing by University of Westminster
• Reflective writing - Oxford Brookes University Great links on reflective writing. For student examples see under Reflective frameworks heading and click on Using Gibbs: Example of reflective writing in a healthcare assignment

Gibb's reflective model

• Download - Gibb's Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods Republished online.
• Writing exemplars (UC Davis Health)
• Example reflective essay for Critical Thinking and Writing for Nursing Students Bob Price and Anne Harrington
• New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa: Guidelines: Privacy, confidentiality and consent in the use of exemplars of practice, case studies, and journaling 2016
• Monash University's MNHS: Reflective writing and critical incidents
• RMIT University Library: Case study report for nursing
• Oxford Brookes University: Using Gibbs: Example of reflective writing in a healthcare assignment

Gibb's reflective model

• Download - Learning by doing book

Online writing resources

• MIT Study Toolbox
• Academic Writing Tips
• Reflective Writing
• APA resources

The Study tool box has great study resources, guides and tips related to general study skills, writing and presentation skills, and mathematics/numeracy skills.with study resources. 

• Paraphrasing
• Grammar and punctuation
• Berkeley Student Learning Centre
• Massey University Academic writing pages
• Academic phrasebank created by John Morley
• Walden University: Scholarly voice: Overview
• Common linking words Learning Lab RMIT Univeristy
• Otago Polytechnic: Sentence starters, transitional and other useful words

Gibb's reflective model:

• MIT guide to APA 7th edition: Instructions and examples for referencing
• MIT student guide to using tables and figures APA 7, Version 4, February 2020
• Nursing, Health and Counselling APA 7 reference examples
• Official APA style website
• Massey APA Interactive: examples of web pages, books and more
• << Previous: BN6 Focused Experience & Transition

• Last Updated: Jul 3, 2024 9:14 AM
• URL: https://library.manukau.ac.nz/guides/nursing

Nursing Reflective Essay: Example Outline and Guide

Are you a nursing student? Then, you will definitely have an assignment to compose a nursing reflective essay. This task might be quite tough and challenging. But don’t stress out! Our professionals are willing to assist you.

First and foremost, let’s figure out what’s reflective writing. In a few words, such essays are based on your experiences, feelings, views on something, etc. For nursing students, reflective papers help to practice their skills and expand their knowledge.

In case you are wondering how to master nursing essay writing, you are on the right page. This article will provide tips that will help you write an outstanding student nurse reflection: examples of what to include in it, what to avoid, and what reflection ideas to use.

• ✒️ Analytical Essay
• ✒️ Reflective Essay

⭕ Outline and Draft

• ⭕ Revise and Edit
• ❓ Reflecting
• ❗ Essential Parts
• ⚠️ Mistakes to Avoid
• 💡 Additional Tips

🔗 References

🆚 analytical vs. reflective nursing essay.

Basically, nursing essays can be divided into different types.

The most common ones are analytical and reflective essays. These two styles are the most suitable for nursing papers. They either argue a particular perspective (analytical) or base the narration on previous experiences (reflective).

This focus is what differentiates one type of essay from another, as both analytical and reflective nursing essays can be quite similar stylistically.

✒️ Nursing: Analytical Essay

Speaking of structural parts, the basic outline for an analytical essay on nursing can look like this:

• Introduction. The introduction is your first paragraph, which usually consists of two parts. First, you have to capture the reader’s attention. Then, you aim to create a clear thesis statement to demonstrate your position.
• Providing evidence. Each of your arguments should have at least one piece of evidence. If you have more to share, it’s even better. However, you have to keep the word count in mind. So, make strong points to keep your essay concise.
• Practical use of evidence. There’s no point in providing evidence that wouldn’t have any real use in practice.
• The judgment of evidence. Here, you’ll demonstrate your critical thinking abilities. Prove that your evidence is indeed strong and valid.
• Conclusion. First, summarize what’s been said in your essay. Then give your own opinion on it.

✒️ Nursing: Reflective Essay

A reflective nursing essay usually consists of the following elements:

• Introduction. It explains the whole purpose of the essay and tells readers what to expect. The most crucial part of the introduction is the thesis statement. Usually, it’s the last sentence of the intro. Your thesis should be concise and clearly reflect your position.
• Description of the situation. Since a reflective essay is based on previous experiences, describing those events is the core part of the paper. Again, this section should contain only the most important and valuable details.
• Sharing of personal feelings. The section demonstrates how you react to situations and how you’re able to gain control over those emotions.
• Evaluation of experience. This part is a summary of what skills and knowledge did you get from experience.
• Reflection and opportunities for learning. The part is closely connected to the previous one. While previously you were just giving a summary, here you’ll describe what this situation made you understand. Also, elaborate on your future path of self-development.
• Conclusion. This one is simple. Just summarize all the information you discussed in your essay.

We’ll now tell you about the writing preparation process.

✍️ Reflective Nursing Essay Writing Guide

Creating a nursing reflection essay is a long and challenging journey that requires total concentration on a task. That’s why it is essential to turn your “study mode” on and devote yourself to the essay writing process.

No doubts, you might get too overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to get done. But don’t worry! We know how to avoid anxiety. Just follow out tips and write an outstanding nursing reflection paper!

⭕ Remove the Distractions

Yes, it’s as simple as that. Ironically, most of the major problems usually happen at this initial stage. So, you just need to know how to overcome them right away.

• Turn all the gadgets off (yes, even your cell phone).
• Make sure to get rid of anything around you that could potentially catch your attention and distract you from writing.
• Get earplugs if necessary.

Then, get in your “ study mood .”

• Go through all your pre-game rituals — visit the bathroom, eat, drink, meditate, etc.
• Get fun out of the way. Dedicate some time for yourself so that you won’t have the temptation later.
• Prepare the essentials — open your notebook or create a Word document and make sure you have all the necessary notes and resources ready.

After you create perfect conditions, make another significant step to start writing. Research is an essential part of any academic work, even if you’re telling your personal story.

Here’s where you can start your search for brilliant ideas:

• your college library;
• your course readings;
• scholar.google.com ;
• online nursing journal articles;

And no matter what topic you’re going to discuss, don’t forget that most nursing essays use a similar pattern:

You still need to remember what we talked about in the very beginning—your story has to be unique. Use these questions as a framework, and fill the essay with unique content. If you’ve answered most of these questions, you’re halfway to your excellent grade.

No wonder outlining is a vital part of the essay writing process. It helps to reach the logical flow of ideas and organize all the arguments and examples in the right order. Also, you can easily edit a well-developed structure if something seems wrong. It’s always better to change the part of an outline rather than rewriting the entire paragraph.

Your reflective essay outline should look approximately like this:

• Point 1 (evidence, examples, other supportive details)
• Point 2 (evidence, examples, other supportive details)
• Point 3 (evidence, examples, other supportive details)
• Restatement of thesis statement
• Final memorable statement

After creating an outline, it would be a great idea to write the rough draft of your nursing reflective essay. This step will help you to avoid all the possible mistakes before submitting the paper.

⭕ Proofread and Revise

Polishing your essay is the last but not the least step of the writing process. So, take it seriously and don’t waste your chance to submit a flawless work. Revise your rough draft, make sure your ideas are coherent and supporting evidence is logical, and then create a final version of the essay.

We created the checklist of what you should take into consideration while revising your nursing reflective essay. Don’t hesitate to use it!

• make sure you meet the writing style requirements;
• check whether all in-text citations have the corresponding reference list entry;
• make sure you followed the proper structure (introduction, three body paragraphs, conclusion);
• get rid of all grammar and punctuation mistakes;
• double-check whether your ideas are clear and the supporting details are logical.

📝 Reflective Essay: Nursing School Application

Although people say there is a lack of nurses in the United States and a high demand for good specialists with a stellar education, it is not that easy to pass a nursing school admission.

What’s the reason for this?

It seems like nursing schools are looking for outstanding students, who have made a firm decision to become a nurse and will contribute to the community of the school and the field of healthcare in general.

You need to showcase this capability in your nursing application essay, where you reflect on your goals or experience. In the following sections, we’ll explain how to write it.

❓ Reflecting on Your Goals

Here’s a question you should ask yourself.

“Why do I want to become a nurse?”

As curious as it may sound, some students do not have that answer. If you are one of them, you might want to reconsider your decision.

Being a nurse is stressful. It requires dedication, a strong philosophy, and stable mental health. And if you’re unsure about your choice — try to make up your mind as soon as possible. Getting a nursing education is a serious step in your life. So, be confident about your choice not to regret it later. The video below will give you an idea of what a day in the life of a nurse is like.

If your intentions are firm and you’re sure about your career goals, then we’re here to help you cope with all those “Why I chose nursing” essays.

• Know where to begin with your nursing essay. A good idea would be to find several nursing essay examples first. You will see that many students do not try to be creative. The same boring stories can be found in numerous essays. And it seems that those stories are taken from the same articles. This does not sound impressive at all. Repeating familiar stories is quite a critical mistake, and you should avoid it. We’ll talk more about common errors in nursing essay writing later, so keep on reading. Look through nursing paper examples and try to make your essay on nursing career different. Make it stand out from the crowd.
• Base your essay on a true story. Think about any situation from your clinical placement, which your reflective nursing essay will be based on. Describe what happened, who was involved in the case, why it impressed you, etc. By doing this, you’ll demonstrate a complete understanding of the situation. Your essay will show that you’re able to comprehend what’s happening and make the right decisions, even in critical cases. These are skills that every nurse should have.
• Write a personal essay. Now, proceed to describe your feelings. Follow these three questions: How did you feel in that situation? Why? What were your actions, actions of other personnel? Be sure to tell how much you care about what happened. It’s a great way to show how sympathetic you can be.
• Evaluate the event. Another stage of writing the reflective nursing essay is an evaluation of your experience. Why do you think it is a valuable experience for you? How did it contribute to your personal and professional development? Self-development is among the most important aspects of professionalism for a nurse. And you must not forget to show that you have this capability.
• Choose the right focus. It’s common for students to concentrate on a story that deals with the nursing profession. This is a strategy that you too can follow when writing your nursing essay. Make sure that the narrative focuses on you instead of other nurses or patients. It is your essay, so be sure to write about your personal experience. You have to tell the reader about all the lessons you have learned and explain how it helped you come up with a decision to become a nurse.
• Allow yourself to fantasize. There’s another critical subtopic you should cover in your nursing essay. Tell what other actions you could take and whether you would repeat them if you are to face the same situation.

Next, we’re going to talk about the parts that make up a well-written nursing essay. So, stay with us!

❗ Essential Application Essay Parts

You probably know that competition in nursing schools is especially severe compared to other educational institutions.

Your paper should be outstanding if you want to be accepted. Below, you’ll find a list of the most significant parts of any nursing admission essay. These parts contain all relevant info that the admission officers want to know about an applicant.

• Is there someone who influenced your decision?
• Was there an event that had an impact on your choice of a career?
• Do you know what particular kind of nursing you want to do?

These are essential questions to answer in the nursing school essay. You do double-duty by responding to these questions. Not only will you explain how you decided to become a nurse, but you’ll also make sure that your intentions are truly firm.

• Show what you’re worth. You need to tell about your experience in the nursing field. This is a job where you need at least some background experience. If you have never seen a syringe in your life, your nursing essay will hardly convince anybody. So, make a personal statement. And make it strong.
• Prove that you’re ready. You need to show that you are prepared to be a nurse and ready for all nursing hardships. Nursing is emotionally and physically exhausting. That’s why you need to demonstrate the best of your personal and professional values. Prove to the admission counselors that you are capable of completing the nursing job.

⚠️ Nursing Reflective Essay: Mistakes to Avoid

As we have mentioned before, the competition is going to be tough. It is not easy to enter a nursing school even with the best scores and a high GPA. So, your essay should be of the highest quality!

One of the best ways to ensure your works’ flawlessness is to learn the most common mistakes and avoid them in your paper. Below, you will find the list of the most critical errors for a nursing application essay. Investigate them here:

• Not including your own nursing story. Without a real-life story, a nursing application essay seems very weak. Listing personal qualities that a nurse should possess is not enough. Tell a story that will show the admission officers how helpful you were while providing care to somebody.
• Not sharing your experiences. Your nursing application essay will undoubtedly lose a couple of points if you do not mention some nursing-related experiences. A strong intention to become a nurse is great, of course. However, if you have no idea what nursing is all about, your essay will not be convincing.
• Not providing sufficient reasons to support your intentions. It is ridiculous to remind about that, but some students still fail to mention why they want to enter a certain school. Make sure to avoid this mistake in your nursing application essay.
• Plagiarizing. Plagiarism can cause you to fail your paper or be rejected by the schools you’re applying for. More importantly, plagiarizing isn’t ethical. To avoid any potential issues, make sure to cite all your sources and provide an authentic and unique story.
• Repeating yourself. This problem is widespread in the introduction and conclusion. If you need to connect the first and the last paragraphs, don’t just rewrite the info from the introduction into a conclusion. Rather synthesize your thoughts and finish your essay dynamically.

💡 Nursing Reflective Essay: Additional Tips

We’ve come to the point where you can go ahead and start writing your nursing essay. But there’s one more thing…

The process of writing a nursing essay has its own tips and tricks. So, we simply couldn’t let you go without sharing a few of them.

Hopefully, you’ll find these nursing school essay tips useful:

• Always start working on your student nurse essay with studying assignment instructions. It is the best way to find out what exactly will be assessed in your paper.
• Do not hesitate to ask your tutors for help and advice. Whether you believe it or not, but they do not want you to fail student nurse assignments and essays.
• To prepare a good student nurse essay, you will have to find and read quite a lot of nursing literature. Mind that it usually takes a lot of time. So, start researching early.
• Student nurse essays have a standard structure. Thus, make sure you have all the necessary paragraphs. Do not forget about specific terminology that should be used in your works. Also, remember about the proper formatting of your paper (e.g., MLA, Chicago, or APA format).
• How to summarize an article without plagiarizing ? Keep your text balanced. When looking through your draft, pay attention not only to the logic of your narration. Also, check how much of the paper consists of your own thoughts and what percentage is a review of other people’s work.

With these tips in mind, it’s now your time to shine!

Nursing Reflective Essay Topics

• Strengths and weaknesses of nursing professionals.
• Analyze the methods clinical nurses use to deal with moral distress.
• Examine the types of errors in nursing.
• Describe the role of technology in nursing care.
• The role of the nursing professional in patient advocacy.
• Peculiarities and importance of nursing interventions in the pre-op period.
• The crucial role of communication in nursing.
• Is MSN course worth studying?
• Examine the importance of cultural competency in nursing practice.
• What is the best nursing recruitment strategy and why?
• The critical role of QSEN competencies in becoming a better nurse.
• Collaboration and communication issues in nursing practice .
• Personal integrity and accountability in nursing practice.
• Describe the aims and key concepts of nursing care delivery model.
• Analyze the basic nursing theories.
• Discuss the occupational health and safety risks of practicing nurses.
• How to reduce the rate of workplace burnouts in nursing profession.
• Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a clinical nurse leader.
• Analyze the main reasons for nursing shortage.
• Describe the challenges of family nurse practitioner and the ways to overcome them.
• The importance of nurses providing care for elderly at home .
• Examine the elements that the nurses should take into account to improve the care of diabetic patients.
• Why knowledge and application of psychological theories are vital for nursing practice.
• Why is it necessary to integrate cultural competence in nursing practice?
• Do Christian values play an important role in nursing practice?
• Discuss the significance of evidence-based practice to nursing.
• Explain how a nurse can use a personal digital assistant to enhance performance.
• The challenges of language barrier and cultural diversity in nursing practice.
• Cultural sensitive approach in nursing and health care.
• Describe ethical and moral dilemmas of nursing.
• Why strategic management is important to a trained nurse.
• Discuss the issues of combining a nursing job and Jewish traditions.
• The issue of aging of the nursing population.
• Analyze the peculiarities of Cuban-American culture and its influence on nursing practice.
• The role of nurses in healthcare delivery.
• The issue of applying theory to practice to manage stress in nursing.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of different leadership styles in nursing.
• Examine the specifics of women’s nursing.
• The leadership role of nurses in the healthcare system.
• Explain how a nurse can be a cultural broker of the community.
• Why do people choose to become nurses?
• The types and benefits of technologies used in nursing profession.
• Analyze why a mandatory overtime in nursing profession is a controversial solution.
• Describe the reasons of burnout in nursing profession.
• How to resolve the nursing shortage problem.
• Discuss the effective strategies to improve nursing ratios.
• Psychological effects of COVID-19 that result in hospital nursing shortage.
• Compare and analyze the specifics of the community virtual ward model with the inpatient nursing care model.
• The importance of clear vision to nursing leaders.
• Discuss whether the use of social media can violate ethical nursing practices.

Writing a nursing essay doesn’t have to seem so difficult anymore. So, go forth and do it. Make it flawless because it’s your very first step on the way to success.

Also, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts! Did we miss something? Want to add more helpful info? Write about it in the comments below!

Further reading:

• How to Write an Expository Essay in Simple Steps
• Essay on Dengue Fever: How to Write + Free Examples
• Objective Essay Writing: How to Write, Topics and Examples
• French Essay Writing: How-to Guide and Examples

🤔 Reflective Essay in Nursing FAQ

A good essay of this kind is a reflection of personal feelings, impressions, and motivation. It should be based on a real-life example. Describe an unusual situation you’ve faced during the clinical placement program. Analyze the emotions it provoked, what could have been improved, etc.

Before you start writing, focus on your personal impressions provoked by a certain event or topic. Then put them down and organize cohesively. Do not forget about an appropriate introduction and a memorable conclusion.

If you are to write a good application essay to progress your career as a nurse, start with formulating your personal motivation to pursue this occupation. Draft the arguments and relevant examples, and then distill the right wording to make your paper persuasive and impressive.

It is a good idea to read some examples of reflective essay conclusions, but make sure that your own version is personal and sincere. A reflective essay is all about your own thoughts and perceptions, so you may simply paraphrase and summarize them.

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Reflective model guides

During your nursing studies, you will often have to reflect on your practice and experiences using reflective models. Many UK universities will ask you to use models of reflection to help you critically reflect on your practice as a nursing student, and are used as a guide to make informed decisions in your personal and professional life as a nurse. Take a look at our reflective guides, which aim to help you understand the different methods of reflective practice and can help you in writing your next reflective essay.

If you are looking for professional assistance with your studies, take a look at our services section:

Choose a reflective model from the sections below

Atkins and Murphy Model

The Atkins and Murphy model of reflection is a circular model, which requires you to think deeply about your actions, why you acted in a certain way and how your own knowledge and beliefs may have affected you.

Brookfield Reflective Model

In Brookfield's reflective model, we should consider reflection from four perspectives: from our own standpoint,from that of our learners, from that of our colleagues, and from its relationship to wider theory. Only from the consideration of multiple points of view can we deepen our reflection.

Driscoll Model of Reflection

The Driscoll model of reflection is one of the simplest models you will come across, and involves three stem questions which are; what, so what and now what?

Driscoll Model

Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle was developed to give structure to learning from experiences, and is perhaps one of the more commonly used reflective cycles for nurses. It offers a framework for examining experiences, and given its cyclic nature lends itself particularly well to repeated experience allowing you to learn and plan from things that either went well or didn’t go well.

Gibbs Reflective Model

Johns Model of Reflection

There are two sets of related processes in Johns model of reflection; looking in, then looking outwards. Johns model is useful in that it encourages reflection taking into consideration a range of standpoints, and that the person reflecting considers the impacts of their actions not only on other people, but also on themselves.

Johns Model

Kolbs Learning Cycle

Kolb's learning cycle takes a somewhat different approach, as it sees reflection as part of a wider set of processes in which the learner seeks to understand their working processes as they move through different stages of engagement with an event, occurrence, or training session and take on relevant aspects of the new material.

Kolbs Model

Pender's Health Promotion Model

Pender’s health promotion model concentrates on three major categories: individual characteristics and experiences, behaviour-specific cognitions and affect and lastly, the behavioural outcomes. Pender emphasised that one’s past actions have a direct link to whether they would partake in future health-promoting behaviours. Personal attributes and habits can also be a barrier to health-promoting behaviours.

Pender's Model

Rolfe Reflective Model

The model was developed initially for nursing and care education, but has become more broad in its subsequent applications, not least because of the clarity of the model and its ease of use.

The three stages of the model ask you to consider, in turn, what happened, the implications of the occurrence, and the consequences for future conduct. The model is cyclic, indicating a continuity. The changes in behaviour or approach which is generated from the reflective thought can then be analysed, and either a further revision made, or else the changes made can be found to have been appropriate.

Rolfe's Model

Roper Logan and Tierney

The purpose of the Roper Logan theory is as an assessment used throughout the patient’s care. As a nurse you should use the model to assess the patient’s relative independence and potential for independence in the 12 activities of daily living. The patient’s independence is looked at on a continuum that ranges from complete dependence to complete independence. This helps to determine what interventions will lead to increased independence as well as what ongoing support is needed to offset any dependency that still exists.

Roper Logan Model

Schon Reflective Model

The Schon reflective model presents the concept of 'reflection in action' and 'reflection on action'. The model asks you to consider why things are as they are, and how they could be. The Schon model also asks you to consider the strengths and areas of development in your own practice as a nurse questioning why learning experiences might be this way and considering how to develop them.

Schon Model

Reflective Essay Writing Service

NursingAnswers also provide a reflective esay writing service for nursing students looking for support with writing their reflective essay.

Each reflective esssay is produced specifically to your requirements and level of study. Find out more about how our service can help you by clicking the button below: