Reflective practice for the graduate

Nursing has embraced the idea of reflective practice to varying degrees and applied it across the areas of nursing practice, education, research and leadership with the intent of achieving best outcomes for clients. Reflection has been described as a process of going back over something after it has occurred with the aim of making sense of the situation so that necessary decisions can be made and opportunities for changes can be identified. In other words, the purpose of reflection is it leads to action that is better informed. Informing action occurs via a process of learning through experience in a way that aids in the development of new insights about self and practice. Reflection is also closely linked to critical thinking. While not identical, it is paramount that reflection has a critical intent, as being a critical thinker involves questioning the world and challenging assumptions that are taken for granted. In this chapter, we have chosen to use the word reflection; however, our intent is to convey the link between critical thinking and reflection at all times.