EXAMPLE REFLECTIVE ESSAY FOR Critical Thinking and Writing for Nursing Students Bob Price and Anne Harrington This example of a reflective essay is presented in association with Price, B and Harrington, A () Critical Thinking and Writing for Nursing EXAMPLE ANALYTICAL ESSAY This example of an analytical essay is presented in association with Price, B and Harrington, A () Critical Thinking and Writing for Nursing Students, Exeter, Learning Matters. Readers are introduced to the process of critical and reflective thinking and the translation of these into coursework that will help them to achieve better grades in nursing blogger.com Size: KB 6/26/ · Reflective Essay This essay will look at reflection on a critical incident that has promoted a positive outcome. It is not a very major incident but it stands out as it has a potential for learning. This essay will identify and explain Johns' () model of reflection and explain what reflection is and why reflective practice is necessary and how it can be used
Reflection on My Nursing Decision Example | Graduateway
Nursing practice is a complicated phenomenon, and usually something which has many dimensions. Nurses can develop better understanding of the ways in which they practice, the influences on their practice, and of their responses to challenging situations, through reflection on that practice, and, critical reflection essay example nursing, specifically, reflection on critical incidents. The use of reflection in nursing practice has been established as an important learning and development tool.
Not only has it been described as an effective means of engaging in professional and personal development through self-assessment and self-evaluation Gustafsson and Fagerberg, pit is also known to be a way of looking at the quality of practice, and questioning how things are done Bowden, p 28; Coutts- Jarman, p Nurses usually use reflective models to guide their practice, as placing a structure on this process makes it more purposeful Gibbs, critical reflection essay example nursing,online; Rolfe, p 78; Jones, p Price p 46 also argues that reflection is a patient-centered activity, and one that is linked to the development of critical thinking.
The author witnessed a member of staff putting medication in the food of critical reflection essay example nursing confused and sometimes aggressive patient who regularly refuses their medication. This patient, an elderly and confused person, is someone dependent upon nursing staff for support with all of critical reflection essay example nursing activities of daily living Farley et al, p They are difficult to communicate with and it is not possible to get informed consent or true compliance from them.
However, the medications were necessary to maintain their state of health, address their mental condition and prevent exacerbations of chronic conditions such as hypertension. The author was moved to question this practice, and asked the nurse about this, but the reply was rather defensive. To begin with, the author felt that it was important to question this occurrence, because they found it ethically challenging.
While the author understood the need to ensure the patient had had their medication, this occurrence challenged previously acquired understanding of informed consent and respecting the rights and dignity of the patient NMC, a, online.
Acting in the best interests of the patient, however, is another requirement of nurses, and in this case, it was easy to see that they did need the medication and that it would help their subjective feelings of wellness to some extent. However, the author would also question how far this would improve their state of being, because with their cognitive impairment, they might not be able to recognize the difference between subjective measures of sense of wellbeing.
The issue of consent is central to nursing practice, particularly in relation to ensuring the patient care is client-centred DoH,online; NMC, a, online.
The critical reflection essay example nursing and dignity of the client is at stake when one considers providing or enforcing care without consent DoH,online. Veitch Pg This is a very important issue to consider, because, as critical reflection essay example nursing discussed, the NMConline requires nurses to only act in the best interests of their patients. Critical reflection essay example nursing means being proactive, providing information to the patient, and communicating with them critical reflection essay example nursing best they can, even when there are communication difficulties, critical reflection essay example nursing.
The problem here is that the patient, who is suffering from vascular dementia, cannot really be considered fully competent to make decisions about their care, critical reflection essay example nursing. They are cognitively impaired, and in need of significant care, surveillance, assistance and input in order to maintain basic levels of health and functioning. As such, this issue highlights the plight of such individuals, because they are occupying a cognitive world which is disconnected from reality, and within which they are unable to reason or understand what is being asked of them Bowler, Place Order.
However, in this case, the scenario is taken to be in a residential care home. This means that one could reasonably assume therefore that the patient is not severely cognitively impaired and may suffer from fluctuating degrees of impairment Bowler To this extent, the situation may be helped by considering whether they were happy to take the medication when they were less confused.
It might be that, as may be the case in many circumstances, preconceptions about patients, and even stereotyping and prejudice, could be affecting actions here, because despite the egalitarian nature of the nursing profession, critical reflection essay example nursing, there appears to be ongoing ageism in clinical practice DoH,online. According to the Department of Health in the National Service Framework for Older People DoH, onlinecritical reflection essay example nursing, older people are often subject to critical reflection essay example nursing and prejudice because of ageism, and this ageism can be quite subtle, and pervasive in our modern society.
Even those who deal extensively in the elderly may be prejudiced towards them, or have some degree of innate ageism Gunderson et al, p With the ongoing focus on patient-centeredness DoH,online and on ensuring patient safety through the highest standards of care DoH,onlinecritical reflection essay example nursing, this author critical reflection essay example nursing argue that actions which occur as a result of prejudicial preconceptions are quite likely to place patients at more risk.
In this situation, critical reflection essay example nursing, the nurse may possess such preconceptions but be unaware of them, but this action could place the patient at risk. If someone else came along and asked the patient if they had had their medication obviously in a more lucid momentthe patient would say no, because they would be unaware that this had occurred.
Therefore, the patient could be overdosed because a second dose might be given, critical reflection essay example nursing. The ethical considerations that arise from this particular scenario are not the same as the legal ones, although there are large areas of both overlap and concordance of views Lo, viz Critical reflection essay example nursing This is the basis of the Hippocratic Oath which is taken by all doctors in the UK, and also the basis of fundamental principles of healthcare and professional practice.
This is effectively translated into the Principle of Non-maleficence which means that the healthcare professionals must ensure that the patient is not harmed. An aggressive and confused patient may well be in danger of harming themselves and suitable treatment can be considered as justified in this context van Uffelen, Chinapaw, van Mechelen et al.
The author would question whether it would not be more appropriate to allow the patient time to return to a more lucid state and then give consent for the medication, complying with their care themselves. This would respect their autonomy, and would also mean that the care given was not entirely bound by routines within the residential home, and would mean a patient-centred approach DoH, critical reflection essay example nursing,online.
The Principle of Beneficence can also be considered here, and it should be noted that this Principle is coloured by the circumstances of the event being considered. If the critical reflection essay example nursing aim of nursing practice is to act in the best interests of the patient, then it may be necessary to take such action, and to take responsibility for making such a decision, if it can be fully established that these critical reflection essay example nursing are only done because it is better for the patient.
This author would argue that in this situation, if the decision to put the medication in the food is just about expedience, critical reflection essay example nursing, about it being more convenient and manageable for the staff, then this would not be acting within the principle of beneficence.
The balance in this situation is between beneficence and maleficence, and is therefore relating to the motivation of the individual. Is the nurse doing this to avoid having to spend time and energy persuading the patient to take their medication?
Or is this simply the best solution because otherwise the patient will not take the medication and will become ill as a result? More details about this would be required to fully understand the ethical challenge here.
It would seem that the major problem with hiding medication in food is deception. Although it may be considered a practical expedient, It would not be an appropriate course of action if the patient was rational and competent, so consideration is required as to why it would be considered appropriate just because they are not competent and rational at this time Wong, Poon, Hui Therefore, it is appropriate for the author to have questioned this practice, at this time, and to explore the parameters and dimensions of this action Hargreaves, p This area of intervention is fraught with difficulty and should not be entered into lightly.
If a decision is made by the healthcare professionals to give the medication, it should be recorded in the notes together with the reasons critical reflection essay example nursing that decision and it should be given. If the patient will not take tablets then alternative routes of administration should be considered Welsh and Deah It is not appropriate to overtly deceive or mislead the patient as doing so contravenes any concept of personal autonomy and dignity NMC, a, online; NMC,online.
However, it may be that this course of action has been agreed with relatives or next of kin who have responsibility for the patient, which clouds the debate somewhat. There appears to be a fine line here between ethical and unethical practice, and therefore, it is important to clearly understand and justify why this course of action was taken. It would also help if nurses could address their own prejudices and potential bias about certain patients, through critical self examination and reflection Daly, p This would also help develop critical thinking skills Daly, p Nurses could then reflect critically on these kinds of actions to explore if there are not perhaps alternative approaches which could be used, such as providing the medication in a different form, one that is more palatable to the patient.
It is not possible to easily define what the right course of action is in these circumstances, but if the nurse adheres to the principles of client centred practice DoH,onlineit should be critical reflection essay example nursing to evaluate the motivations for these actions and therefore understand the ethical impact of this situation.
However, it would also be important to consider the theoretical basis for this, and for nurses in this particular care environment to discuss this practice and come to some consensus relating to the ethical issues and the ethical principles which arise from this kind of situation.
As part of this reflection the author will now try to draw together conclusions about the scenario described and discussed above, evaluating it as a whole. Having reflected on this scenario, it is apparent to the author that there is a lot to be learned from the situation, critical reflection essay example nursing. To begin with, critical reflection essay example nursing, it highlights how complex even simple nursing actions can be, particularly when they address ethical issues.
The primary ethical issue in this scenario relates to the autonomy and capacity of the patient, and the motivation for the actions of the nurse involved.
Autonomy is a key ethical principle, and respecting the rights and the individuality of the patient is central to professional nursing practice. Patient-centered practice is an ideal, but it should be a fundamental principle and in such a scenario, using patient-centeredness as a benchmark for evaluating care could be a useful way of analyzing whether nursing actions are ethical or not.
In this scenario, the author would argue that the nurse should have taken more time with this particular patient, and should perhaps have considered how to provide the medication safely without challenging her autonomy quite so much.
It is obvious that deception is a concept and practice that is incompatible with the fundamental principles of nursing and health care. This author has learned from this that covert actions are inacceptable, and if this situation were to arise again, they would feel empowered to challenge it, and to take action, to turn the focus back onto the rights of the patient. It is also important to consider the balance between the factors surrounding what constitutes the best interests of the patient, critical reflection essay example nursing.
There will always be an ongoing negotiation, in situations when the patient is not fully competent, but if the nurse adheres to ethical principles, they will provide patient-centered care and this must, ultimately, meet the individual needs of the patient. This process of reflection has been a significant learning journey for the author, because it has broadened and deepened their understanding and insight into ethical challenges they face in their daily work and practice.
Reflection, guided by a constructive model, has helped the author to analyze and evaluate this situation, and to explore the parameters of the ethics and philosophies which apply to it. The author has found that carrying out this reflection has not only enhanced their understanding of this situation, and of the complexities of the ethical questions raised by it, but also enhanced their critical thinking skills.
Ethical decision making in nursing appears to be something that is hard to pin down, as ethical questions often leave a degree of confusion about the right and the wrong thing to do. Such is the case here, but critical reflection essay example nursing author has learned that there is literature to inform the nurse about the rights and wrongs of the more ambiguous ethical dilemmas, and that using such information can aid understanding and improve future practice.
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Critical Reflection Essay Example Nursing. Critical Reflection Essay Example Nursing The use of Critical Reflection in Nursing Practice Nursing practice is a complicated phenomenon, and usually something which has many dimensions. Place Order WHAT The author witnessed a member of staff putting medication in the food of a confused and sometimes aggressive patient who regularly refuses their medication.
SO WHAT To begin with, the author felt that it was important to question this occurrence, because they found it ethically challenging. Place Order However, in this case, the scenario is taken to be in a residential care home. Place Order NOW WHAT As part of this reflection the author will now try to draw together conclusions about the scenario described and discussed above, evaluating it as a whole. How it Works You place an order.
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, time: 3:51Nursing Reflection Example | Graduateway
6/26/ · Reflective Essay This essay will look at reflection on a critical incident that has promoted a positive outcome. It is not a very major incident but it stands out as it has a potential for learning. This essay will identify and explain Johns' () model of reflection and explain what reflection is and why reflective practice is necessary and how it can be used Nurses can develop better understanding of the ways in which they practice, the influences on their practice, and of their responses to challenging situations, through reflection on that practice, and, specifically, reflection on critical incidents. The use of reflection in nursing practice has been established as an important learning and development tool 7/2/ · The essay will explore the role of the mentor in the field of nursing, with personal reflection on the authors experience as a mentor in my current role as a community mental health nurse (CMHN). The mentor-mentee learning relationship will be explored and the application of teaching and learning strategies will be examined
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