Reflective practice

Reflecting on our practice as nurses and midwives is a very important part of our work. ‘Healthy’ reflective practice is about personal as well as professional development and can be the counterbalance to the critical culture and patterning that is prevalent in our workplaces.

Currently reflective practise is associated with examining our work to see how we can make improvements or how we could have done or approached something differently.

There is however more to it, given that on a daily basis we move through many different interactions with many people, we have frequent opportunities to observe, appreciate and learn throughout the day and this goes way beyond just our technical skills.

Allowing ourselves to observe, openly and without critique, what is offered by all the reflections around us every day, means we can respond to the learning and go deeper with our relationship with ourselves and others.

The way we reflect on our practice determines what we learn and what we come to understand and how we grow as nurses and midwives. It can support us to appreciate what we have done and how we have supported others, rather than only focusing on perceived shortcomings.