Reflective practice and clinical outcomes: practitioners’ views on how reflective practice has influenced their clinical practice

How do veterinary students engage when reflecting on their development towards being veterinary surgeons?

BACKGROUND

Reflection has been widely acknowledged to contribute to professional development, the ability to manage tension and enhanced resilience. However, many practitioners struggle to reflect productively due to a lack of clarity of what constitutes effective reflection.

METHODS

To help develop reflective competence among future professionals, 30 veterinary students' reflective assignments were analysed by thematic text analysis. Theoretical frameworks were based on published criteria for critical and core reflection.

RESULTS

Reflection was described through resources (the tools used), practices (the ways of using these tools) and outcomes (what was achieved). This helped to distinguish simple skills based reflection from higher-level core reflection. Simple skills-based reflection was associated with an identity of expert learner: students perceive that their task is to identify a knowledge deficit that can be easily rectified through new learning. Core reflection was associated with students articulating an identity of adaptable professionals: rather than veterinary challenges being resolved simply through application of a body of knowledge, wider complexities of professional practice are recognised, including a need to resolve tension between their own and other stakeholders' priorities, values and beliefs.

CONCLUSION

Scaffolding an iterative, cyclical reflection process may support outcomes oriented towards resilience and the management of tension.

Reflective practice facilitation within occupational therapy supervision processes: A mixed method study

INTRODUCTION

Supervisors of occupational therapists play a key role facilitating reflective practice with their supervisees. Through reflective practice, supervisees can optimise their skills in professional reasoning and decision making. The aim of this study was to describe to what degree reflective practice is facilitated within occupational therapy supervision processes.

METHODS

A mixed methods study design was used, collecting data via online surveys and focus groups. Quantitative data were initially analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative and quantitative data were then thematically analysed to identify hindering and enabling mechanisms to reflective practice facilitation.

RESULTS

Eighteen supervisees and 17 supervising occupational therapists completed the surveys and 14 supervisors participated in a focus group. Half of the supervisees reported that reflective practice was facilitated through supervision only "rarely" or "sometimes." A hindering mechanism to reflective practice facilitation was the awareness of reflective practice models. Enabling mechanisms for reflective practice facilitation included understanding the benefits of reflective practice; recognising the attributes of a reflective practice practitioner; setting up an optimal supervision environment; and flexibly facilitating reflective practice.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that reflective practice is not always regularly facilitated through supervision. This may limit opportunities for supervisees to optimise the development of their professional reasoning and clinical skills in the early stages of their careers.

Reflections on the development of a therapeutic recreation-based bereavement camp for families whose child has died from serious illness

While bereavement camps serve as a support for children, this study examines a therapeutic recreation-based camp for families who have lost a child. The study triangulated documents, researcher reflection, and staff interviews to highlight the themes of Searching & Finding, Getting to Know, Finding the Balance, and Joining. Developing opportunistically through internal and external factors, the camp's evolution represents a closing of the loop, from supporting families of living children to also supporting the families of children who have died. Understanding the camp's evolution may facilitate other programs by highlighting the challenges in developing the program and the lessons learned.