Reflective Practice for Registered Nurses and Healthcare Support Workers

Reflective Practice for Registered Nurses and Healthcare Support Workers

Reflective practice is a foundation of professional development in health and social care. It enables staff to learn from experiences, improve care quality and maintain safe, person-centred services. Both registered nurses and healthcare support workers (HCSWs) benefit from engaging in reflective discussions and writing reflective statements as part of their ongoing learning.

Why Reflective Practice Matters 

Reflective practice encourages individuals to: 

  • Review and analyse their actions and decisions 
  • Identify what went well and what could be improved 
  • Enhance understanding of professional standards and patient needs

For registered nurses, reflective practice is a requirement under the NMC Code, which sets out professional standards of practice and behaviour. While HCSWs are not regulated by the NMC, applying these principles supports safe, compassionate and effective care across the team. 

Key Resource: NMC’s Reflective Practice Guidance

Frameworks for Reflection 

 One widely used model is Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, which provides a structured approach to reflection through six stages: 

  1. Description – What happened? 
  2. Feelings – What were you thinking and feeling? 
  3. Evaluation – What was good and bad about the experience? 
  4. Analysis – What sense can you make of the situation? 
  5. Conclusion – What else could you have done? 
  6. Action Plan – If it arose again, what would you do? 

This method helps staff think critically about their experiences and identify actionable improvements. 

Engaging in Reflective Discussions 

Reflective discussions are an opportunity to share insights with colleagues, supervisors or mentors.

They: 

  • Foster a culture of openness and learning 
  • Support teamwide best practice 
  • Help individuals prepare for revalidation (for registered nurses)

When engaging in reflective discussions, it is important to: 

  • Be honest and constructive 
  • Focus on learning rather than blame 
  • Link reflections to professional standards and patient outcomes 

For practical examples and tips, see the Applied Guide for Reflection.

Writing Reflective Statements 

 Reflective statements should: 

  • Be clear and concise 
  • Describe the situation, your role and the outcome 
  • Highlight what you learned and how it will influence future practice 
  • Reference relevant standards, such as the NMC Code

Tip: Use Gibbs’ Cycle as a guide for structuring your statement.

Summary of Resources