Nursing reflection models help student nurses learn from their clinical experiences. Especially models like Gibbs, Driscoll, Kolb, and Johns provide a clear structure to reflect, improve critical thinking, enhance learning, and grow professionally in patient care.
Reflection plays an important role in nursing education and everyday practice. It allows nursing students and professionals to review experiences and improve future care. Nursing reflection models offer structured frameworks that guide this process and help individuals examine clinical situations clearly and thoughtfully. Whether you are beginning reflective writing or aiming to strengthen your academic work and clinical insight, this blog is for you. Here, we have discussed commonly used nursing reflection models, their main features, and how they can be applied to learning and practice with examples.
An Overview of Nursing Reflection
Nursing reflection is an organized way for nurses and students to think critically about their clinical experiences to improve learning, decision-making, and patient care. It involves reviewing actions, feelings, outcomes, and professional responsibilities to understand what went well, what could be improved, and how similar situations can be handled more effectively in the future. Generally, understanding nursing reflection will help nurses develop self-awareness, responsibility, and clinical competence.
If you are a nursing student, then reflection will help you link theory to real clinical practice. Simply by reading student nurse reflection examples, you can learn how reflective thinking can improve communication, ethical judgment, and patient care. Most importantly, writing your own reflections will encourage continuous improvement, support your professional development, and strengthen compassionate, evidence-based nursing practice.
Understanding the Nursing Reflection Models
The following are some popular nursing reflection models
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a widely used model in nursing that breaks reflection into six easy-to-follow steps:
- Description: Explain clearly what happened during the event.
- Feelings: Share your thoughts and emotions at the time.
- Evaluation: Identify what went well and what didn’t.
- Analysis: Look at why things happened the way they did and what you can learn from it.
- Conclusion: Decide what could have been done differently and what lessons you gained.
- Action Plan: Plan how you will handle similar situations in the future.
A student nurse might reflect on giving medication to a patient. By using Gibbs’ model, they would describe what happened, talk about feeling nervous, look at what went well (giving the correct dose) and what could be improved (forgetting to explain the process to the patient), think about why it happened, decide what they learned, and plan how to explain things better next time.
Driscoll’s Reflection Model
Driscoll’s model is an easy-to-follow method that focuses on three main questions:
- What?– Explain what happened.
- So What?– Think about why it mattered, how you felt, and what you learned.
- Now What?– Plan what you will do differently next time.
A student nurse should reflect on helping a patient move. When using this model, they should explain what happened (What?), talk about what went well, what was difficult, and what they learned (So What?), and make a plan for how to do it better next time (Now What?).
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle
Kolb’s model will help you learn from experience by following a four-step cycle:
- Concrete Experience: Take part in an event or activity.
- Reflective Observation: Think about what happened and consider it from different angles.
- Abstract Conceptualization: Learn lessons or ideas from the experience.
- Active Experimentation: Use what you have learned in future situations.
After watching a patient handover, a student should reflect on how communication was handled, identify ways to improve nursing care, develop a plan to make handovers clearer, and then use the prepared plan during the next shift.
Schon’s Reflective Practice
Donald Schon’s model deals with two types of reflection. They are reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action.
- Reflection-in-action: It means thinking and making changes while the event is happening.
- Reflection-on-action: It means thinking about what happened afterward to learn and do better next time.
While changing a dressing, a student notices that the patient is uncomfortable and changes how they are doing it (reflection-in-action). Later, they reflect on how to handle similar situations better in the future (reflection-on-action).
John’s Model for Structured Reflection
John’s model focuses on thinking deeply about your practice by using guiding questions. It helps nurses reflect on the situation, what they did, and the results. Some key questions are:
- What did you try to do, and what actions did you take?
- What happened during the experience?
- How did the experience impact you and others?
- What knowledge or information guided what you did?
- How can you improve future practice?
A student nurse thinks about caring for a patient with anxiety. Using Johns’ questions, they can look at how they communicated, think about the patient’s reactions, and plan how to give better emotional support next time.
By using these models, student nurses can reflect on clinical experiences, enhance decision-making, and learn from practice, while those needing guidance with academic reflective essays can seek Assignment Writing Services.
Nursing Reflection Examples for Students
Here, let us look at some examples of nursing reflection models
Example 1: Assessment of the Risk of Patient Fall (Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle)
Description: The patient was accompanied to the bathroom and became unsteady, almost falling.
Feelings: I was apprehensive and responsible for their safety.
Evaluation: I supported the patient and alerted my mentor straight away.
Analysis: I did not reassess the patient’s mobility before assisting.
Conclusion: Precautions against falls need regular risk assessment.
Action Plan: The patient’s mobility needs would be reviewed again before repositioning; assistance would be sought whenever necessary.
Example 2: Managing Patient’s Anxiety before a Procedure (Driscoll’s Reflection Model)
What? I took care of a patient who seemed anxious and kept asking questions about an upcoming procedure.
So What? From this experience, I realized that the fear factor and a lack of understanding might further increase anxiety in patients.
Now What? I will explain and reassure clearly with the patient clearly and check the understanding before any procedures.
Similar to the samples shared above, you can prepare high-quality nursing reflective assignments. If you still have doubts about writing it using any specific organized model, take Online Assignment Help from nursing experts online.
How to Structure Nursing Reflection Models
Structured reflection helps student nurses to clearly analyze experiences and thus facilitate professional growth. In addition, using an appropriate model will keep the reflections focused, organized, and aligned with academic standards. Useful tips that support structuring reflective work effectively are highlighted below.
- Choose a reflective model that fits your experience and learning goals
- Clearly and briefly describe the situation, action, and your feelings without adding extra details.
- Reflect on your thoughts and emotions during the experience to show self-awareness.
- Review your actions and results by making a note about what worked, what didn’t, and why, incorporating relevant theory or rules whenever possible.
- Identify key learning points first, focusing on knowledge gained, skills developed, or professional behavior acquired as a result of the experience.
- Link the learning to future practice by describing how it will influence your actions and professional development.
- Pay attention to using first-person reflective language (e.g., “I felt,” “I realized”) to ensure that the reflection remains personal and impactful.
- Maintain confidentiality at all times through the protection of patient identity and sensitive information.
Conclusion
Nursing reflection models offer a clear framework for learning from clinical experiences. Moreover, they help students improve decision-making, develop self-awareness, and deliver safe and thoughtful patient care. If you are a student nurse who needs professional guidance on this topic, take our Nursing Assignment Help Services. The well-qualified and experienced nursing professionals from our team will assist you in meeting your academic needs.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between a reflection and a report?
Reflection is centered on personal learning, feelings, or critical thinking, whereas a report is an objective piece where you can merely record incidents, procedures, or outcomes without analyzing yourself.
2. What should I include in my student nurse reflections?
You should describe the experience, recount feelings, believe your actions, reflect critically, note what is learned, plan future practice, and support points with relevant theory or guidelines.
3. How can I maintain patient privacy in my reflection?
You should avoid identifying information about the patient, reflect on your actions and what you learned, refrain from disclosing sensitive information, and follow the rules of confidentiality of your institution.
