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Writing Reflective Essays for Nursing Students

Reflective writing is essential for nurses as it allows them to analyze their experiences, thoughts, and emotions to improve their practice. A nursing reflective essay requires the writer to reflect on a particular experience and explore how it has impacted their personal and professional growth. In nursing and midwifery, reflective essays are often used for self-reflection and self-improvement.

What Is a Reflective Essay?

A reflective essay is a piece of writing that explores a particular experience or event and reflects on its significance. The purpose of a reflective essay is to encourage the writer to think critically about their experiences and to analyze how those experiences have shaped their personal and professional growth. Unlike other types of essays, such as argumentative or expository essays, reflective essays focus on the writer’s personal thoughts and feelings rather than presenting objective facts or arguments.

Importance of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective practice is an important tool for student nurses as it allows them to reflect on their experiences and learn from them. By engaging in reflective writing, nurses can better understand their practice and identify improvement areas. Reflective writing also helps nurses develop self-awareness, crucial for providing high-quality patient care. By reflecting on their experiences, nurses can identify their strengths and weaknesses and work towards becoming better healthcare professionals.

Reflective Essay Outline

A reflection paper follows a basic structure, which includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should provide a brief overview of the experience or event being reflected upon and include a thesis statement stating the essay’s main point or purpose. The body paragraphs should explore the experience in detail, providing specific examples and reflecting on its impact on the writer’s personal and professional growth. The conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points and provide a final reflection on the experience. An effective outline is essential for organizing your thoughts and ensuring your essay flows smoothly. When creating an outline for a reflective essay, it is important to consider the main points you want to address and the order in which you want to present them. You should also think about the specific examples and evidence you will use to support your reflections. By creating a detailed outline, you can ensure that your essay is well-structured and coherent.

20 Best Reflective Essay Topics: Nursing

Choosing a topic for your reflective essay can be challenging, especially in nursing, where there are so many experiences to reflect upon. Here are 20 examples of reflective essay topics for nursing students:

• My First Day on the Ward: Navigating emotions, challenges, and expectations.
• The Patient Who Changed My Perspective on Nursing:  A personal transformation story.
• Balancing Empathy and Professionalism:  Finding the middle ground.
• Handling Medical Ethical Dilemmas:  Personal experiences and lessons learned.
• The Role of Continuous Education in Nursing:  Adapting to new medical advancements.
• Coping Mechanisms for Nurse Burnout: Personal strategies and recommendations.
• The Value of Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Collaborating with doctors, therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
• Cultural Sensitivity in Patient Care:  Lessons from a diverse patient encounter.
• The Evolution of My Communication Skills:  From novice to proficient.
• The Most Challenging Shift I Ever Worked:  Insights and personal growth from adversity.
• Incorporating Holistic Care in Modern Medicine:  Personal experiences and the broader implications.
• End-of-Life Care:  Navigating emotions, ethics, and patient wishes.
• The Role of Family in Patient Recovery:  Observations from the Ward.
• From Textbook to Reality:  Bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical application.
• Adapting to Different Nursing Environments: From emergency rooms to pediatric care.
• The Emotional Impact of Pediatric Nursing:  The highs and lows.
• The Importance of Self-Care in Nursing:  Personal routines and their impact on professional life.
• Addressing Mental Health:  My Role as a Nurse: Encounters, challenges, and insights.
• Reflecting on Patient Advocacy:  Standing up for patient rights and wishes.
• Learning from Mistakes:  An introspective look at errors made and the invaluable lessons derived.

When choosing a topic for your reflective essay, it is important to select an experience that is meaningful to you and has significantly impacted your personal and professional growth. Choosing a topic that allows for self-reflection and analysis is also important. Check out these other nursing reflective essay samples:

• Doctor Of Nursing Practice Essentials Reflection
• Case Management In Nursing: Benefits And Disadvantages
• Doctor Of Nursing Practice (DNP) Course Reflection
• Video Reflection On Interprofessional Collaboration For NURS 4010
• Registered Nurse Course Reflection
• Nursing Values And Philosophy In The Correctional Setting
• Nursing Violence In The Workplace
• Nursing Role: Course Reflection And Personal Assessment
• Nursing Professional Capstone And Practicum Reflection
• Nursing Course Reflection And Future Plans
• Nursing History: Today And Beyond
• Doctor Of Nursing Practice Program In Reflections
• Implementing Artificial Intelligence And Managing Change In Nursing

Nursing Reflective Essay Examples

Reading well-written nursing reflective essay samples can be a helpful way to improve your own writing. Analyzing these essays’ structure, language, and content, you can better understand what makes a strong reflective essay. Here are two examples to guide you:

Example 1: Reflecting on a Challenging Patient Interaction

During one of my regular shifts in the Medical-Surgical ward, I encountered Mrs. Smith, a patient known for her particularly assertive demeanor. I was met with resistance as I entered her room to administer her evening medications. She questioned the necessity of each drug, casting doubt on my professional judgment. Initially, I felt a rush of defensiveness, my immediate instinct being to assert my knowledge and the doctor’s recommendations. But I paused, taking a deep breath, recognizing the importance of patient autonomy and their right to understand their care. Rather than reverting to a purely clinical explanation, I sat beside Mrs. Smith and discussed her concerns. I inquired about the root of her hesitancy, which revealed a recent incident where she had suffered side effects from a prescribed medication at another facility. This incident left her feeling vulnerable and distrustful. By understanding this context, my perspective shifted from viewing her questions as challenges to my competence to seeing them as her way of seeking safety and assurance. Upon reflection, this situation underscored the significance of effective communication in nursing. It reminded me of Schön’s “reflection-in-action” model as I adapted my real-time approach based on Mrs. Smith’s feedback. Considering the workload and time constraints nurses often face, dismissing her concerns would have been easy. However, the brief moment I took to understand her concerns resolved her immediate anxieties and built a foundation of trust for our subsequent interactions. I’ve since carried this experience, ensuring I always prioritize patient communication, even facing challenges. Patients like Mrs. Smith have taught me that behind every question or concern is a story, and by taking the time to listen and understand, I can provide care that is not only clinically effective but also emotionally supportive.

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on a challenging patient interaction and discusses what they learned. The essay begins with an introduction that provides an overview of the experience and states the essay’s main point. The body paragraphs explore the experience in detail, providing specific examples and reflecting on its impact on the writer’s personal and professional growth. The conclusion summarizes the essay’s main points and provides a final reflection on the experience.

Example 2: Reflecting on End-of-Life Care

In the early days of my nursing career, I had the profound responsibility of caring for Mr. Martinez, an elderly gentleman in the final stages of terminal cancer. Assigned as his primary nurse, I observed him gradually weaken, his once-vivacious spirit dimming each day. One evening, as the sunset painted a golden hue on the horizon, he wished to see it for what he felt might be the last time. The weight of his words struck me profoundly, and I felt the rawness of the impending loss. The hospital protocols were strict about moving critically ill patients, but at that moment, recognizing the gravity of Mr. Martinez’s request, I consulted with the on-duty physician. Together, we decided to make an exception. Assisting him in a wheelchair, we moved to the window, silently watching the sunset. Mr. Martinez shed tears of gratitude, and I found myself profoundly moved, our hands intertwined. This experience illuminated the profound nature of end-of-life care. It’s not just about medical protocols but about honoring the human spirit, its desires, and its need for closure. I recalled Boud’s Reflective Model, which emphasizes integrating feelings into the reflection process. The melancholy, the sense of impending loss, and the gratitude were emotions I had to process at the moment and the days that followed. Reflection upon this experience taught me that end-of-life care transcends clinical routines. It’s about recognizing the sanctity of life and the dignity of death. In our profession, we often get wrapped up in technicalities, but moments like these remind us of the deeper essence of nursing. Being present for Mr. Martinez in his final days reshaped my approach to care, reinforcing that sometimes, the most profound healing we can offer is understanding, presence, and the space for a patient to find peace.

In this reflective essay, the writer reflects on their experience providing end-of-life care and discusses the emotions and challenges they faced. The essay begins with an introduction that sets the stage for the reflection and states the essay’s main point. The body paragraphs explore the experience in detail, providing specific examples and reflecting on its impact on the writer’s personal and professional growth. The conclusion summarizes the essay’s main points and provides a final reflection on the experience. By studying these examples, you can understand how to structure your reflective essay and effectively convey your thoughts and emotions.

Tips for Effective Reflection in Nursing

Engaging in effective self-reflection is essential for improving your nursing practice. Here are some strategies for effective reflection:

• Set aside dedicated time for reflection: Schedule a regular time for reflection in your daily or weekly routine. This will allow you to focus on your experiences and give them the attention they deserve.
• Use a reflective journal: Keep a journal to record your thoughts and reflections regularly. This will help you track your progress and identify patterns or trends in your practice.
• Seek feedback from others: Ask for feedback from colleagues, mentors, or supervisors. Their perspectives can provide valuable insights and help you identify areas for improvement.
• Practice active listening: When interacting with patients, colleagues, or other healthcare professionals, practice active listening. This will help you better understand their perspectives and experiences, which can inform your own reflections.
• Be open to criticism: Be open to receiving constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity for growth. Reflect on the feedback you receive and consider how it can help you improve your practice.
• Engage in self-reflection exercises: Many can help you explore your thoughts and emotions. These exercises can range from simple prompts to more structured activities.

Incorporating these strategies into your practice can enhance your self-reflection skills and improve your nursing practice.

Reflective Tools and Models

Several reflective tools and models are commonly used in nursing to guide the reflective writing process. These tools and models provide a framework for organizing your thoughts and reflections. Here are some examples of reflective tools and models used in nursing:

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

John Dewey, a prominent philosopher and educational theorist, posited reflection as a systematic process. Contrary to merely a passive pondering of thoughts, In Dewey’s reflective thinking model ,  a reflection is a conscious and intentional act. In his framework, the reflection process begins by recognizing a genuine problem. This recognition then moves to a thorough problem analysis and formulation of potential solutions. After deriving possible solutions, the most plausible one is tested, with the final stage being a reflection on the actions taken.

Kolb Reflective Model (Experiential Learning Cycle)

Originating from the insights of educational theorist David Kolb, this model underscores the pivotal role of experience in the learning process. Kolb’s reflective cycle is dynamic, suggesting we start with a concrete experience. This experience becomes the subject of reflection, from which we draw conclusions and construct theories or concepts. These developed theories are tested in new situations, contributing to new experiences and further reflection. It’s a continuous loop of learning through experience and reflection.

Schön Reflective Model

Donald Schön’s model centers on the professional’s ability to reflect when confronted with unexpected situations. Schön’s keen observation led to the classification of reflection into two types. The first, “Reflection-in-action,” is “thinking on one’s feet.” It encompasses reflection that occurs concurrently with action, allowing real-time modifications of techniques. Conversely, “Reflection-on-action” involves retrospection after an event to glean understanding and knowledge from that experience.

Bouds Reflective Model

David Boud championed a reflection model that encourages profound thinking and seamlessly integrates an individual’s feelings into the reflective process. Boud’s approach starts with revisiting the experience, emphasizing the recall of associated emotions and feelings. The next step requires recognizing and confronting any adverse feelings that could impede learning. By synthesizing feelings and the event, a clearer perspective guides future actions.

Driscoll Reflective Model

Developed by John Driscoll and influenced by Borton’s developmental framework , this model is known for its simplicity and easy recall. Driscoll’s model prompts individuals to objectively describe what transpired, posing, “What?” Following this descriptive phase, significance is sought with the query, “So what?” This analytical step paves the way for the final, future-oriented question: “Now what?” Here, the individual identifies lessons learned and considers how they can be integrated into future endeavors.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

Graham Gibbs extended upon the foundational work of Kolb to produce a more detailed and structured reflective cycle . Gibbs prompts individuals first to describe their experience. This descriptive phase showcases thoughts and feelings during the event. An evaluation phase then discerns the positive and negative aspects of the experience, leading to an analytical phase that seeks to make sense of the situation. Conclusions are then drawn about potential alternative actions, and an action plan is formulated for future similar scenarios, completing the reflective cycle.

Using each model of reflection can enhance your reflective writing and help you better understand your practice. Their distinctions cater to varied preferences and contexts, ensuring that individuals can find a model that resonates best with their reflection style.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Nursing Reflective Writing

When engaging in reflective writing, it is important to avoid common mistakes that can undermine the effectiveness of your reflection. Here are some common errors to avoid:

• Superficial reflection: Avoid providing a superficial or surface-level reflection. Instead, strive to explore your thoughts and emotions in depth and consider the underlying factors that influence your practice.
• Lack of critical analysis: Avoid describing your experiences without critically analyzing them. Instead, reflect on the impact of those experiences and consider how they have shaped your personal and professional growth.
• Lack of self-awareness: Avoid acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses. Instead, strive to develop self-awareness and identify areas for improvement.
• Lack of evidence or examples: Avoid making general statements without providing specific examples or evidence to support your reflections. Instead, use concrete examples to illustrate your points and provide evidence for your reflections.
• Lack of action plan: Avoid failing to identify actions for future practice. Instead, consider how you can apply your reflections to improve your nursing practice and develop an action plan.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure that your reflective writing is effective and meaningful.

Final Thoughts on Reflective Nursing Essays

Reflective essays provide a means for nurses to engage in self-reflection and self-improvement. By reflecting on their experiences, nurses can gain a deeper understanding of their own practice, develop self-awareness, and identify areas for improvement. Reflective writing also helps nurses enhance their critical thinking skills, increase empathy and compassion, and promote professional growth and development. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this article, nurses can effectively reflect and improve their nursing practice.

If you’re feeling the weight of encapsulating your nursing journey accurately, we’re here to ease the burden. Our experienced team of writers understands the intricacies of reflective writing. Don’t miss the opportunity to present a reflective essay that resonates deeply and authentically. Place your order with us today, and let us craft a narrative that does justice to your journey.

How to Write a Nursing Reflective Essay (Guide for Nurse Students)

If you are a nursing or medicine student, you are aware that you will come across or have already come across assignments requiring you to write a nursing reflection essay. At first, such a task always appears challenging, but given the understanding of the steps, things flat out, and you can write reflective essays and get better grades.

Reflective practice is highly encouraged in nursing. Reflection entails making sense of situations, events, actions, and phenomena in the workplace.

As a nursing student, you will be asked to write a reflective essay on your clinical placement, practicum, shadowing experience, shadow health DCE activities, personal nursing philosophy, why you want to become a nurse, nursing program, ethical dilemma, knowledge, skills, and abilities, systems, and processes.

The easiest way to complete the reflective essay assignment is by first determining what reflective writing entails, its significance, its steps, and some of the best tips that form the core of this ultimate guide.

Basics of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective writing is an analytical writing practice where the writer describes a real or imaginary event, scene, phenomenon, occurrence, or memory, including their takeaway. It entails the critical analysis of an experience, including recording how it has impacted you and what you intend to do with the new knowledge or how to act when such an occurrence recurs.

As you document the encounter, you can use first-person pronouns and write subjectively and objectively. This means that you can decide to either use personal experiences alone or support these experiences using citations from scholarly sources.

When writing a reflective essay in nursing, you must recount the events and give critical detail of how the events shaped your knowledge acquisition. Reflection helps nursing students develop skills in self-directed learning, which is directly associated with high motivation and improved quality of care .

In most cases, reflection occurs on what went well and what went wrong. It could be a successful operation, a thank you note from a patient, a patient who regained their health faster, or a new nursing care plan that worked. However, it can also be about adverse events such as death, postoperative complications, death of an infant at birth, dissatisfied patient, medical error, or a failed procedure.

As a nursing student, when you learn to reflect on situations, you grow to become a professional nurse who diligently does their noble duty.

When writing a reflective essay, you begin by setting the scene (explaining what, where, how, and who-the situation), detailing how you felt (emotional state), why it happened (making sense of the situation), critical review and development of insights, a note on what was learned, and strategies to address future recurrence.

Your professor may ask you to write a nursing reflective paper about various topics in your course or your experience working in a group, how you solved a problem, a healthcare issue, or clinical practice. Consider the following example of a reflective statement in nursing; in my clinical practices, I realized I focused more on the technical aspects but failed to explain what it was doing to improve their health. I would like to understand more about listening to patience and their concerns to better care for them.

As you will notice later, these reflective stages are structured into different reflective models and frameworks that we will explore in-depth. So, with the understanding of what comprises reflective writing and its importance in nursing, let's now get solid on the structure.

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Structure of a Reflective Essay in Nursing

A reflective essay is an analytical writing piece describing and evaluating encounters or experiences. When asked to write one, you should know that an excellent reflective essay consists of different parts, just like a typical academic essay. It comprises the cover or title page, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusions, and a references page.

The title page contains information about the assignment. If you are writing the reflective essay in APA, include these on the title page:

• Title of the reflective essay
• Course code and name
• Instructors name
• Name of your institution
• Date of submission

When writing in Harvard format, the title or the cover page will consist of the following:

• Title of the essay in title case and the page number (upper right margin),
• Title of the essay in CAPS,
• Name of class or course,
• Name of the instructor,
• Name of your school,
• City and state where your school is located and,
• The date of submission.

Introduction

The introduction begins with an attention grabber or a hook sentence to attract readers' attention. It should then explain the essay's purpose and signpost the ideas that will come later in the essay. The introduction also has a thesis statement at the end of the paragraph- the last sentence. The thesis is concise, clear, and relatable and should reflect your position.

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of a reflective essay can be three or more, depending on the length of the essay. Essentially, the body comprises 80% of the total word count.

The first paragraph is where you describe the situation, including the events, why they occurred, how they occurred, and those involved.

The second paragraph entails your personal feelings or reaction to the situation and how it made you feel.

The third paragraph can include making sense of the situation. You have to think about why things happened the way they did. You should also critically review and develop insights based on the situation. Finally, think of the factors that could have influenced the situation.

The next paragraph should explain how the event or situation will change your practice, approach, decisions, perspective, or perception. This is where you evaluate the experience by detailing the knowledge and skills you took from the experience.

The last body paragraph should entail a critical reflection on the learning opportunities. First, describe the situation and what it made you learn. Next, elaborate on how you intend to make yourself better poised to address such situations.

Mostly, you should structure the body of your essay as per the preferred nursing reflective model.

After everything else falls into place, you need to summarize the information you presented in the essay. Then, finally, restate your thesis and have a call to action to bring a sense of closure to your readers.

Steps for Writing a Nursing Reflection Essay � The Guide

When assigned to write a reflective essay for your nursing class, here are the surefire steps to get you to success.

Read the instructions

The first step after receiving an assignment is to begin reading the instructions. as you read, note what your instructor or professor expects in the paper you will submit for marking.

Reading instructions helps you to get informed on the scope of the paper, word count, number of references and pages, and the formatting style to use.

Besides, you also get to plan your paper with the deadline highlighted in the instructions.

You need to get a conducive environment where you can start writing.

The first step of writing is to brainstorm about situations during your clinical hours when you were shadowing a Nurse Practitioner or one you have read about.

Assess whether the situation or scenario you have thought, encountered, or chosen can help you write a reflective essay that meets the requirements.

Research and Plan

After choosing a scenario, the next step is researching the best reflective model.

You can use your class text, the instructions, the college library, course readings, and online nursing journals to get articles and resources with information about specific reflective models.

Select the best reflective model and take notes on the steps it entails.

As you research, write down notes on how to address your paper based on your selected framework or model of reflection . Additionally, research nursing journal articles with information you can use when critically analyzing a situation.

Plan how you will handle the paper as well. For instance, as you research, develop a thesis statement that grounds your entire paper, then draft an outline on how to develop the thesis.

Write an Outline

Outlining is a crucial aspect of writing. It helps you envision how you will meet the objective of writing a reflective essay. As an essential part of the essay writing process, outlining helps create a good flow of ideas and can come in handy in helping you overcome writer's block. Your outline should comprise the following:

• The hook or attention grabber
• Thesis statement
• Main points of each body paragraph (topic sentence, evidence, examples, illustrations, etc.)
• Conclusion (restated thesis and call-to-action)

With the outline done, you should take a break and resume writing your first draft of the nursing reflection essay. Writing with an outline helps avoid mistakes and also helps you write faster.

Describe the Experience

Once you have identified the relevant experience, begin describing it chronologically.

Describe the experience that prompted you to consider nursing your ideal career goal. Think of this experience's key elements, such as the setting, patient demographics, and significant events that impacted you.

Show how these events changed your perspective on life. Ensure you are as descriptive as possible to paint a clear picture for readers.

Consider the following questions to come up with a good description:

• What happened?
• Was there someone involved? If yes, what part did they play?
• Where did the event take place?
• What actions did you take?

Set the context of this experience by giving relevant background information. Ensure you are objective and pay attention to the facts.

Provide a Reflection

Talk about your feelings and thoughts concerning the particular experience you went through. You have to be honest and open up about your initial expectations and challenges you faced at each stage of the experience. The following questions can help you come up with a good reflection:

• What was I trying to achieve?
• What prompted me to act the way I did?
• Are there any consequences for my actions? If yes, what are they?
• How did I feel about this event as it was happening?
• How did those around me react to it?
• How do I know how those around me felt about it?

Analyze the Experience

Description of an experience is essential, but so is analysis. You have to move beyond the surface and give a critical analysis of your experience.

State your actions, and your overall experience will give insights into your experience. Think of how the experience has impacted your actions, feelings, and thoughts.

Give an Evaluation

Evaluate the skills and knowledge you got from the experience. Show how you can apply these skills and knowledge in your nursing practice. Also, state the actions and interventions you took during the nursing experience.

State whether you achieved the desired outcome and if there are any specific areas that you need to improve on.

Talk about how you built or improved skills like communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.

As you evaluate the experience, identify what you believe to be your strengths and weaknesses in the nursing experience. What have you learned from the experience? State the areas where you excelled and what abilities contributed to your success.

Talk about how those you were with during the clinical experience complimented you. Similarly, acknowledge your weaknesses.

What kind of mistakes did you make, and how did you improve them? Talk about the tasks that drain you most during the experience.

Illustrate Learning

Demonstrate elements of deeper thought and reflection levels. This is a great point to include nursing theories in your reflection essay to support analysis of your experience.

Relate your experiences to the theoretical frameworks you were taught in class. This is effective learning and will demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge to real-life nursing situations.

Doing this will also show that you can effectively deduce different things from observations made during the reflection process.

Ensure you also demonstrate a change in perspective, as this will prove that you learned something from the experience.

Write Your Conclusion

Conclude by summarizing your points and highlighting the lessons learned.

The lessons you reached as part of your reflection should support your overall conclusion.

Also, restate your thesis statement.

Come Up with an Action Plan

Now that you have learned from your reflection develop an action plan for future nursing practice.

This part should contain all the details you have learned and actions needed to improve when faced with a similar situation. Consider the following questions:

• What would I change if faced with a similar situation?
• How can I develop the necessary skills needed to face this situation?
• How can I act differently in a similar situation?  

Ensure you identify areas to improve and set realistic goals to enhance your nursing skills. Discuss how you intend to seek additional education, training, or mentorship to address your shortcomings.

Finally, end the essay with a happy note so readers know you learned something from the experiences.

Proofread, Edit, and Polish

After doing your first draft, take a break to relax and get out of the writing mood - it helps you to become objective.

You can then resume reading out loud to yourself, make necessary tweaks, and ensure that every part you include meets the rubric requirements.

Edit for grammar, punctuation, tenses, voice, spelling, and use of language. You should also proofread the essay to adhere to the style, organization, and presentation requirements.

Ensure that all the in-text citations are accounted for in the reference list and are up-to-date. You are good to go when you have an essay that meets all the instructions.

Finally, you can submit the paper for grading.

Writing is not everyone's cup of tea. For that reason, you can hire a nursing reflection essay writer from our website to assist you in crafting a top-grade paper. In addition, we have nursing writers whose forte is writing various nursing papers.

Choosing the suitable Reflective Model or Framework

As you can see above, many reflective models are used for your reflective essay. We have not exhaustively listed and expounded on all of them. Other reflective models and frameworks you can also consider when writing a reflective essay in nursing include:

• Bouds Reflective Model
• Brookfield Reflective Model
• Pender's Health Promotion Model
• Roper Logan and Tierney Model
• Driscoll Reflective Model
• The Johari window model

Note that most nursing instructors will often suggest the models they prefer for you to use in your essay.

For example, in most nursing reflective essays. Whichever the case, readily available information expands on each model to make it easier to write a reflection essay on a specific aspect of nursing education or practice.

Read the assignment rubric and instructions to understand the specific model. If it is unclear, ask for clarification from your instructor early enough.

Tips for Writing a Good Nursing Reflective Essay

As you try to figure out how to write a nursing reflective essay, keep the following tips in mind.

Choose the Right Topic

If the instructions from your professors involve choosing a topic for the reflective essay, you must select one that is meaningful to you.

This will ensure you can easily write and easily develop relevant elements about the topic. Therefore, take time to pick a topic that you find interesting.

As you write, ensure you stay on topic, whether sharing a one-off event or a recurrent story.

Use the Right Tone

A reflective essay is more personal, unlike other types of academic essays. This means you don't need a strict or formal tone.

Since this is about your experiences, use personal pronouns such as I and Me.

Be Vulnerable

You must be extremely vulnerable to learn how to write a reflective essay in nursing.

Be open about your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about something you went through that sparked an interest in nursing.

It's okay to share mistakes or things you did wrong that eventually led you to this career path.

Choose the Right Focus

A reflection essay is all about narrating your experience during the nursing experience.

While including other people in your experience is okay, please let them not be the center of your reflection.

This is your essay, so you should be the focus of attention.

Keep it Brief

A good nursing reflection essay should be between 300 and 800 consciously written words. Because of this length, you must only write relevant information about your reflection. Refrain from lengthy reflections, as they make it difficult to pass your points across.

Convey Your Information Wisely

Even though a nursing reflection essay is about your personal experiences, it doesn't mean you should reveal everything about yourself. Ask yourself whether something is appropriate before including it in your paper.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Reflection Essay in Nursing

A good reflection essay involves reflecting on your nursing studies and practices throughout school and career to demonstrate your competence. For this reason, there are certain mistakes you should be aware of when writing an essay.

Not including a Personal Story

Like food tastes bland without salt, so does a reflection essay without a personal story. At the center of a reflection essay is You. This means the essay should focus on your personal story that led you to want a nursing career. A lot of times, students miss out on this instead of talking about their story. You need more than just the personal qualities you think will be a great fit for the nursing program; you must also share a story that shows how well you contributed to nursing care.

Failing to Share Your Experience

You will lose points when you fail to include nursing-related experiences in your reflection essay. Mentioning that you want to be a nurse is great, but failing to show specific events that led to the desire will cost you a great point.

Plagiarizing Your Essay

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense because it is considered taking other people's ideas and using them as your own without crediting the author. So, provide relevant citations and references for any ideas that aren't your own. Also, an AI will not write your essay as a human writer would. 

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Sample of a Nursing Reflective Essay 

The following is a sample of a nursing Reflective essay using Gibb's Model of Reflection. Use this sample to guide you when writing your own.

Introduction  Communication is an important element in healthcare practice as it determines patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. This essay will focus on reflecting on an experience I went through with a 40-year-old diabetic patient who also had a foot infected with an ulcer. When I approached the patient to sign the consent form, I noticed that he wasn't happy because of the news given to him about his health. I concluded that there must be a communication dilemma. I will reflect on the experience using Gibb's Model of Reflection. Using this model, I will identify and discuss the actions taken to resolve the issue. Description  This incident happened a few months ago when I was working as a wound nurse in a Methodist hospital in my hometown. I was part of a care team handling the case of a 40-year-old male patient with diabetes and an infected diabetic foot ulcer. After careful examination, a team comprising various specialists concluded that his leg needed amputation below the knee. After making this decision, the team left, and I was asked to give the patient a consent form to sign. When I came back from retrieving the form, I noticed the patient looked sorrowful because of the news given to him. Feelings  As soon as I saw the patient, I knew what he was going through. He perceived the situation to be irreparable, but I wasn't sure whether to console the patient or not. I was powerless and couldn't imagine what he was going through. At the same time, I was startled that the team left without showing any compassion. They could have handled the situation more delicately. I, on the other hand, could have relayed the information better. I wasn't sure whether my approach would be acceptable or appropriate. Evaluation  I always go back to that particular situation and wonder whether I could have acted better. The situation helped me better understand the importance of good communication in patient care, particularly in therapeutic care. Before the incident, I didn't acknowledge the role of nurses play in caring for patient's emotional needs. I realized nurses must show compassion and console patients in their low moments.  Analysis  Most healthcare professionals do not know how to deliver bad news to patients. They find the process extremely challenging and always feel psychologically unprepared. This has a negative impact on patients and could lead to bad health outcomes. Furthermore, how information is relayed could impact a patient's adherence to treatment. Because of these effects, multiple protocols and approaches were developed to help with communicating bad news to patients. One of the approaches that was proposed is emotion-centered. This proposes that a healthcare provider acknowledges how sad the patient is and builds a professional relationship based on empathy and sympathy. Action Plan I now understand the essence of communicating bad news with compassion. The experience allowed me to look closely at different aspects of my professional development that needed more improvement. Thus, I plan to be more empathetic and speak up in support of patient's emotional and psychological well-being, especially when presented with traumatic news about their health. Additionally, I now understand I am not powerless when dealing with a sorrowful patient. I believe I have learned from my experience, and I'm not able to communicate well with patients any more. Conclusion  The experience allowed me to value good communication in nursing and the need to incorporate it into daily nurse-patient interaction. Nurses must learn how to deliver bad news and manage patient's sorrow. This has been and will continue to be my biggest priority in patient care. References Street Jr, R. L., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). How does communication heal? Pathways linking clinicianpatient communication to health outcomes. Patient education and counselling, 74(3), 295-301. Buckman, R. (1992). Breaking bad news: why is it still so difficult? BMJ: British Medical Journal, 304(6842), 886. Ptacek, J. T., & Eberhardt, T. L. (1996). Breaking bad news: a review of the literature. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 276(6), 496-502.

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How to Write a Nursing Reflective Essay as a BSN Nursing Student

• November 29, 2023

Welcome to NursingWriters.net, your go-to resource for expert information and guidance on writing nursing essays. In this article, we will provide you, as a BSN nursing student , with a comprehensive guide on how to write a compelling nursing reflective essay. Reflective essays are a personal reflection on your experiences in the nursing profession, and we are here to help you navigate this writing challenge.

As a busy nursing student, we understand that you may have limited time to spare. That’s where NursingWriters.net comes in, empowering you to excel in your BSN program by providing expert guidance on different writing and comprehension challenges you may face. Let’s dive into the world of nursing reflective essays and discover how you can effectively express your thoughts and insights.

Key Takeaways:

• Reflective essays allow nursing students to reflect on their experiences and personal growth in the profession.
• A nursing reflective essay is different from a personal statement, focusing on self-reflection rather than academic achievements.
• Key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay are the inciting incident, personal reflections, vivid details, and actions taken.
• The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide a clear thesis statement.
• The body paragraphs should delve into the writer’s reflections and emotions with specific examples and anecdotes.

What Is a Reflective Essay in Nursing?

A reflective essay in nursing is a powerful tool that allows nursing students to analyze their experiences, emotions, and actions related to their nursing practice. It provides an opportunity for self-reflection, critical thinking, and personal growth. Reflective writing can help nurses develop a deeper understanding of their own practice, improve patient care, and enhance their professional development.

Reflective essays in nursing differ from personal statements in that they focus on specific experiences and their impact on the writer’s growth and development. These essays require the writer to critically reflect on their actions, emotions, and thoughts, and identify ways to improve their practice. By examining their experiences and applying reflective frameworks, nursing students can gain valuable insights into their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.

When writing a reflective essay in nursing , it is important to follow a structured approach. This includes describing the incident or experience, analyzing personal thoughts and feelings, exploring the actions taken, and reflecting on the outcomes and implications. By structuring the essay effectively, nursing students can communicate their reflections in a clear and organized manner.

Key Elements to Include in a Nursing Reflective Essay

When writing a nursing reflective essay, it is important to include key elements that will make your essay comprehensive and impactful. These elements will help you convey your thoughts and experiences clearly, allowing the reader to gain a deeper understanding of your reflections on nursing practice.

Inciting Incident or Event

The first key element to include in your nursing reflective essay is the inciting incident or event. This is the moment or experience that triggered your reflection and made a significant impact on your practice. It could be a challenging patient encounter, an ethical dilemma, or a personal realization. By describing this event in detail, you set the stage for your reflective journey.

Personal Reflections

Your nursing reflective essay should also include personal reflections on the experience. This is where you delve into your thoughts, feelings, and emotions related to the inciting incident. Reflect on how the event made you feel, what you learned from it, and how it has influenced your growth as a nursing professional. Be honest and vulnerable in your reflections, as this will allow the reader to connect with your experience on a deeper level.

Vivid Setting and Descriptive Details

To create a vivid and engaging narrative, include specific details that paint a picture of the setting and the people involved. Describe the physical environment, the interactions between healthcare professionals and patients, and any other relevant details that contribute to the overall context of the experience. This will help the reader visualize the situation and understand the complexities of the event.

Actions Taken

Finally, it is important to describe the actions you took in response to the inciting incident. Discuss how you applied your nursing knowledge and skills to address the challenges or opportunities presented by the event. Reflect on the effectiveness of your actions and whether there were any areas for improvement. This demonstrates your ability to critically analyze your own practice and make informed decisions.

By including these key elements in your nursing reflective essay, you can create a comprehensive and impactful piece of writing that showcases your growth and development as a nursing professional.

How to Write the Introduction of a Nursing Reflective Essay

The introduction of a nursing reflective essay plays a crucial role in capturing the reader’s attention and setting the tone for the entire essay. It should provide a concise overview of the main points that will be discussed and create a sense of curiosity and engagement. Here are some tips to help you write an effective introduction for your nursing reflective essay:

• Start with an intriguing opening line: Begin your introduction with a captivating statement or anecdote that relates to the topic of your essay. This will grab the reader’s attention and make them eager to continue reading.
• Provide context and background information: Give a brief overview of the event or experience that you will be reflecting on in your essay. This will help the reader understand the context and significance of your reflections.
• Present a clear thesis statement: Your thesis statement should clearly state the main purpose of your essay and the specific points or themes that you will be exploring. This will give the reader a preview of what to expect in the body of the essay.

By following these tips, you can craft an introduction that captivates the reader and sets the stage for a compelling nursing reflective essay.

“As I walked into the busy hospital ward on my first day of clinical rotation, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. Little did I know that this experience would become a pivotal moment in my nursing journey, shaping my understanding of empathy, communication, and patient-centered care. In this reflective essay, I will delve into the details of this encounter and explore the personal and professional growth that resulted from it.”

With an attention-grabbing opening, providing context, and presenting a clear thesis statement, your introduction will set the stage for a compelling nursing reflective essay that captures the reader’s attention and lays the foundation for your reflections.

Nursing Reflection Essay Tips and Examples

Writing a nursing reflective essay requires careful consideration and thoughtful analysis. Here are some tips to help you craft an impactful and meaningful reflection essay as a BSN nursing student . Additionally, we will provide examples to illustrate how these tips can be applied.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflection Essay:

• Start by choosing a specific experience or event that had a significant impact on your nursing practice. This could be a challenging patient encounter, a critical incident, or a personal realization that transformed your perspective.
• Reflect on the experience and consider how it affected your emotions, thoughts, and actions. What did you learn from the experience? How has it shaped your growth as a nursing professional?
• Focus on the key aspects of the experience that were particularly impactful or meaningful to you. Avoid including unnecessary details or deviating from the main message of your reflection.
• Use specific examples, anecdotes, or patient scenarios to support your reflections. This will make your essay more engaging and relatable to the reader.
• Consider the ethical implications of the experience and reflect on how it has influenced your approach to patient care and decision-making.
• End your essay with a reflection on the implications of your learning for future nursing practice. How will you apply the lessons learned to provide better care and improve patient outcomes?

Now, let’s take a look at two examples of nursing reflective essays to further illustrate these tips:

“During my clinical rotation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), I encountered a complex patient case that challenged my critical thinking skills and decision-making abilities. The patient was a middle-aged woman who had undergone a complicated surgery and experienced numerous post-operative complications. This experience taught me the importance of collaboration within the healthcare team and the significance of advocating for the patient’s best interests…”

“One of the most significant experiences during my nursing education was my time spent in the pediatric oncology unit. Witnessing the resilience and bravery of children facing life-threatening illnesses had a profound impact on my perspective as a nurse. It taught me the importance of providing holistic care, not only addressing physical needs but also supporting emotional well-being and promoting a positive environment for healing…”

These examples demonstrate how personal reflections, specific details, and professional insights can be incorporated to create a compelling nursing reflective essay. Remember to structure your essay in a clear and organized manner, ensuring that your reflections flow logically and coherently.

By following these tips and utilizing examples, you can create a compelling nursing reflective essay that showcases your growth and development as a nursing professional.

How to Conclude a Nursing Reflective Essay

The conclusion of a nursing reflective essay serves as the final reflection on the writer’s growth and learning from the experience. It is an essential part of the essay that summarizes the main points discussed and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. The reflective essay conclusion should bring closure to the essay by restating the thesis statement and highlighting the key takeaways from the essay.

To write a strong and impactful conclusion, start by restating the thesis statement in a clear and concise manner. This reminds the reader of the main focus of the essay and reinforces its significance. Next, summarize the key points discussed in the body paragraphs, highlighting the most important insights and reflections. This helps to reinforce the main ideas and ensures that they are not overlooked in the final reflection.

In addition to summarizing the main points, a thought-provoking statement or future outlook can be included to provide a sense of closure and leave the reader with something to ponder. This can be a reflection on how the experience has influenced the writer’s future practice or a call to action for continued personal and professional growth. By ending the essay on a strong and meaningful note, the conclusion enhances the overall impact of the nursing reflective essay.

A well-crafted conclusion is essential for a nursing reflective essay as it reinforces the main ideas, leaves a lasting impression on the reader, and provides a sense of closure. By following these tips, nursing students can create a powerful and impactful conclusion that enhances the overall effectiveness of their reflective essays.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay

Writing a nursing reflective essay can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can also be a rewarding experience. Here are some helpful tips and strategies to guide nursing students in their essay writing process:

• Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm ideas, reflect on your experiences, and write and revise your essay. Starting early will help you avoid last-minute stress and allow for a more thoughtful and polished essay.
• Conduct thorough self-reflection: Before you begin writing, take the time to reflect on your experiences and emotions related to your nursing practice. Consider how these experiences have shaped your growth and development as a nurse, and what lessons you have learned along the way.
• Organize your thoughts and ideas: Create an outline or a rough structure for your essay to ensure a logical flow of ideas. Group similar thoughts and reflections together to create cohesive paragraphs, and use headings or subheadings to further organize your essay.
• Seek feedback: Share your essay with trusted peers or instructors and ask for their feedback. They can offer valuable insights, provide constructive criticism, and help you refine your essay to make it stronger and more impactful.

Additionally, it is important to pay attention to the technical aspects of your essay:

• Grammar and spelling: Proofread your essay carefully to ensure it is free of any grammatical or spelling errors. Use grammar and spell-check tools, and consider asking someone else to review your essay for a fresh perspective.
• Coherent writing style: Use clear and concise language to convey your thoughts and reflections. Avoid excessive jargon or technical terms, and focus on communicating your ideas effectively.
• Formatting guidelines: Follow any formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or institution. Pay attention to font style, size, spacing, and citation style if required.

By following these tips and strategies, nursing students can approach their reflective essay writing with confidence and produce compelling and insightful essays that showcase their growth and development in the nursing profession.

Reflective Tools and Models for Nursing Reflective Essays

Reflective tools and models can provide structure and guidance for nursing students when writing reflective essays. These tools help organize thoughts and experiences, allowing for a more comprehensive and meaningful reflection. By utilizing reflection models , nursing students can enhance their reflective writing skills and deepen their understanding of their own growth and development as healthcare professionals.

Gibbs’ Reflective Model

“Reflective practice is both an art and a science that requires ongoing commitment and practice.” – Gibbs

Gibbs’ Reflective Model is a widely used reflection framework in nursing. It consists of six stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. This model encourages a structured approach to reflection, allowing the writer to systematically explore their thoughts and emotions, analyze the situation, and identify areas for improvement or further development.

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model

“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.” – Dewey

Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model focuses on the importance of reflection as a tool for learning and growth. It emphasizes the need to actively engage with experiences, thoughts, and emotions, and to critically evaluate them in order to gain deeper insights and understanding. This model encourages nursing students to think analytically and develop a continuous learning mindset.

Kolb Reflective Model

“Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it.” – Kolb

The Kolb Reflective Model is based on the concept of experiential learning. It consists of four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. This model encourages nursing students to engage in a cyclical process of learning, where they actively participate in experiences, reflect on them, conceptualize their insights, and apply their learning in real-life situations.

Schön Reflective Model

“Reflection-in-action is the heart of the learning process.” – Schön

Schön Reflective Model emphasizes the importance of reflection in the midst of action. It focuses on the ability to think and adapt in real-time, making decisions based on professional knowledge and experiences. This model encourages nursing students to develop a reflective mindset that allows them to learn and grow while actively engaging in their practice.

Benefits of Reflective Writing in Nursing

Reflective writing plays a crucial role in nursing practice, offering numerous benefits for nursing students and professionals alike. By engaging in reflective writing, nurses can enhance their self-awareness, develop their critical thinking skills, and gain a deeper understanding of patient experiences. This section will explore the advantages of reflective writing in nursing and its significance in healthcare.

Enhanced Self-Awareness

Reflective writing fosters self-reflection, allowing nurses to examine their thoughts, emotions, and actions in various clinical situations. Through this process, they gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This heightened self-awareness enables nurses to provide more effective and compassionate patient care, fostering a patient-centered approach.

Improved Critical Thinking

Reflective writing encourages nurses to think critically about their experiences and the impact of their actions. It requires them to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of their decision-making and problem-solving skills. By reflecting on past experiences, nurses can identify areas where they can enhance their clinical practice and make informed decisions based on evidence and best practices.

Increased Empathy and Understanding

Through reflective writing, nurses develop a deeper empathy and understanding of patient experiences. By reflecting on their interactions with patients, nurses can recognize the emotions, fears, and challenges faced by individuals in their care. This increased empathy enables nurses to provide more holistic and patient-centered care, improving the overall healthcare experience for patients.

Continuous Professional Development

Reflective writing is an essential tool for nurses’ continuous professional development. It allows them to document their growth, learning, and achievements throughout their nursing career. By regularly engaging in reflective writing, nurses can identify areas for further development, set goals for improvement, and ensure they are providing the best possible care to their patients.

Overall, reflective writing in nursing is a powerful tool that empowers nurses to enhance their self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and empathy. By engaging in this practice, nurses can continuously improve their clinical practice, provide high-quality patient care, and contribute to the ongoing development of the nursing profession.

Nursing Reflective Essay Examples

Looking for inspiration for your nursing reflective essay? Here are some examples that showcase different experiences, reflections, and growth in the nursing profession.

These examples demonstrate how nursing reflective essays can provide valuable insights into personal experiences, reflections, and professional growth. They serve as excellent references to help nursing students develop their own reflective writing skills and gain a deeper understanding of the nursing profession.

Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay for Nursing School Application

A nursing reflective essay can be a powerful tool for nursing school applications. It allows applicants to showcase their self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and passion for the nursing profession. When writing a nursing reflective essay for a nursing school application, there are a few key tips to keep in mind.

Reflect on your passion for nursing

Start by reflecting on what drew you to the nursing profession and why you are passionate about it. Consider your personal experiences, such as volunteering or shadowing healthcare professionals, and how they have shaped your desire to become a nurse. Highlight your commitment to providing compassionate and quality patient care.

Share personal experiences in healthcare settings

Provide specific examples of your experiences in healthcare settings, such as clinical rotations or internships. Reflect on the challenges you faced, the lessons you learned, and how those experiences have impacted your growth and development as a future nurse. Discuss any significant interactions with patients, healthcare teams, or mentors that have shaped your understanding of the nursing profession.

Align with the nursing school’s values and mission

Research the nursing school’s values, mission, and educational philosophy. Ensure that your reflective essay aligns with these principles and demonstrates your commitment to the school’s mission. Use the nursing school’s prompts or essay questions as a guide to structure your essay and address the specific criteria they are looking for in applicants.

By following these tips, you can write a compelling nursing reflective essay that effectively conveys your passion for nursing, showcases your experiences, and aligns with the nursing school’s values. Remember to proofread your essay carefully for grammar and spelling errors and seek feedback from mentors or trusted individuals in the nursing profession to ensure your essay is clear, concise, and impactful.

(Table) Tips for Writing a Nursing Reflective Essay for Nursing School Application

Writing a nursing reflective essay can be a transformative experience for BSN nursing students. It allows them to gain valuable insight into their own growth and development as future healthcare professionals. Throughout this comprehensive guide, we have provided expert information and guidance on how to write a compelling nursing reflective essay.

By understanding the purpose of a reflective essay and the key elements to include, nursing students can effectively showcase their personal experiences and reflections. Incorporating reflection models such as Gibbs’ Reflective Model or Kolb Reflective Model can also provide structure and depth to their essays.

At NursingWriters.net, we are dedicated to empowering busy nurses and providing them with the tools they need to excel in their BSN programs. Whether it’s writing a reflective essay or any other writing challenge, we are here to support and guide nursing students towards success.

What is a nursing reflective essay?

A nursing reflective essay is a personal essay where the writer reflects on their own experiences and how those experiences have shaped their growth and development in the nursing profession.

How is a reflective essay in nursing different from a personal statement?

While a reflective essay in nursing focuses on the writer’s personal experiences and reflections, a personal statement is more of a formal document that highlights the writer’s qualifications, achievements, and future goals in the nursing profession.

What are the key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay?

The key elements to include in a nursing reflective essay are the inciting incident or event, personal reflections on the experience, specific details to create a vivid setting, and a description of the actions taken by the writer. It is important to avoid including academic details and excessive focus on emotions.

How should I write the introduction of a nursing reflective essay?

To write an engaging and informative introduction for a nursing reflective essay, you can grab the reader’s attention with an intriguing opening line, provide context and background information, and present a clear thesis statement. Focus on the specific event or experience that will be the main focus of the essay.

How should I structure the body paragraphs of a nursing reflective essay?

The body paragraphs of a nursing reflective essay should have a clear structure. Use the first paragraph to present the thesis statement and provide background information on the event. Use subsequent paragraphs to explore your reflections, emotions, and actions taken. Use specific examples and anecdotes to make the essay more engaging.

How should I conclude a nursing reflective essay?

To write a strong conclusion for a nursing reflective essay, you can summarize the main points discussed in the essay, provide a final reflection on your growth and learning from the experience, restate the thesis statement, and leave the reader with a thought-provoking statement or future outlook.

What are some tips for writing a nursing reflective essay?

Some tips for writing a nursing reflective essay include starting early, conducting thorough self-reflection, organizing your thoughts and ideas, and seeking feedback from peers or instructors. Pay attention to proper grammar and spelling, coherent writing style, and adhere to any formatting guidelines provided.

How can reflective tools and models help with nursing reflective essays?

Reflective tools and models provide structure and guidance for nursing students when writing reflective essays. Models such as Gibbs’ Reflective Model, Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Model, Kolb Reflective Model, and Schön Reflective Model can be used as frameworks for organizing thoughts and experiences in a nursing reflective essay.

What are the benefits of reflective writing in nursing?

Reflective writing in nursing offers benefits such as enhanced self-awareness, improved critical thinking skills, increased empathy and understanding of patient experiences, and continuous professional development. It promotes lifelong learning and helps improve patient care.

Where can I find nursing reflective essay examples?

You can find nursing reflective essay examples that showcase different experiences, reflections, and growth. These examples incorporate personal reflections, specific details, and professional insights into nursing practice. They demonstrate the diversity of topics and experiences that can be explored in nursing reflective essays.

How can I write a nursing reflective essay for nursing school applications?

To write a nursing reflective essay for nursing school applications, reflect on your passion for nursing, personal experiences in healthcare settings, and future goals in the nursing profession. Address specific prompts and align the content with the nursing school’s values and mission.

How can writing a nursing reflective essay benefit BSN nursing students?

Writing a nursing reflective essay allows BSN nursing students to gain insight into their own growth and development as future healthcare professionals. It helps improve critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and understanding of patient experiences. It also promotes continuous professional development.

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Mentor — Reflection on Mentorship in a Nursing Setting

Reflection on Mentorship in a Nursing Setting

• Categories: Mentor

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Published: Oct 2, 2020

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The Importance of Mentorship in Nursing

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

Do you have a nurse mentor? If you do, consider yourself lucky. If you don’t, think about looking for one.

There are countless benefits to having a nurse mentor. A major benefit: They can help shape your career path, whether you’re a new nurse, advancing your career, or even changing specialties.

A nurse mentor can also help support you through challenges. Studies reveal new nurses , especially, face difficult times in their new roles. Challenges include:

These challenges cause high turnover rates or skillful nurses to leave the profession altogether. Having a great nurse mentor can prevent this. They can provide nurses with tools to tackle challenges while building confidence and resilience.

How Does Mentorship Work in Nursing?

In its mentoring program toolkit, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (ANCC) defines mentoring as:

“A formalized process whereby a more knowledgeable and experienced person actuates a supportive role of overseeing and encouraging reflection and learning within a less experienced and knowledgeable person, so as to facilitate that person’s career and personal development.”

Some nurse mentor relationships develop naturally, but for others, finding one may take some time. A nurse mentor should be:

• Trustworthy
• Encouraging
• A great listener
• A guide to your career goals

Many hospitals and facilities have integrated nursing mentorship programs , especially for new nurse graduates. The goal of mentorship programs is to provide:

• Clinical care support
• Psychological and emotional support
• Academic advice
• Career development
• Nurse leadership opportunities

There are many benefits to having in-house nursing mentorship programs. Mentorship in nursing has been found to:

• Improve job satisfaction
• Promote professional growth and development
• Decrease turnover
• Increase cost-effectiveness

What Are Some Barriers to Nurse Mentoring?

Nurses may face complications with mentors and may have to end the relationship. Reasons might be the mentee did not feel supported, or the mentor may not have the desired skill set. Some other barriers include:

• Cultural difference or miscommunication
• Unable to maintain the relationship
• Lack of preparedness
• Career changes

Why Is Nurse Mentorship Important?

Mentorship is important because it provides support, assistance, and guidance to nurses and nursing students. Nurse mentorship programs are critical; they can even be found globally. One study showed that low- and middle-income countries have the largest nurse mentoring programs.

There is an initiative for healthcare workers, especially nurses, to participate in mentorship programs. Why? Studies show, along with nursing responsibilities, nurses exercise high emotional labor .

Emotional labor is “work role” specific. This is when nurses have to manage their emotions while interacting with organizations to reach their professional goals. Having a nurse mentor can help provide suggestions on how to navigate this reality.

The mentor and mentee relationship is a two-way relationship. The role of the mentor is to act as a role model and:

A mentee can add value to the relationship by:

Jillian Kobel, a trauma nurse registrar, started a new nursing position in March 2020. She was connected with a nurse mentor and continues to have a meaningful relationship with her mentor.

“I started this job working remotely during COVID and was put in touch with a nurse registrar,” Kobel said. “We had standing weekly meetings in the beginning and really connected. Now we talk all the time, and I run things by her frequently.”

How Do I Find a Nursing Mentor?

There are many ways you can find a nurse mentor: Internally through a formal program provided by your facility, or externally, through taking advantage of nursing associations or nonprofit organizations.

You can also choose your own nursing mentor. You just have to ask. Although it can be intimidating, many experienced nurses are eager to mentor nurses and nursing students.

Some programs to find a nurse mentor include:

• American Nurses Association (ANA)
• National Mentoring Partnership
• Sigma Global Nursing Excellence
• Pass the Torch for Women
• American Association for Nurse Practitioners
• American Organization for Nursing Leadership

How Do I Become a Nurse Mentor?

Many national nursing organizations have nurse mentorship programs — with enrollment opening as soon as next month! Enrollment for the ANA mentorship program opens August 2.

ANCC has a free, structured virtual dean mentorship program called MentorLINK. The application deadline is August 31. The program brings experienced deans together with deans looking to be mentored.

The program has an application for dean mentees. After answering a few questions on the application, the mentees match with the right mentor. The fee for the mentee program is $549.

Tips for a Successful Mentorship in Nursing

What does a successful mentorship relationship look like? A successful mentorship relationship has:

The mentor and mentee relationship typically goes through four phases. The four phases are:

• Initiation : The mentor and mentee get to know each other and build a relationship as long as they are the right match.
• Negotiation : The mentor and mentee set achievable goals.
• Growth : The mentor and mentee work together to achieve these goals.
• Closure : The mentor and mentee close their relationship formally. At this stage, they can applaud their success.

Every nurse can benefit from a nurse mentor, especially one they can feel comfortable reaching out for advice. The relationship can be short- or long-term, whichever works best. It’s essential for all nurse mentorship relationships to have open communication, structured virtual or in-person meetings, and establish measurable goals.

Whether you’re looking to get your pre-licensure degree or taking the next step in your career, the education you need could be more affordable than you think. Find the right nursing program for you.

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Nursing Reflective Essay: Example, Outline, & Writing Guide

A nursing reflective essay is a piece of writing where the writer examines their clinical or medical experiences and reflects on personal outcomes. Composing an impressive reflection requires a lot of creativity. It tends to be a challenging experience for most students.

We are here to make the writing process less intimidating. In this article, we will give you:

• a guide on how to apply a reflective cycle framework;
• four writing prompts with different topics;
• and a nursing reflective essay example.
• 🏥 Nursing Reflection Importance
• ♻️ Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
• ✍️ Essay Outline
• 📝 Writing Prompts
• 💡 Essay Topics
• 📑 Essay Example

🏥 Nursing Reflective Essay: Why Is It Important?

A reflection is a practice of thinking through and interpreting your memories, experiences, and actions to understand yourself and learn from your analysis. Reflective writing also helps you develop critical thinking skills. Students are taught to identify what works well and what needs improvement by writing an essay on the nursing profession.

There are many different approaches to this kind of writing. To write a good reflection, it’s useful to follow a clinical writing framework . A framework helps you situate your ideas, concepts, and theories into the existing knowledge.

The most famous one is Gibbs’ reflective cycle . It’s commonly used by health professionals. Below we will discuss this framework and tell you how to apply it to your reflective essays.

♻️ Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in Essay on Nursing Profession

Graham Gibbs developed his reflective cycle in 1988 to give structure to any learning process. It is an effective action-based model that can be used in reflective essays for nursing students to work through any experience in 6 stages.

Let’s examine if this framework’s format will work for you. Have a look at these statements:

• You want to reflect on your experience and transform it into a learning model.
• You want to unravel repeated behavior patterns.
• You want to understand why you do things the way you do.
• You want to do better in the future.

If they describe your intentions, then Gibbs’ reflective cycle is exactly what you need.

Think about a nursing experience or a situation that didn’t turn out as you expected. These questions will show you what to include for each stage.

✍️ Nursing Reflective Essay Outline

Here is a great example of how to apply Gibbs’ reflective cycle . Pay attention to the contents of each essay part.

Topic : Dealing with death at the scene in paramedic practice.

📝 Essay on Nursing Profession: Writing Prompts

Now that you’ve learned about Gibb’s reflective cycle, it’s time to choose a topic. These prompts should give you some writing ideas. And if you won’t find anything suitable, you are always welcome to use our topic generator .

Mentorship in Nursing Essay

Mentorship is a topic suitable for a reflection essay. This writing prompt involves an assessment of a person who was mentoring you. Alternatively, you may reflect on your own experience as a mentor. You aim to analyze what makes an effective mentor and how it correlates with their mentees’ performance.

You can start with assessing the current situation and then produce an action plan for a student nurse. Reflection examples may include evaluation of one’s competence and knowledge they possess. Make sure not to mention any real names.

Remember that the goal of this essay is not to criticize but improve the mentoring experience for you or your mentees.

Below is an example of a nursing essay that focuses on mentorship:

• Mentoring and Coaching in Nursing

Importance of Communication in Nursing Essay

The importance of communication skills in a nursing career is another topic suitable for a reflection essay. Here is what you can write about:

• Patients open up about the true extent of their symptoms if they can trust their nurse. Show how lack of communication can result in patients misunderstanding treatment protocols and failure to receive proper care.
• If you’ve ever dealt with compassion fatigue, you can use your reflection essay to raise awareness of this issue.
• Evaluating the importance of non-verbal communication during extreme situations could be a great reflective essay topic. Nursing students will definitely benefit from it.

Below are some examples of nursing essays that focus on communication:

• Communication with Patients in Mental Health Nursing
• Nursing Communication: Translational Research
• Silence, Power and Communication in the Operating Room
• Novice Psychiatric Nurses’ Communication Strategies

Leadership in Nursing Essay

Leadership is a crucial part of effective healthcare. In a reflective essay, you can explore it in various ways:

• Say whether you agree that all nurses need to possess leadership skills. Discuss how it improves the patient’s recovery chances.
• You can write about your own leadership journey and what was required of you to become a great leader.
• You may also write about a real-life situation where a lack of leadership resulted in poor patient care quality. This way, you’ll turn that experience into a reflection.

Below are some examples of nursing essays that focus on leadership:

• Personal Philosophy of Nursing and Leadership
• Organizational Leadership and Interprofessional Team Development
• Nursing Leadership: Advancing Workforce Intra-communication
• Leadership Strategies in Nursing Practice
• Nursing: Complex Leadership Discussion

Compassion in Nursing Essay

Compassion is a strong foundation of trust. As a nurse, your goal can be to discuss that genuine compassion is about a deeper level of connecting with your patients. This topic is perfect for a reflection, and here are some of your options:

• You may want to examine your strategies for providing patients with a sense of security.
• You can also discuss how to make them feel heard and recognized. Many patients feel like their concerns are not acted upon and ignored. Show its importance in your reflective essay.

Below are some examples of nursing essays that focus on compassion:

• “Mindfulness and Compassion-Oriented Practices at Work ” by Orellana-Rios Quantitative Review
• Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Challenge for Living
• Patient Satisfaction Influences Health Outcomes

Note that there is another compassion in nursing essay sample at the end if this article.

💡 Nursing Reflective Essay Topics

In this section, we have collected topic ideas for you to write a reflection on your nursing education and experiences.

• The clinical experience course reflection.
• Patient case reflection: Providing palliative care to an older adult.
• Reflections on the DNP essentials .
• Nursing reflection: An ethical-legal challenge.
• Postoperative complications: A reflection on possible causes.
• Reflection on nursing fundamentals .
• Nursing leadership reflection: Clinical decision unit .
• A reflection on misdiagnosis and its outcomes.
• Community and public health nursing reflection .
• Different types of reflective models .
• Patient dissatisfaction: A nursing reflection on what went wrong.
• Reflection on the interview with a registered nurse .
• Aspects of reflective practice models.
• Reflect on a difficult nursing procedure that you performed well.
• Nursing’s metaparadigm: Personal philosophy .
• Personal philosophy of culturally competent nurses .
• A reflection on personal experience in mental health nursing.
• Nursing practice personal experience.
• Personal worldview and model of leadership .
• A nursing reflection on care for terminally ill pediatric patients.
• Nursing personal leadership: Reflection.
• Personal teaching experience: Additional roles of nurses.
• Reflecting on family-centered care in nursing.
• The relevance of nursing theory to personal professional beliefs and values.
• Personal philosophy of scholarship in nursing .
• A reflection on clinical experiences in the critical care unit.
• The development of the personal philosophy of nursing.
• The personal experience in leadership among nursing.
• Reflecting on the importance of providing support to women in maternity care.
• Personal philosophy of nursing.
• Nurses’ experiences during advanced level nursing education.
• Self-reflection in nursing educators: A tool for identifying personal knowledge gaps.
• Nursing practice experience in the elderly care.
• Sharing knowledge learned from a practicum project.
• A reflection on challenges in translating scientific evidence into clinical practice.
• Nursing students in the clinical learning environment.
• The learning strategies in nursing .
• A nurse’s reflection on skills acquired during a clinical internship.
• Professional learning experience in nursing.
• Online learning during working towards a doctoral degree.
• Reflect on your knowledge about a specific health condition.
• Lifelong learning in the nursing career .
• Lack of proper hand washing in my community.
• A nursing reflection on cultural awareness and the importance of culturally sensitive care.
• My nursing philosophy and beliefs.

📑 Critical Reflection Essay Example: Nursing

Finally, let’s have a look at this nursing reflective essay sample. It will inspire you and help kickstart your writing process.

The Role of Compassion in Nursing Care of Terminally Ill Patients

Introduction: Some people define compassion as being nice to people. However, it is much more than that. My personal experience showed me that compassion is an essential quality for a nurse. Thesis: Compassionate care in nursing gives a deeper level of connecting with patients and provides them with a sense of security. Description of the event: It is easier to know what compassion is after a person experiences it firsthand, as I did with one of my patients. My patient was a young woman from Pakistan in the last stages of lung cancer. We provided her with proper treatment and medication so we could make her feel as comfortable as possible. Telling someone that they are going to die so early is not easy. Being a compassionate nurse means being honest and open, so I informed the girl and her parents of every step. Feelings: No matter how often I tell people the bad news, it is always hard. To be compassionate means to treat your patients with care and understanding. It means to relate to them and what they are going through, what sacrifices they must make along the way. After each chemotherapy treatment, the young girl had cravings for ice cream. I found a way to get it for her. Since then, we have had a powerful bond. Comforting my patient did not feel like a job or duty; it felt like the most human thing to do. The girl lived for two more months. She was not scared because her family and I were by her side. Evaluation: I still remember coming home after those long shifts and not being able to sleep. As an experienced nurse, I knew dealing with death was a part of my job. The last thing my patient and her family needed was my anxiety, fear, pity, and remorse. Being a compassionate nurse is a noble and demanding job. It is not just about being nice to terminally ill patients. It is about developing a deeper level of connection to help them feel secure. Analysis: Cancer care is a high-emotion service. The feeling of powerlessness, lack of control, and grief is essential to it. My job was to keep calm, even when I felt emotionally drained. I may never understand what my patients are going through, but I can get to know them. What they need is to be heard. Findings: The compassionate environment created by a nurse improves a patient’s well-being and can be a potential antidote to emotional and mental exhaustion, fear, and depression. Action plan: In addition to work experience and skills, managers must make hiring decisions based on candidates’ humanistic values. Evaluating their capacity for compassion can prove helpful in hiring. Conclusion: As a nurse, I managed to temper lung cancer’s emotional and mental impact on my patient. Being compassionate was key to it working out. Now you know everything about writing a nursing reflection paper. And if you have already written an essay and want to listen to it, you are welcome to use “Read my Paper” tool . We hope that reading our guide will encourage you to look back at your experiences and learn from them. Good luck with your professional nursing career!

❓ Essay on Nursing: FAQ

How do you write a good nursing essay.

– Always make sure you understand the assignment. – Find the topic that interests you. – Do your research and create an outline. – Write the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. – Make sure that your essay’s content is connected to your thesis. – Don’t forget to proofread your paper.a

How do you write a reflective essay in nursing?

A reflection essay allows you to examine your clinical or medical experiences and reflect on personal outcomes. Choose your topic and start by writing an outline. You can use Gibbs’ reflective cycle to help you unravel deeper behavior patterns by analyzing your experiences in 6 simple steps.

What is a nursing essay sample?

A student nurse reflection example can give you some ideas of what to write about. For instance, if you need to write a “Why I want to be a nurse” essay, a sample can provide you with reasons such as the desire to help other people.

How do you write an essay for nursing school application?

The secret to writing an impressive admission essay is to make it a unique personal statement. – Explain why you chose to be a nurse. – Give examples when you went above and beyond to care for someone. – Reflect on your qualifications.

🔗 References

• Gibbs Reflective Cycle: Routledge
• A New Model of Reflection for Clinical Practice: Nursing Times
• Revalidation Requirements: Reflection and Reflective Discussion: Royal College of Nursing
• Reflective Practice in Health Care and How to Reflect Effectively: NIH
• Reflection as an Educational Strategy in Nursing Professional Development: An Integrative Review: Lippincott Nursing Center
• Applying the Gibbs’ Reflective Model: Manchester Metropolitan University
• The Purpose of Reflection: Purdue College of Liberal Arts

• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 30 October 2019

Nursing students’ perception of the clinical learning environment and supervision in relation to two different supervision models – a comparative cross-sectional study

• Mirjam Ekstedt   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4108-391X 1 , 2 ,
• Marléne Lindblad 3 , 4 &
• Anna Löfmark 5  

BMC Nursing volume  18 , Article number:  49 ( 2019 ) Cite this article

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Metrics details

Knowledge concerning nursing students’ experiences of the clinical learning environment and how supervision is carried out is largely lacking. This study compares nursing students’ perceptions of the clinical learning environment and supervision in two different supervision models: peer learning in student-dedicated units, with students working together in pairs and supervised by a “preceptor of the day” (model A), and traditional supervision , in which each student is assigned to a personal preceptor (model B).

The study was performed within the nursing programme at a university college in Sweden during students’ clinical placements (semesters 3 and 4) in medical and surgical departments at three different hospitals. Data was collected using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale, CLES+T, an instrument tested for reliability and validity, and a second instrument developed for this study to obtain deeper information regarding how students experienced the organisation and content of the supervision. Independent t-tests were used for continuous variables, Mann-Whitney U-tests for ordinal variables, and the chi-square or Fischer’s exact tests for categorical variables.

Overall, the students had positive experiences of the clinical learning environment and supervision in both supervision models. Students supervised in model A had more positive experiences of the cooperation and relationship between student, preceptor, and nurse teacher, and more often than students in model B felt that the ward had an explicit model for supervising students. Students in model A were more positive to having more than one preceptor and felt that this contributed to the assessment of their learning outcomes.

Conclusions

A good learning environment for students in clinical placements is dependent on an explicit structure for receiving students, a pedagogical atmosphere where staff take an interest in supervision of students and are easy to approach, and engagement among and collaboration between preceptors and nurse teachers. This study also indicates that supervision based on peer learning in student-dedicated rooms with many preceptors can be more satisfying for students than a model where each student is assigned to a single preceptor.

Peer Review reports

A constructive clinical learning environment, with satisfactory possibilities for student learning, and a focus on student learning needs, is vital to nursing education [ 1 ]. Clinical learning is carried out in complex health care settings, and students’ experiences within the clinical context are of great importance to how and what they learn. The environment should motivate students and contribute to their feeling of security, including when asking questions to achieve learning outcomes [ 2 ]. The clinical learning environment and supervision of students play a crucial part in supporting student learning and are highly dependent on the relationship between student, preceptor, and nurse teacher [ 3 ]. Nurse teachers have a multifaceted and important role in supervision, including supporting, motivating, problem-solving and monitoring [ 4 ]. Students have a responsibility to be active in their own learning [ 5 ] and preceptors and nurse teachers are both facilitators of and responsible for the students’ learning in clinical settings.

From the students’ perspective, the clinical environment has been described as non-supportive, e.g., because of organisational shortcomings, a lacking relationship between students and preceptors, and negative attitudes and behaviours on the part of preceptors [ 6 ], Students have also described inhibitors to learning arising from preceptors’ lack of engagement and feedback [ 7 ]. Preceptors were not always engaged personally or easy to reach, and students found that theory and practice were not clearly connected to each other and felt that they lacked opportunities to reflect together with their preceptors [ 8 ]. A key challenge reported by preceptors is finding adequate time to supervise students in the clinical setting and this, along with the lack of recognition by both the faculty and health care organisations, seems to undermine the importance of the role [ 9 ]. Preceptors have stated that they must strike a balance between taking care of patients and supervising students [ 10 ]. There is a risk that the clinical demands may take time from supervision and thus affect student learning [ 11 ].

In the search for new innovative pedagogical models in the clinical setting, peer learning is found to be a valuable resource [ 12 ]. In a peer learning model described by Pålsson and colleagues [ 13 ], students attending a course are divided into pairs, each supervised by one preceptor. The contribution of peers has often been underestimated, but can be a key component of clinical learning that impacts on student experiences [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. When students get the opportunity to assume responsibility for a patient’s care and share their experiences with a peer, learning may increase [ 14 , 16 ]. Peer learning has also been described to contribute to developing the students’ abilities to communicate and solve problems to a greater extent than a more traditional way of learning, as well as alleviating levels of stress and anxiety [ 17 ].

Other innovative ways of developing the learning environment and supervising students include having nurse teachers and preceptors working together in models that enable for clinical wards to effectively supervise large numbers of students. Collaborative models, such as student-dedicated units, have been introduced. The teaching and learning environment at such units is developed through the collaborative efforts of preceptors and nurse teachers. A unit consists of one or two patient rooms, in which peer learning is combined with patient-centred training [ 18 ]. Several studies have reported that students have positive experiences of supervision combined with peer learning in student-dedicated units [ 5 , 19 , 20 ]. Students express that they become more confident as they assume increasing responsibility for patients and that they also discover their professional role when they get opportunities to work independently and are given responsibility during their clinical placements [ 5 ].

However, comparisons of students’ experiences of their learning and supervision in different models are limited. Today, we are seeing an increasing number of students, and a simultaneous reduction of the number of beds and patients in teaching hospitals, where most clinical placements occur. This calls for the highest possible standard in clinical education, and therefore it is of the utmost importance to investigate and evaluate supervision models that meet these challenges.

Students’ experiences of clinical education are relevant as they impact on the opportunities of linking the theoretical aspect of studies with clinical practice. The nursing student’s satisfaction with the learning environment and the supervisory relationship are suggested as important factors that could be used as a basis for potential development and/or reforms of learning environments in clinical settings [ 21 ]. Although theoretical conceptualisation is lacking, there is evidence that nursing students’ satisfaction with the clinical learning environment and supervision could be conceptually described and measured within the context of an internationally validated tool. The Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) [ 22 ] evaluation measure conceptualises the key components in five distinct dimensions: the ward’s pedagogical atmosphere, the leadership style of the ward manager, premises of nursing on the ward, various aspects of the supervisory relationship and the role of the nurse teacher in clinical practice in transforming theoretical knowledge into clinical practice and skills [ 22 , 23 ]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare nursing students’ experiences of the clinical learning environment and the supervisory relationships from two different supervision models used in a Swedish nursing education. The two supervision models are peer learning in student-dedicated units , with students working together in pairs and supervised by a preceptor “for the day” (model A), and traditional supervision , in which each student shadows a preceptor in her/his work within nursing care (model B).

This cross-sectional study investigates various aspects of two supervision models in a comparative between-subject design, using quantitative data gathered from students through questionnaires. The study adheres to the STROBE methodology for cross-sectional studies.

The study took place within the framework of the nursing programme at a university college in Sweden. About 50% of the three-year nursing programme (corresponding to 180 credits in the European Credit Transfer System) consists of clinical education. Students’ clinical placements during the second year (semesters 3 and 4), each a five-week period, were carried out in various medical and surgical departments at three different hospitals (for confidentiality reasons labelled Alpha, Beta, Caesar in Table  1 ).

Supervision during the clinical placements was provided by preceptors. Nurse teachers employed by the university college had an overall responsibility for the clinical education in both supervision models. A nurse teacher met each student and his/her preceptor twice during the five-week period of clinical education in order to clarify objectives and learning outcomes and to discuss the student’s progress. The nurse teachers’ responsibilities, which include assessment and grading of the students’ achievements, are explicitly described by Kristofferzon and colleagues [ 24 ].

Supervision models

Supervision was carried out in two different supervision models. Both models were used in parallel, but on different wards, at the three hospitals. Students in model A worked in pairs in student-dedicated units and were supervised by “the preceptor of the day,” while those in model B had traditional supervision, where each student was assigned to a personal preceptor and followed mainly this person in daily patient care. Model A, which has been introduced at a number of wards at the three hospitals (Table 1 ), was guided by peer-learning strategies [ 12 , 18 , 25 ] and patient-centred care, which in this study meant that the students followed the patients, not the preceptor. A student pair had continuous responsibility for all the nursing care given to “their” patients in the student-dedicated unit, throughout the clinical placement. The preceptor was responsible for supervision of one pair of students at a time, offering them supervision and exchanging thoughts with them. Supervision model B, the traditional model, where one student is assigned to a personal preceptor and his/her patient care [ 26 ], was still used on a number of wards at the three hospitals. The preceptor could change from 1 day to the next in both models, depending on work organisation at the ward, sick leave or other unexpected occurrences.

The Swedish version of the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) evaluation scale [ 22 ] was used to measure the students’ perceptions of the clinical learning environment and the supervisory relationship during clinical education. A questionnaire was used to gather demographic data on student age, which semester and clinical placement they were in, and the number of preceptors during their clinical placement. A supplementary questionnaire was used to obtain additional information about each student’s satisfaction with the preceptor’s role and their own preparedness for clinical supervision and professional progress. CLES+T has been tested for reliability and validity among Swedish nursing students during clinical placement at hospitals [ 23 , 27 ], with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.75 to 0.96 [ 23 ]. The 34 statements in CLES+T are divided into five sub-dimensions: “Pedagogical atmosphere on the ward” (nine items), “Leadership style of the ward manager” (four items), “Premises of nursing on the ward” (four items), “Supervisory relationship” (eight items) and “Role of the nurse teacher during the clinical placement” (nine items). Responses to CLES+T are given on a five-point Likert scale with the following alternatives: (1) fully disagree; (2) disagree to a certain extent; (3) neither agree nor disagree; (4) agree to a certain extent; (5) fully agree. In the current study, the Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was calculated for internal consistency of the total scales, as well as for the sub-dimensions used in the analysis. The alpha value for CLES+T was 0.95 for the total scale, and ranged from 0.75 (premises of nursing on the ward) to 0.96 (supervisory relationship) for the five sub-dimensions.

The supplementary questionnaire was originally developed by the last author (AL), based on her experiences as a faculty teacher, and used for evaluation of the clinical nursing education. The content validity is based on 21 interviews with a group of colleagues, who were asked to consider aspects of the contents, such as clarity, coverage, relevance, and wording of each question. To examine the content validity, experts familiar with the construct of interest and/or experts on the research subject reviewed all of the questionnaire items for readability, clarity, relevance and comprehensiveness. Then, appropriate modifications were made and the final questionnaire was developed. A factor analysis demonstrated that the items loaded on four factors. Based on theoretical reasoning the final questionnaire was modified to three subscales, which consisted of 20 statements regarding “preparedness of student and ward for supervision” (six statements), “the preceptor’s role” (seven statements) and “the student’s professional progress” (seven statements). The respondents were asked to score how well each statement matched their perceptions, using a four-point Likert scale: (1) not at all, (2) to a fairly small degree, (3) to a fairly high degree, and (4) to a very high degree. The Cronbach’s alpha for the supplementary questionnaire was 0.86 for the total, and ranged from 0.71 to 0.76 for the subscales, showing moderate internal consistency. The items and subscales are shown in Table  3 .

Procedures and sample characteristics

This study was conducted during three semesters: spring and fall 2011 and spring 2012. All students in the second year (semesters 3 and 4) of the nursing programme got verbal and written information about the study aims and procedures. The students were offered clinical placements by a university coordinator, who was not involved in teaching, on a ward with either supervision model A or supervision model B. This was based on the regular procedure for coordinating clinical placements. The preceptor introduced the students to the routines on the ward and the supervision model for their clinical practice, regardless of which model was used. Nurse teachers handed out questionnaires during a lesson following completion of the clinical placement. The students were explicitly informed that participation was voluntary and that it would not affect their education if they declined to participate. They were assured confidentiality and informed that the results would be presented at the group level. The students who decided to participate returned the questionnaire together with informed consent to the nurse teachers in a closed envelope addressed to the first author, or put it in the mailbox of one of the teachers.

Data analysis

The statistical analyses were carried out using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS ver. 25). Descriptive statistics were presented as mean and standard deviations or median (range) for numerical variables, or as frequency or percentages for categorical variables. Independent t-tests were used for continuous variables, Mann-Whitney U-tests were used for ordinal variables or when there was violation of assumption for continuous variables and chi-square or Fischer’s exact tests were used for categorical variables. The statistical significance level was set to 5% (alpha = 0.05). The effect size calculation for group mean differences was based on Hedges’ g, as the sample size differed between the two groups. Hedges’ g [ 28 ] provides a measure of effect size weighted according to the relative size of each sample. The effect size for ordinal variables where we employed Mann-Whitney’s test was calculated using the equation from Rosenthal [ 29 ], and interpreted using Cohen’s recommendation: 0.2 = small; 0.5 = medium; 0.8 = large. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was calculated for internal consistency of the total scales as well as for the sub-dimensions used in the analysis. The estimate of reliability, Cronbach’s alpha, should exceed 0.7.

Ethical considerations

The head of the department at the university granted permission to perform the study. The researchers were not involved in teaching or grading of the students participating in this study. The questionnaires were coded and only the researchers had access to the coding list. This study followed the ethical requirements stated in the Declaration of Helsinki. As this study does not involve patients or relatives or sensitive personal information, no ethical approval was required under the Swedish Act concerning the Ethical Review of Research Involving Humans, from the Ministry of Education and Research [ 30 ].

Out of 381 eligible students, 244 filled out questionnaires, yielding a response rate of 64%. Of these, 170 students (90% women) got supervision in model A and 74 students (88% women) in model B. The students’ mean age was 28 years and the range was between 21 and 50/51 years in both groups. There was no difference between the groups in the proportion of students who were in semesters 3 and 4, respectively (Table 1 ). However, there was a significant difference between the three hospital settings as regards the organisation of supervision. In wards using model A, 90% of students received supervision from more than one preceptor, while in those using model B, the proportion of students supervised by more than one preceptor was 68%.

The clinical learning environment

Overall, the student nurses had positive experiences of the clinical learning environment in both supervision models. The ratings of the three sub-dimensions “pedagogical atmosphere,” “leadership style of the ward manager” and “premises of nursing on the ward” had mean values between 3.1 and 4.5 (Table  2 ). While there were no substantial differences between groups for any of the three sub-dimensions, there were differences regarding their ratings on single items in favour of model A. These items concerned if the ward was regarded as a good learning environment, and if staff were easy to approach and generally interested in supervising students.

The supervisory relationship

There were no differences between the two supervision models within the subject area “supervisory relationship” and the ratings were high overall in both models (range 3.9 to 4.5). However, students supervised in model A gave higher ratings for the single item “I felt that I received individual supervision” than students supervised in model B (Table 2 ).

The role of the nurse teacher during the clinical placement

Ratings showed a substantial difference between the two supervision models in the subject area “the role of the nurse teacher” ( p  = 0.003). The student ratings in this area were significantly more in favour of supervision with model A for five out of nine items (Table 2 ). Student ratings within the sub-areas “cooperation between placement staff and nurse teacher” and “relationship between the student, preceptor and nurse teacher” resulted in significant differences, where students supervised in model A had more positive experiences. Students supervised in model A to a greater extent than students in model B experienced that the nurse teacher was an integrated part of the nursing team, was able to impart expertise to the team and that the team worked together supporting student learning. Students in model A also had more positive experiences of the relationship between the student, preceptor and nurse teacher than students in model B, stating that meetings were generally a pleasant experience in a congenial atmosphere. The three items concerning the nurse teacher “enabling integration of theory and clinical training” did not reveal any differences between the groups.

Preparedness for supervision

Nursing student ratings on statements in the second questionnaire showed that they were, in general, satisfied with their own preparedness and the ward’s preparedness for supervision. The most significant differences with respect to how supervision was organised concerned the clarity and structure of the supervision; students in model A to a greater extent than students in model B experienced that there was an explicit structure for receiving students, that the ward had an explicit model for supervising students, and that the ward had resources (i.e., personnel) dedicated to supervision of nursing students (Table 3 ).

The preceptor’s role

Students supervised in model A had more positive experiences of the preceptor’s role and gave higher ratings for the items “it is beneficial to have several preceptors during a teaching period” and “having more than one preceptor contributed to the assessment of my learning outcomes,” as compared with students in model B (Table 3 ). There were no differences between the two supervision models in regards to preceptors’ encouragement of questions or making room for reflections (Table 3 ).

Students’ professional progress

As regards their own professional progress during clinical placement, students supervised in model A perceived that they had developed independence and that they got a “comprehensive picture of the patients during the clinical placement” to a greater extent than students assigned to model B (Table 3 ). There were no differences in the students’ experiences of developing problem-solving skills or achieving the learning outcomes of the course. For the two items concerning experiences of learning from peers, there were significant differences between students in the different models. Students in model A indicated, to a greater extent than students in model B, that they had increased their ability to solve problems and reflect on various patient care situations in collaboration with peers (Table 3 ).

This study is one of the few that has compared nursing students’ experiences of different supervision models. The main findings were that both models yielded overall satisfaction among students concerning the learning environment (pedagogical atmosphere, leadership style of the ward manager, premises of nursing on the ward) and the supervisory relationship, as measured with CLES+T. However, model A was rated significantly higher by students than traditional supervision, model B, on items indicating that the ward was a good learning environment, and that staff were generally easy to approach and interested in supervising students.

The number of preceptors per student varied largely in both model A, where students had a designated “preceptor of the day,” and model B, where the preceptor could change from 1 day to another. Students supervised in model A, to a greater extent than those supervised in model B, perceived it was beneficial to have more than one preceptor. This is in contrast with a study by Sundlers et al. [ 31 ], also using the CLES+T scale, where the clinical learning environment was studied in relation to three models of supervision. They found that students who had the same preceptor all the time were more satisfied with their relationship with the preceptor than those who had different preceptors each day, whether they followed patients in rooms specifically designated for student training and had a number of preceptors or followed a designated personal preceptor, but also received supervision from others [ 31 ]. It was not stated if the students worked in pairs in the student-dedicated rooms. Omer et al. [ 32 ] explored and compared students’ perceptions of two supervision models. One model was characterised by intensive preceptorship and the other by increasing independence and self-directed learning. The model with intensive preceptorship was perceived as more satisfactory, which according to the authors could be due to the students not being mature enough to act autonomously for their patients’ interests. However, comparisons of studies in an international perspective are precarious, because of large variations between countries in the organisation of supervision and in preceptors’ roles and responsibilities.

Most of the items concerning the wards’ preparedness and organisation of supervision, the preceptor’s role, and students’ professional progress were rated higher by students who had been supervised in model A. The area “professional progress” included some questions about collaboration with peers. Students who had experiences of working continuously with a fellow student rated items on collaboration and impact on problem-solving ability and reflection higher than students without such experiences. The literature reviews by Secomb [ 12 ] and by Stone et al. [ 17 ] underline that peer learning has many benefits, e.g., students have described how they discuss and reflect as well as identify and solve problems together. Students in model B were fairly positive to collaborating with peers, although this model does not presuppose a structure with students in pairs all the time.

Students in model A found that they were given the opportunity to work autonomously and to discuss and reflect on care situations with peers, and they experienced, to a greater extent than those in model B, that they developed independence and got a comprehensive picture of patients during their clinical placement. This is in line with other studies where similar supervision models are evaluated [ 5 , 16 , 18 ]. In the study by Hellström-Hyson et al. [ 5 ], students appreciated the opportunity to identify and solve problems on their own, with an experienced preceptor within reach. Loke and Chow [ 25 ] found that students’ personal development and learning skills grew through peer learning. Thus, being able to cooperate with peers during clinical placement seems to encourage critical reflection and independent thinking, which is important for developing deeper knowledge.

Negative aspects of peer learning and the number of preceptors in the patient-centred supervision models have also been discussed in earlier studies. Loke and Chow [ 25 ] described that negative experiences of peer learning were related to having many different preceptors involved in supervision. Sundler et al. [ 31 ] concluded in their study that student dissatisfaction with the learning environment was not only associated with having many preceptors, but also with the preceptors’ attitudes and approaches, as well as with having a newly graduated nurse as preceptor. We found, in contrast, that students in model A experienced a greater advantage from having more than one preceptor than students in model B, and also that they felt that having several preceptors contributed to the assessment of their learning outcomes. Much like Trede et al. [ 33 ], we argue for shifting from a focus on individual supervision to a focus on collective responsibility for creative workplace environments to promote student learning.

Generally speaking, all students in the current study were satisfied with the relationships with their preceptors. The relationships were equal and based on mutual understanding. Whether students were involved in model A or B, they were encouraged to use reflection as a tool for learning. No difference was found between the groups in their perception of the preceptor’s role in making room for reflection and questions, which may indicate that reflection is used as a valuable tool for feedback and for translating theory into practice [ 34 , 35 ].

The important role of the nurse teacher, e.g., as a pedagogical expert, was also underlined in this study. This is supported by a number of studies, which have highlighted that the student-teacher relationship is crucial to learning [ 32 , 36 ]. Studies based on the students’ perspective have also emphasised the important role that visits from the academic nurse teacher play in bridging the theory-practice gap during student placements and helping students reflect on clinical practices [ 24 ]. The role also includes supporting fulfilment of theoretical assignments and clarifying the learning outcomes of the course to both the preceptor and the student. Papastavrou et al. [ 21 ] have emphasised the role of the nurse teacher in influencing the entire nursing staff to be involved in the students’ learning process.

In this study, the role of the preceptor was described as more prominent on wards where students were supervised with peer learning compared with wards using traditional supervision. The reason for this is unclear, but the nurse teacher was experienced more as a member of the nursing team (preceptor and nurse teacher), able to impart his or her pedagogical expertise, on wards where students were supervised with the patient-centred, peer-learning model. The preceptor and nurse teacher also collaborated in their support of the students’ learning in such a way that the encounters between the student, the preceptor and the nurse teacher were experienced as relaxed and congenial by the student (Table 2 ). Our study also shows that the wards, in model A, to a greater extent dedicated resources to supervision, and that students experienced that the wards had a clear structure for receiving students and an explicit model facilitating supervision. Altogether, this might have contributed to a closer cooperation between the academic nurse teacher and the preceptors, and contributed to the students’ positive experience of the learning environment. The literature indicates that there is an increased need for university teachers to be available regularly, to both students and staff [ 37 ], irrespective of supervision model. Calpin-Davies [ 38 ] emphasised that teachers have a distinct advantage over preceptors in helping students, as they are highly aware of the students’ stage of learning, and can adjust teaching and explanations accordingly. Students in the study by Löfmark et al. [ 39 ] gave higher ratings for university teacher supervision than preceptor supervision, which might be explained by the teachers’ familiarity with learning outcomes for clinical placements and how they can be achieved and assessed.

Methodological considerations

This study was methodologically innovative and one strength was that the students’ experiences of two supervision models were possible to gather and compare. Furthermore, using two questionnaires, where one of them is a commonly used, validated and reliability-tested instrument for capturing students’ experiences of their learning environment and supervision, can be seen as a strength. However, the psychometrics of the second questionnaire have not been tested, which limits the value of the additional knowledge of supervision and peer learning it provided. A limitation of this study is the sample size, which makes generalisation problematic. Quantitative methods limit the possibility to extract more detailed information about student experiences regarding the differences between the models of supervision.

A good learning environment for students in clinical placements is dependent on engagement and collaboration between preceptors and academic nurse teachers. This study also indicates that a supervision model for students based on peer learning in student-dedicated rooms with many preceptors can be more satisfying than a model with traditional supervision, where each student is dependent on a single preceptor. A particularly good learning environment is found on wards with an explicit structure for receiving students, offering supervision from more than one preceptor, and a pedagogical atmosphere where staff are generally interested in supervising students and easy to approach. In the search for the best quality in clinical education, supervision models must be systematically evaluated and compared in order to meet future needs and challenges. Longitudinal evaluation of the effect on students’ learning outcomes is needed.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher

peer learning in student-dedicated units, with students working together in pairs and supervised by a preceptor “for the day”

traditional supervision, in which each student shadows a preceptor in her/his work within nursing care

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Anette Lind and Malin Borell, for support with data collection, and Lina Benson and Mesfin Kassaye Tessma for assistance with the statistical analysis. Thanks also to all the students who participated in this study.

Authors’ information

ME is an RN, PhD and Professor at Linnaeus University, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Kalmar, Sweden and researcher at Karolinska Institutet, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Stockholm, Sweden.

ML is an RN, PhD and Deputy Head of Department at Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, Department of Health Care Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.

AL is an RN, PhD and Associate Professor at University of Gävle, Department of Health and Caring Science, Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, Gävle, Sweden.

The research for this manuscript was supported by grants provided by the Stockholm County Council (ALF project), project numbers 20100192 and 20110608. Funds were used for data collection and analysis of data.

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Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Linnaeus University, 392 31, Kalmar, Sweden

Mirjam Ekstedt

Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Department of Health Care Sciences, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, Stockholm, Sweden

Marléne Lindblad

Royal Institute of Technology, KTH School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Stockholm, Sweden

Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden

Anna Löfmark

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ME, ML and AL all participated in study design, data collection and data analysis, and drafted and critically revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Ekstedt, M., Lindblad, M. & Löfmark, A. Nursing students’ perception of the clinical learning environment and supervision in relation to two different supervision models – a comparative cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs 18 , 49 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0375-6

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Received : 04 December 2017

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Published : 30 October 2019

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0375-6

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