Reflective medics
BMJ 2008; 336 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0804156 (Published 01 April 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;336:0804156
- Paul Stephenson, third year medical student1,
- David Brigden, professor of health sciences education1
- 1University of Liverpool
“There is an art of which every man should be a master—the art of reflection. If you are not a thinking man, to what purpose are you a man at all?”
William Hart Coleridge
Although this quotation may seem unnecessarily harsh, reflection is undoubtedly fundamental to clinical practice. Capacity for reflection is cited as a key attribute for doctors by healthcare regulators throughout the world.12 The need for UK medical students to be aware of reflective practice stems from the General Medical Council (GMC) recommendations, set out in Tomorrow's Doctors, that students should be able to reflect on practice and be self critical.3
The GMC also states that a medical school must make room within its curriculum to allow students time for reflection and personal growth. This is the case at the University of Liverpool, where students are encouraged to reflect on their clinical performance before regular feedback meetings.
So the GMC expects medical graduates to become reflective practitioners. But what exactly does this mean and how can we develop our capacity for reflection?
What is reflection?
Reflection was first proposed as an essential learning tool in the late 1970s5; it has been a popular topic of research ever since.67 A definition of reflective learning is “the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perspective.”8
Reflection therefore requires medical students to question their beliefs or understanding of a situation, with a changed personal stance forming the outcome of this introspection. This can be carried out during or after the event that triggers the reflection. Book …
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