Reflection

Reflection is a fundamental aspect of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and a key requirement of the Pilot Professional Competence Scheme.  

Reflective practice encourages you to think deeply about experiences and find new meaning in your current ideas or ways of doing things. It can reveal gaps in your knowledge and boost your critical thinking and independent learning.  

For practitioners, reflective practice helps to apply new knowledge and support change. Better knowledge and assessment skills lead to improved care planning and better outcomes for individuals with healthcare needs. Ongoing learning from reflective practice helps practitioners grow as professionals within a team, promoting critical thinking, clear communication, and teamwork – all vital for delivering high-quality care (Patel & Metersky 2022).

To assist you with your reflective practice, you may wish to consider using a reflective tool (e.g. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, John’s, Rolfe et al.’s "What?" model.