'How far I've come': the value of reviewing past written reflections

Rachel Leyland*, Miranda Heath, Tracey Collett, Elizabeth Drake, Hilary Neve

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

Promoting reflection on experience and developing students’ reflective
skills is an important element of curricula across the health professions.
Students often do not find reflection easy and educators use
a range of approaches to facilitate this. This qualitative study analysed
final year medical students’ written reflections about important and
difficult concepts they had encountered at medical school and personal
change. As part of this, students were expected to look back on
their written reflections from earlier years of the undergraduate programme.
An initial analysis identified ‘learning from past reflections’ as
an important theme. Here we report an in-depth analysis of this theme.
Thirty-six final year volunteer students’ reflections were analysed and 6
themes identified where students explicitly referred to earlier written
reflections. These were: managing emotions; holistic, patient-centred
care; uncertainty and ambiguity; self-regulation; growth in identity and
sense of self efficacy; and reflective practice changes. Asking students
to reflect on past reflections appeared to help students identify personal
change, and how their understanding of ‘important concepts’ and
their views and approach to reflective practice have developed.
Experienced by students as a motivating, profound, sometimes cathartic
process, this activity could be a useful addition to reflective
writing training in health professions.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)826-838
Number of pages13
JournalReflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives
Volume25
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Philosophy

Keywords

  • Reflective practice
  • medical education
  • reflective writing
  • university students
  • value of reflection

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