This essay aims to critically reflect on my experience and learn from a difficult encounter with a patient within a hospital. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle will be used as a model of Reflection.

What is the Gibbs model of reflective practice?

Gibb’s model of Reflection was established in 1988 by professor Graham Gibbs. It focuses on the ability of an individual to reflect on their actions with the need to engage in the process of continual learning (Wilding, 2008). The model gives a framework to examine experiences and use it to understand areas that specifically require improvement. It is a fundamental approach for professionals who embrace lifelong learning (Jasper, 2013). The Gibbs Reflective cycle is mainly preferred because it encourages you to think about an experience systematically. Graham Gibbs stated that “It is not sufficient to have the experience to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience, it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. From the feelings and thoughts emerging from this Reflection, generalizations or concepts can be generated to allow nurses to tackle new situations to be tackled. The model is cyclic to means that it works well with recurring experiences and tasks. This makes it helpful in examining nursing practice experiences, including interactions with patients and other healthcare workers. The model has been widely used in health and social care to help practitioners reflect on their practice. The cycle consists of six steps: Description of a situation, Feelings about the situation, Evaluation of the feelings, Analysis of the Evaluation, Action taken as a result of the analysis, and Reflection on the action. These steps can be applied in all situations and can also be used by the individual to self-reflect without analytic instigation from someone else,

Gibbs’ model of Reflection in nursing practice

Daily practice in a healthcare setting involves tasks like checkups on patients, consultations, dealing with mental illnesses, and many others. The tasks are repetitive, and these multiple situations make the Gibbs Reflective cycle more useful in nursing practice. The model allows nurses to reflect on how different situations have been handled in the past and highlight areas that need improvement. The importance of the model is focusing on emotions and how they contribute to Reflection compared to other reflective processes. The model emphasizes the processes and systems in place and what can be done to improve them. The nurse reflects on how the situation was dealt with using the Gibbs cycle as it includes knowledge, actions, and emotions. Gibbs’ model of Reflection focuses on both the positive and negative past experiences and observations, making it the best. Learning from mistakes helps nurses and other healthcare professionals develop more knowledge in solving situations and avoiding repetition.

Why should nurses use the Gibbs model of Reflection?

In nursing practice, Reflection is vital. Regular Reflection when caring for patients enables nurses to address their well-being, needs, and health to provide optimum care. Nurses can identify skills that will help them reflect purposefully. Interprofessional relationships are improved as nurses share knowledge of different situations with multidisciplinary professionals. Therefore, recommendations are easily determined, and an action plan to be used in the future is set in place. Gibbs’ model of Reflection makes it easier for nurses to go through each of the six steps to determine experiences and self-improvement.

Advantages of Gibbs model of Reflection

Gibbs’ model of Reflection emphasizes emotions and how they can influence a situation. The nursing practice deals with many emotions, and all situations depend on how their mindsets work. Many nurses end up suffering from mental issues due to the pressures experienced in the place of work. The model is easy to understand as self-reflection can be done immediately after the situation. It can also be used many times, including in interaction with patients. Gibbs’ model of Reflection is universal as it can be used for personal and professional use. Another advantage is that the model is unique, given that it includes knowledge, actions, and emotions and suggests that experiences are repeated (Jasper, 2013).

Nurses’ application of Gibbs model of Reflection

Description: Here, the nurse will describe her knowledge of events of the situation by noting down the brief facts of the situation, What transpired, The people who were involved, what the reaction was, and what others did.

Feelings: This step focuses on emotions. The nurse will describe her feelings at that moment if there were triggers that affected the actions or behavior, any known difficulties with the activity, information, or resources.

Evaluation: Here the nurse evaluates how the experience was- positive and negative factors, how the emotions and feelings affected current actions, any other factors that contributed to actions, and the influence of actions on nursing practice.

Analysis: The nurse explains why she picked that specific situation for Reflection if it makes sense, and the main areas to focus on or improve on in the future?

Conclusion: The nurse notes what she has learned from the situation and experiences. You have analyzed the incident and want to make sure you improve your practice for next time, so you need to move into the action planning stage.

Action plan: In this step, the situation has already been analyzed. The nurse focuses on what will be done and the next time such a situation arises and the help she will need.

Gibbs model of Reflection with Applied examples

Description

I am a nurse intern at a public hospital, and that being my first year in a busy facility, I am excited to learn a lot of new skills. After a few months at work, a patient suffering from chronic wounds was brought to the facility by a social worker. The patient had extensive wounds caused by an underlying chronic condition leading to limited mobility. He was an older man who had no idea of the extent of the condition due to lack of knowledge and ignorance. As I conducted a head-to-toe assessment, the patient became rude, aggressive, and abusive. He clearly stated that he was not willing to be brought to the facility, and all he wanted was to go home. Despite having his opinion, an assessment was necessary for his well-being.

Feeling

First, I was not prepared for the patient’s response and behavior. All I had was an understanding that the patient was elderly and lacked knowledge on the importance of restoring his health. I had a sudden change of mood as the pressure became unbearable, and the patient insisted on going back home with aggression. The situation was very uncomfortable, and my nerves showed my feelings at that moment. To the patient, my expression showed that I was not willing to proceed with the assessment and just wanted to leave the scene.

Evaluation

Positive Evaluation; I had the knowledge and skills to care for the patient until recovery. Negative Evaluation; The quality of care for my patient was compromised because my feelings determined the judgment I gave. I had not prepared myself for my patient’s actions; I was only looking forward to serving his care needs until he became stable. This led to a negative impact and a lousy picture.

Analysis

In the nursing profession, empathy and good relationships with patients are critical. As a nurse, you need to reassure the patients, understand, and have their best interests. When an excellent physical environment and social support are applied, the patient will be comfortable and calm. They will feel that their needs are addressed well, and they can receive optimum care.

Conclusion

The end goal of the experience is that I have learned how to deal with stressful situations calmly, I care more about the patient’s interests, and no situation will influence my behavior in the coming future. I know that different people react differently in various settings, and I should be understanding and not express negative behavior. I also need to be professional so that if a similar situation occurs and I can not handle it, I will seek help from my colleagues.

Action Plan

Interventions for future situations include undergoing training to help me understand how to communicate with patients. Feedback from my colleagues on situations they have experienced before will help me better understand what I may experience from different patients. I have to gain more confidence in dealing with stressful situations through exposure and more knowledge.

References

Bulman, C., & Schutz, S. (Eds.). (2013). Reflective practice in nursing, London, John Wiley & Sons.

Davies, S. (2012). Embracing reflective practice. Education for Primary Care, 23(1), 9-12.

Dinç, L., & Gastmans, C. (2013). Trust in nurse-patient relationships: A literature review. Nursing Ethics, 20(5), 501-516.

Stonehouse, D. (2011). Using reflective practice to ensure high standards of care. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 5(6), 299-302.

Gibbs G (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford.

Jasper, M. (2013) Beginning Reflective Practice. 2nd edition. Andover: Cengage.

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Reflection – Gibb’s model of Reflection and Applied examples