Reflective accounts play a big part in the revalidation process for nurses. For those in an agency nurse job, reflective practice is just as important. Revalidation requires nurses to record at least five written reflections related to their practice, feedback or CPD from the previous three years.
What is reflection or a reflective account?
Reflection is the act of thinking about an activity, experience or incident during your nursing job, considering how it made an impact, and how this event may affect the way things are done in the future. Reflective discussion is an important part of the revalidation process for all nurses, including agency nurses.
For example you may wish to explore a training session or CPD you have completed, discussing how the knowledge you’ve gained will close a skills gap in your agency nurse job, and how it may positively impact your practice in the future. Besides requiring reflective discussion for revalidation, it is a highly useful practice that can really help to improve your work in an agency nurse job.
Reflective accounts can seem daunting - they must clearly explain the impact of the experience in question, detailing how it has changed your practice as a result. This reflective practice should be linked back to The Code throughout, exploring how your experience is relevant. The Code is structured around 4 key principles:
- Prioritise people
- Practice effectively
- Preserve safety
- Promote professionalism and trust
There are a range of reflective models and templates you can use to base your reflective practice on, including one provided by the NMC which you can download here.
Why is reflection important in your nursing job?
Reflection and reflective discussion plays a vital role in not only upholding the Code, but also to improve your practice as a nurse. By challenging your experience over the previous 3 years and exploring how they have affected you, you can deliver a better standard of care moving forward and become a better nurse in doing so.
You may find yourself “informally” reflecting all the time without even realising - on the way home from work, or discussing a particular event with friends or colleagues. If you are examining a scenario, how it occurred and how perhaps it could have gone better, you’re already reflecting!
READ: REVALIDATION MADE SIMPLE FOR AGENCY NURSES
What are some examples of reflection or reflective practice for my revalidation?
Not sure where to start? Here are some questions that may prompt you to reflect on an experience, and help you to complete a reflective account.
- What have I learned from this experience that has developed my professional knowledge?
- Do I now know something that I didn’t know before this event or incident?
- Have I gained new ideas or skills I can apply in the future as a result of this?
- What do I know or can I do now that I couldn’t do before attending/completing this educational initiative?
- Do I now know or understand something new that I didn’t before?
- Has this event highlighted areas I need to explore further to improve my learning?
- How does this event help me to uphold one or more principles from the Code?
At Mayday Healthcare, we are committed to ensuring our agency nurses are confident in their revalidation. If you require any advice or support during your revalidation as an agency nurse, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today, or feel free to explore our Revalidation resources on the website and our agency nurse Revalidation guidance section.