Why Self-Reflection Is Critical In Nurse Practitioner Education—Strengthen Clinical Skills and Decision-Making
As the demand for primary care providers (PCPs) increases, nurse practitioner (NP) programs and faculty must ensure that NP students are effectively and efficiently applying their knowledge in clinical settings so that they can go on to deliver quality patient care. One skill that will empower NP students is self-reflection, which helps them integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills, enhance critical thinking, and improve decision-making abilities.
Here’s why: self-reflection involves accurately identifying and analyzing one’s thoughts, actions, and feelings through activities such as description, critical analysis, evaluation, and planning. This practice helps NP students to change assumptions and biases while increasing perception, competency, and effectiveness in educational and professional experiences.1
Self-reflection also enables NP students to identify their knowledge gaps and inaccuracies, leading to improved decision-making and more informed actions. It promotes self-assessment and evaluation, helping students to better comprehend their experiences, develop higher-level thinking, and enhance their professional practice. Through thoughtful self-reflection, students are empowered to build new knowledge, become more decisive, and cultivate a humble professional demeanor.
For more ways to help your NP students develop self-reflection, download our Educator Guide: How Educators Can Foster Self-Reflection in Healthcare Learning—and Empower Learners to Become Successful Practitioners
One cross-sectional study examined 106 NP students’ perceptions of self-reflection, including the barriers toward reflection and the role that preceptors play in fostering this critical skill.2
We discuss the key findings from the study.
How NP Students Perceive Self-Reflection In Clinical Settings
Self-reflection was found to encourage critical thinking, enhance decision-making skills, and facilitate the integration of theory into clinical practice. As students gained more experience with self-reflection, they adopted a more critical and analytical approach to their clinical experiences. They perceived that self-reflection fostered greater accountability and responsibility, enabled them to review both positive and negative experiences, recognized their self-learning needs, and further developed their critical thinking abilities.
Barriers Toward Self-Reflection
A lack of knowledge about how to utilize self-reflection practice, the need for a structured model, and the creation of a non-threatening environment were among the barriers identified. Faculty development is crucial as educators must be trained to guide students effectively. Inconsistent support from preceptors can also impede self-reflection, as students require consistent and knowledgeable guidance.
The study quantified these barriers, revealing an average difficulty score of 2.7. For instance, 44% of the students reported that using an unfamiliar learning approach was challenging. Despite these challenges, there were positive aspects: 61% felt that the briefing on self-reflection was sufficient, and the same percentage reported that their clinical environment supported reflection. Furthermore, 58% were able to identify issues to reflect upon. However, 28% mentioned that time constraints in the clinical setting made it harder to practice reflection effectively.
Roles of Preceptors in Self-Reflection
Preceptors play a crucial role in guiding NP students to self-reflect; they provide necessary feedback, consistency, and support, which are essential for students to achieve higher levels of critical reflection.
In the study, 51% of NP students highlighted that preceptor guidance was essential for the introduction of reflection. Additionally, while only 28% needed assistance in identifying issues for reflection, 45% required help to achieve a higher level of critical reflection. Furthermore, 46% of students believed that clinical preceptors should provide consistent information regarding reflection, and 64% responded that preceptors should be well-equipped with knowledge of self-reflection.
What Does This Mean for NP Education?
For continuous personal and professional development, self-reflection can be integrated into NP education to train students to identify their knowledge gaps and areas for growth, leading to sustained improvements in clinical skills and professional behavior. Ultimately, self-reflection equips NP students to become lifelong learners, benefiting their long-term development and future success.
Programs and faculty can help NP students cultivate self-reflection by pairing learning science-based resources such as Picmonic’s 1,800+ audio-visual mnemonic video lessons and TrueLearn’s AANP® and ANCC®-style critical thinking questions with self-reflection practices to:
- Get immediate, real-time feedback on performance and comprehension
- Interact meaningfully with the content (active learning), improve long-term retention and ease of recall
- Identify learning strengths and weaknesses, pinpoint areas for improvement
- Track and measure learning progress and exam readiness longitudinally
- Adjust/tailor teaching/study methods for the most effective, efficient learning
Learn more about a partnership with TrueLearn and Picmonic here.
Help your NP students achieve optimal exam performance and outcomes, read and share this blog with them and encourage them to utilize our free Post-Assessment Self-Reflection Questionnaire!
References & Footnotes
1 Schön DA. Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. Jossey-Bass higher education series. 1987;355. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/1987-97655-000.pdf
2 Nurse practitioner students’ perceptions of reflection in the clinical setting. Int J Nurs Health Care Res. Published online 2020. doi:10.29011/2688-9501.101165
*AANP® and ANCC® are trademarks of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) and the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) respectively. This content is not endorsed or approved by AANPCB or ANCC.
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