Reflection is an important part of professional practice

Doctors need to reflect and learn from experiences, both positive and negative, as part of their ongoing development.

New Reflective Practice Guidance, produced jointly by the Academy, the Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans (COPMeD), the General Medical Council and the Medical Schools Council, aims to help medical students and doctors understand the professional requirements for reflective practice.

The COPMeD guidance outlines the importance of reflection for personal development and learning; it highlights how reflection can help doctors and medical students to maintain and improve their professional practice, and drive improvements in patient safety. It emphasises ten key elements of being a reflective practitioner, including how reflection is personal; that there is no one way to reflect; and that reflective notes don’t need to capture the full details of an experience, but should focus on learning outcomes and future plans.
A Reflective practice toolkit describes the principles for effective reflective practice and includes a number of templates and examples.