Synopsis The Student Nurse's Guide to Successful Reflection: Ten Essential Ingredients by : Nicola Clarke
This book is an easy to read, practical guide that will show you what reflection is and how you can do it successfully. Assuming no prior knowledge, it introduces you to ten essential ingredients to becoming an effective reflective practitioner. Chapters will equip you with evidence-based understanding and ideas for application to your own situation, and support you to become an emotionally resilient, self-aware individual who can reflect and improve on your practice. In clear and supportive language, Nicola Clarke will guide you on your journey to developing the crucial reflection skills you need for your career as a nurse. The book includes: • A step by step exploration of what reflection involves • Ways to develop the skills you will need to do your own reflection • A ‘how-to’ approach to using reflective models • Practical and jargon-free guidance on how to reflect • A chapter on reflective writing • Chapters about qualities you will need in your reflection, such as being person-centred and empathetic The Student Nurse’s Guide to Successful Reflection is a must-have text for all nursing students as well as useful reading for those involved in supporting them. With a Foreword by Theo Stickley, Associate Professor, University of Nottingham, UK. “Reflection is a ‘way of being’ encompassing many ingredients. Clarke, with great thoroughness and care, introduces these, constructively supporting students towards developing self-insight and understanding of others. Her advice, explanations, illustrations and exercises are lucid and paced, helping nurses towards sufficient strength to undertake the developmental change which effective reflective practice brings. And to become practitioners who are far more than competent: nurses who are calmly self-aware, receptive and perceptive.” Gillie Bolton, PhD, former Senior Research Fellow, Medicine and the Arts, King’s College London, UK "Reflection is a much discussed topic in nursing, but some students find it difficult to reflect on their own practice. Nicola Clarke’s ten essential ingredients provide a clear and explicit guide to effective reflective practice and as such this should be a key text for all student nurses. The chapters of this new text offer clear learning outcomes, practical advice and models to follow in order to develop a genuine, honest and balanced reflective writing style. It is an engaging and informative read which promotes understanding of this important process." Anita Savage Grainge, RMN, RGN, RNT, Senior Lecturer, University of York, UK “An engaging book, which deals with the complexity of reflection in a clear, logical and in-depth manner. Developed around her extended definition of reflective practice, Clarke clearly and logically enables the reader to build their understanding of reflective practice by focusing on her ten ingredients. The structure of the book, focusing on two ingredients in each chapter, allows Clarke to provide clarity whilst at the same time showing the reader how the ingredients fit together to build a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The focus on critical and analytic skills as well as person-centredness based on Rogers’ core conditions provides a strong theoretical basis for students to understand reflective practice. The use of questions and examples throughout are engaging and will be useful for students and tutors alike. I think this book will be excellent for all healthcare workers – students and qualified alike. Whilst it is aimed at nurses, the principles apply across healthcare. I think it is a real gem and certainly the best book I have read about reflective practice.” Dr Rosie Stenhouse, Nursing Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK “Readers, I anticipate, will find this book informative, challenging and rewarding. It will, however, require focus and concentration to absorb and digest the considerable information the author has gleaned over many years. The book draws on extensive reading, research, teaching and observation of how individuals grow and develop as a result of adopting reflection into their daily lives. Warming to the style and content of the book, I was relieved to find that, unlike some others that approach the same topic, it does not purport to convey the essence and benefits of reflection by utilising inaccessible language, relying on unintelligible descriptions and conflating disparate models to a point where students are left bewildered and at a loss to know how to start their reflective practice. Much of the appeal of this book is that it is clearly written, logically presented and readily accessible, avoiding the jargon that sometimes characterises narratives about reflection. The reader will be impressed by the thoughtful layout which is designed to show that the acquisition of knowledge is not reducible to a set of simple tasks. It is the result of being able to manage the process of deepening one’s understanding of reflection, internalising its values and cognitive practices and applying its behavioural components to the various forms of engagement that nurses enter into in the course of their work. Acquiring self-knowledge is not a one-off activity, but a life-long incremental process. Three voices permeate the text – that of students, theorists and the author - each providing different perspectives which are skilfully integrated. The text could be used by students working alone or in groups, or it could provide thematic material running across several modules. While informative, it is not prescriptive. Students are encouraged to undertake exercises which are designed to deepen their understanding of and internalise what they have learned whilst constantly analysing what reflection means to them and how they elect to put it into practice. I was especially pleased to see the importance of emotions in the learning process recognised and how Socratic learning methods can become part of the behavioural repertoire of the student. A subtext in the book relates to inclining students to assume responsibility for their own learning which requires them to realise what it is that has to be achieved and recognise when it has been attained. I was impressed by this book and the conversational tone of the narrative. It recognises that the learning mind is vulnerable and that inducting students into exploring what it is to be human is one of the highest forms of care. I imagine that important reasons for writing this book at this time are the ever-expanding content of curricula, the excessive demands on lecturing staff, and the relentless pressure in clinical settings which mean that many staff do not have the time to stand back, take stock and review where they have got to. I believe Nicola Clarke has made a significant contribution to nursing literature in highlighting an aspect of learning that can only become more important as further changes take place in health care provision. This text would be high on my reading list were I to start my nurse training over again.” Peter Nolan, Professor of Mental Health Nursing (Emeritus) “Reflection is often a misunderstood concept for nursing staff. This book demystifies what is essentially a complex subject and makes it accessible in an easy to read format. Nicola Clarke’s passion for reflection shines throughout this book. As you progress there are a number of exercises and action points which allow you to experience the reflection process in your own learning. This is supplemented with case studies which bring the learning to life. Each chapter also benefits from a succinct end of chapter summary to reinforce your understanding. I would like to commend the author as this is a well-timed addition to the body of knowledge for mental health nursing students and is relevant now as it will be in the future. I would recommend this book to all nurses and I will be referring my students to this book as an essential text on their journey to discover their reflective voice.” Manyara N Mushore, Course Director, BSc Mental Health Nursing, London South Bank University, UK
