Reflective Account Examples: How to Write a Reflective Account for Revalidation

While revalidation is a process that nurse, midwives, and nursing associate must go through every 3 years with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the practice of reflective accounts is an excellent way for any healthcare professional to evaluate and improve their approach.

As part of your revalidation application as a healthcare professional, you will be required to provide five written reflective accounts and complete one reflective discussion.

Reflective account requests made by your placement or agency may require you to write an account following an incident or complaint. Understanding how to write a reflective account effectively is crucial for your professional development and compliance with revalidation requirements.

Why Do Healthcare Professionals Need to Evidence Their Reflective Account?

The reflective requirement encourages you as a healthcare professional to reflect on your practice. This process helps identify changes or improvements needed in your practice or highlights what you have learned. You must also demonstrate how your reflections relate to the professional standards and document this as part of your reflective account, showing how they connect to the relevant codes.

What Can You Produce a Reflective Account On?

You can reflect on any aspect of your practice. Here are some examples:

• Training (CPD): Reflect on any continuing professional development activities.
• An Event or Experience in Practice: This could be any significant event or experience during your practice.
• Feedback Received: Reflect on any verbal, written, formal, or informal feedback about yourself or your team.
• Learning Experiences: Reflect on any learning experiences and how they have impacted your practice.

Ensure you omit any details that could identify an individual, service user, or patient. Avoid using exact dates; instead, refer to the month and year (e.g., January 2019).

How to Write a Reflective Account

Creating a reflective account can be straightforward if you follow a structured approach. Reflection is crucial for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates to identify improvements or changes in their practice. Here are the steps recommended for writing a reflective account:

1. Title: Make it easily recognizable and descriptive.
2. Date: If it could identify a patient, refer only to the month and the year.
3. Nature of the CPD Activity or Practice-Related Feedback: Set the scene by explaining what happened or what you attended.
4. What Did You Learn?: Describe what you learned from the CPD activity or feedback.
5. How Did You Change or Improve Your Work?: State what could be done to avoid or improve similar situations in the future. Keep the response free of emotion.
6. Relevance to Professional Standards: Explain how your experience relates to the professional standards, focusing on key principles such as prioritizing people, practicing effectively, preserving safety, promoting professionalism, and trust.

Written Reflective Account Examples

Here are some examples of statements that could be used in various situations:

• Recognising Areas for Improvement: “To avoid similar situations, I will ensure that I always double-check the drug administration documentation before issuing the prescription to the patient.”
• Observing a Positive Action: “In this situation, I believe that I followed the professional standards and correctly administered the right prescription drug. I will continue to practice at this standard.”
• Acknowledging Unforeseen Events: “I recognize that I could not have foreseen the outcome of this situation. All documentation and practice were correctly administered to the patient. However, the situation had a significant emotional impact on me. Therefore, I will seek support from another healthcare professional to discuss my feelings should similar events occur in the future.”
• Reflecting on Professional Practice: “Reflecting on my professional practice, I realized that improving my communication skills could significantly enhance patient care. I have since taken steps to improve my body language and communication style during consultations.”

The Next Step

Before submitting your revalidation application, you must have a reflective discussion with another healthcare professional regarding your accounts. Pharmacy professionals, in particular, should reflect on their interactions with service users to ensure they meet the standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Once they confirm that you have correctly recorded and reflected on your five pieces, they will sign a copy of the mandatory reflective discussion form.

It’s important to note that you do not need to submit your reflective accounts with your revalidation application. However, you should keep a record for future reference or in case you are included in a random sample and asked to provide evidence.

By following these guidelines and utilizing these reflective account examples, you can effectively prepare for your revalidation and ensure your practice continues to meet the highest standards. This strategy is not only beneficial for nurses but also an effective practice for support workers and other health and social care workers. Collaborating with other healthcare professionals can provide additional insights and enhance your reflective practice.