Using Gibbs Reflective Cycle in Nursing: A Case Study

This article discusses the use of Gibbs Reflective Cycle in nursing through a case study. It covers the steps involved in the cycle and how to apply them in real-life situations. The case study involves a medication simulation and a patient with chest pain. The author reflects on their feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan.

Name-sahil sangwan
id-1000552406
group-G
Diploma of nursing
Gibbs reflective cycle
In the nursing field, one of the models of reflection most commonly cited is Gibbs’
Reflective Cycle (1988). In the nursing field, (Quinn, 2000)one of the models of reflection
most commonly cited is Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle .Gibbs reflective cycle is divided into
several steps (Jasper,2006). I would be using these steps to describe what happened in
my simulation.
Description:
The incident I will be reflecting on occurred whilst I was placed in the simulation where I
was supposed to provide nursing care to my patient for minimal period of five minutes. I
was supposed to continue the patient care after the first student EN who went into the
simulation environment finished their time. I was looking after a patient who has been
admitted to the hospital due to severe chest pain. He was admitted to hospital after post
angioplasty He had a history of hypertension, type -2 diabetes osteoarthritis in left hip and
chest pain.
Feelings:
The main emotion that I felt in this situation was anxiety and confusion. I was agitated as i
was facing this kind of situation for the first time, so it made me confused what to do in this
scenario so that I could provide best care to my patient. This feeling of apprehensiveness
impacted my performance during the simulation. I also felt nervous as I want to finish the
osce well.

Evaluation:
My job was to provide nursing care to the patient but the previous EN did the handover
there were no vital signs done and it was documented that patient complained of sharp
chest pain of level 4/10. No medication was given to the patient since morning and no
ECG was done. One good thing about this simulation was that I managed to work well
under pressure and did quite well to pass the simulation. It made me more confident that i
could handle such situation of my own. I also made a phone order it was a new
experience for me a I did it for the first time. The main thing which made me feel bad was i
couldn’t fully make of my time to provide nursing care as I need to take help of my RN to
carry on the patient care. I knew that I was following the right procedure, but lack of
confidence didn't allow me to initiate it.
Analysis:
Although I have been taught all the stuff what I did in my simulation, but lack of practice
made me feel nervous. For example, I have been told the procedure to make the phone
order, but I didn't try in practical. There is nothing new in providing nursing care, but I have
never been in a situation when I didn't get a proper hand over or there was no medication
prescribed or the patient in the medication chart. It’s the EN mistake that she didn’t take
care of the patient well. The pressure of work load made me feel frustrated and confused
which directly impacted my performance at simulation.
Conclusion:
At the end i was able to manage the situation with the help of my RN. He helped me lot to
build up my confidence and helped me though to give better nursing care to the patient. i
looked in the meds chart there was no medication ordered by the doctor for the chest pain
in the medication chart. I noticed that Panadol -osteo was within the medication chart but
couldn't be administered for the chest pain. I immediately consulted with my teacher and
made phone order. I made a phone order for the Panadol so that I could administer it to

the patient as she was not administered any medication since morning. The patient was
rest in bed, so I crushed the medication and administered it to the patient.
Action plan:
My future practice will involve becoming more proactive when I believe that there is a risk
to patient confidentiality, and I will not assume that other members of staff will act in a
professional manner at all times. I will continue to undertake reflective practice by using
the model proposed by Gibbs (1988) And will aim to become confident when protecting
patient confidentiality, particularly in situations where I am applying clinical skills which are
new to me or that I do not feel completely confident with. Essays, UK. (November 2013).
Although this experience was difficult, I now feel that I have a greater understanding of
these principles and values. If i get such opportunity in future I would try to make 100%use
of it. Working in such simulating conditions makes us aware that we could face such
situations in real clinical setting. It built up my confidence and would do more better when i
provide nursing care in the real life.
Medication simulation
We had our simulation and we were asked to reflect the experience using Gibbs reflective
cycle. It was a good experience as we tried this type of simulation for the first time, but it
was bit challenging for me. I was supposed to administer the pain medication to the patient
(chest pain). There was no anti-anginal medication and neither any PRN. So, I made a
phone order for the medication. My patient was bed ridden so I tried to figure out the way
to administer it with the help of my RN. I was a little bit anxious and confused all though
the process which indicates lack of practice and confidence. I would try to learn the
medication as much I could so that I could be competent in my practice. If I get such
another opportunity in future in future I would react in a better way and give my 100%.

References:
Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford:
Further Education Unit.
Jasper, M. (2006). Professional development, reflection, and decision-making. Oxford:
Blackwell
Quinn, F. M. (2000). Principles and practice of nursing education. Nelson Thornes