Self Reflection in Nursing: Importance of Soft Skills and Critical Thinking

This article discusses the significance of self-reflection and inquiry for nursing practitioners. It highlights the importance of soft skills and critical thinking in nursing and how to improve them. The article also explains the Driscoll's model of reflection and its stages. It concludes with the ways to enhance nursing standards and the importance of effective coaching.

Self-Reflection

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
WHAT..............................................................................................................................................2
SO WHAT.......................................................................................................................................2
NOW WHAT...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
Self-reflection and a strong sense of inquiry are essential for every professional nurse
practitioner. Self-reflection permits individuals or nurses to examine their own professional skills
and practices, including clinical actions, and compare them by having current best practices and
practical standards. After witnessing the negative aspects and events, it is essential to examine
the suitable opportunities regarding the improvement in professional actions. Regarding this, for
identifying the overall skills and their appropriate strengths and weaknesses, Driscoll’s model of
reflection is performed as it is interlinked with the right questions and stages about an
individual's experience and learning cycle.
WHAT
As a nursing staff, I need several skills and for that soft skills are important as these are the
personal attributes that are important to achieve success in the working environment considering
the nursing staff. Along with this, the hard skills of nursing staff are also crucial to perform
practical tasks like medication, wound care, insertion. Still, most clinical expertise prefers soft
skills, which is vital for success (Denis-Larocque et al., 2017). For that case, the current
healthcare services have sicker patients, several transfers among the units, shorter lengths of stay,
which speaks to the need for effective communication among all the care providers. In that case,
it also has a limited number of skills and is also weak in nature like decision-making and
leadership as these are the skills that are useful when working with colleagues and dealing with
patients. For that case, it has been identified that I am pretty weak in critical thinking skills, and I
need to improve that skill in terms of achieving growth and success in my career for personality
development.
SO WHAT
Due to the lack of these skills, I cannot deal with my patients as they were unhappy with my
behaviour and skills and wanted them to discharge them as soon as possible. Because of the
shortage of skills, sometimes I feel frustrated and rushed as I have a lot of work to be done, and
the depletion of skills can become a barrier to my overall performance. I also understand the
perspective of my patients as they have so my issues with my behavior and need to wait for so
long for their appointment due to my short time management skills (Bjerkvik and Hilli, 2019). I
think that my overall explanation was pretty much good, and the patient sometimes seems happy

and unhappy, but I always try not to give my patients a rough idea regarding their health
improvement. I can also satisfy my patients by eliminating my weak skills and overcoming them
by answering their questions and recognize any other issues at the time of discharge. Besides
from this, I as a nursing practictoner must have two essential nursing standards including
promote health and wellbeing through evidence based midwifery practice and develp a plan for
midwifery practice as it is important for me in my further career development and at the time of
takikng care or dealing with patients. Somehow, I do not perform my skills efficiently and also
does not practicise the standards for the betterment of my career which can become barrier for
me in my career growth.
For that case, I need to conduct adequate reflection regarding my future situation and
develop things to improve my patient’s care quality. I think that my skills issues for the condition
were quite relevant to address my patients' problems. I am also not sure how long these issues
take time to handle things and avoid similar situations that occur in the future. I need to speak to
the other healthcare professionals on the ward in terms of getting stipulated ideas regarding the
occupational interventions (Kovaleva et al., 2019). I need to spend a moment in the morning
informing my patients regarding their needs, like what should be done and how long it may take.
In regard of this, I need to conduct self assessment and reflection in order to perform my job role
effectively. Apart from that, I also need to study the standards of midwifery practice in order to
get revision regarding dealing with patient and also need to overcome from those two standards
in which I am weak. As I am not so good in promoting health and wellbeing among patients
because I am lack in communication and I cannot easily develop healthy relations with my
patients and it can become barrier in my overall development and growth of performance.
For that case, critical thinking is essential for me as a nursing practitioner, which is related
to the problem solving and necessary thinking skills which they possess and sustained findings
regarding the quality practice and also safer for the surroundings that lead to contribute towards
the quality improvement and development (KASSAN and Green, 2018). Regarding this, the
involvement of professional terms related to the development of teamwork in terms of
establishing a sustained relationship with different professional and personal practices. Apart
from this, the possessed skills are helpful for me to provide safe, responsive, and effective
quality practices to the nurses that delegate things towards the sustained courses and scope for
the registered nurses regarding both clinical and non-clinical roles. Therefore, it is pretty much

difficult for me, but with the help of practice, I tend to develop my skills and become a good
nursing practitioner.
NOW WHAT
Several practices and professional backgrounds are being examined to learn things like
interact, work, and training collectively to provide patient-centered care. Other nurses and I play
an essential role in opting for several models regarding communication considering the different
professional practices and disciplines (Turner and McCarthy, 2017). For this, my team member
and I need to contribute towards the patient's outcome that undertakes observant, nurses, etc. For
this level of involvement and designing effective care which is being processed by assessing the
adequate principles which are based on the security and safety of patient. In that case, I tend to
conduct reflection of my own skills in order to further analysis of my own skills. The self-
assessment is useful in terms of reflecting the overall experience in the regular period. It leads to
a practical approach to quality improvement, assessing with brainstorming thoughts, using skills,
practical knowledge, and creative factors for better care.
Effective coaching is being developed to deal with several situations to attain things in the
respective manner (Milford, 2016). For this, I need to explain things regarding the several
measures taken to provide healthcare practices to several individuals. I have motivated myself to
develop my learning experience regarding the avoidance of commenting over emotions. I have
analyzed the overall condition by which the suitable possibility develops to achieve the
respective outcome over the effective period with perfection.
Along with this, I have evaluated that the overall situation for the effectual level of
contribution regarding the development in terms of identify both positive and negative outcomes
and also identify the capability in terms of achieving a better result which is being possessed on
time effectively (Martel and et al., 2020). Apart from this, I depict the possibility of achieving
competitive advantage and design things effectively to undertake the rate of involvement for the
individual, which is being processed in a better manner. Also, I have identified that the overall
conditions and prominent action for the sustained level of progress are being achieved for future
growth effectively.
In this context, there are several ways to enhance nursing standards like I can empower
myself towards the self and patient’s care, by showing compassion, advancing the education,
provide individualised patient care and also offer empathy to the patients in order to improve the

given nursing standards and also provide proper care to the patients. For this, I have conducted
self-assessment of own skills by identifying my weaknesses and conduct development plan to
improve discussed skills.
Sr.
No
Learning
Objective
Current Proficiency Target Proficiency Development
Opportunities
Time
Scale
1 Decision-
making
Skills
I am weak in this skill
as it is required to
more on this to
enhance this skill.
To improve this, I
need to start
working effectively
according to other
people's guidance,
like mentors and
peers.
While working, I get
effective chances of
operating under
supervision and
practical capability to
learn more things in
advance with
perfection.
Five
months
2 Leadership
Skills
At the time of working
in a team, it is required
to enhance this skill by
which profitable
outcome is achieved
with effectiveness.
To get things
manager, I need to
have effective
improvised and
participative style to
interact with others
for other benefits.
It is developed while
working under the
guidance of seniors
and subordinates
under which the
ability to influence is
set productively.
Four
months
3 Critical
thinking
skills
This skill is required
to analyze my
analytical and thinking
skills to make
effective decisions to
avoid further problems
and mistakes.
Currently, I am weak
in this skill, and I need
to improve this in
In terms of
enhancing this skill,
I need to work over
it to achieve my
target and goal:
making quick
decisions on time. It
is helpful for me in
terms of developing
my personality and
This skill is being
developed when
working under the
guidance of my
supervisors and taking
proper instructions
with them. Also, I
need to perform
several mock tests to
enhance this skill.
3.5
months

achieving proper
growth and
development in my
career.
image among
people.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it has been concluded that nursing practices are essential are to take
care of an individual. For this, I must possess my soft skills and work on them to improve these
skills as it is useful for me in dealing with my patients and my career growth and development.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bjerkvik, L.K. and Hilli, Y., 2019. Reflective writing in undergraduate clinical nursing
education: A literature review. Nurse education in practice, 35, pp.32-41.
Denis-Larocque, G and et. al., 2017. Nurses’ perceptions of caring for parents of children with
chronic medical complexity in the pediatric intensive care unit. Intensive and Critical
Care Nursing, 43, pp.149-155.
KASSAN, A. and Green, A.R., 2018. Prioritizing experiential learning and self-reflection in the
development of multicultural responsiveness. The Journal of Educational Thought
(JET)/Revue de la Pensée Éducative, 51(3), pp.385-406.
Kovaleva, N.B and et. al., 2019. Self-reflection technologies to design the developmental
environment for the professional formation of sports teachers.
Martel, R and et. al., 2020. Reaching out to reduce health inequities for Māori
youth. International nursing review, 67(2), pp.275-281.
Milford, C.A., 2016. Care of the family of an infant with a congenital heart defect during the
NICU hospitalization. The Journal of perinatal & neonatal nursing, 30(1), pp.64-67.
Turner, K. and McCarthy, V.L., 2017. Stress and anxiety among nursing students: A review of
intervention strategies in literature between 2009 and 2015. Nurse Education in
Practice, 22, pp.21-29.