The
traditional learning environment of pharmacy school has come to an end. Gone
are the days of didactic lectures.
As I begin
my first Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) at mdBriefCase, I quickly realized that the working environment requires learning from others in a
different way. In order to succeed, I must adopt the skill of Reflective
Practice.
So, what is
Reflective Practice and why is it important? Reflective Practice involves
“paying critical attention to the meaning behind everyday actions, leading to developmental
insights” (Bolton, 2010). In a traditional
educational environment, I found reflective practice to be less important, as I
essentially downloaded the information that was presented to me. However, the
professional working environment is cluttered with ambiguity. If you combine
this with the human propensity to “feel first” and “think after”, you have a
recipe for disaster. As such, Reflective Practice is essential in order to
mentally organize my environment, and more importantly learn from it.
Now that I
have explained the importance behind Reflective Practice, how am I going to
actually perform it? One model that has
been proposed is Gibbs’ model of reflection (1988). It begins with a
description of an event that has happened, and the associated thoughts and
feelings during that event. This is followed by an evaluation of the
experience, outlining both the positive and negative aspects. Through
evaluation, analyzing the situation and attempting to make sense of what
happened, will guide me to a conclusion and subsequent action plan. At this
point, I can begin to reflect on what else I could have done in the same
situation, what I can do if the situation happens again in the future, and what
I can learn and take away from this experience.
My personal
developmental challenge: make the leap from practicing reflection, to
reflective practice. Reflect in such a way that will bring me new found
knowledge and understanding.
References
- Bolton, G. Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development (3rd Edition). Los Angeles: Sage, 2010.
- Austin, Zubin. “Reflective Practice.” University of Toronto, Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Toronto, Ontario. 04. May 2015. Lecture.
