Earlier this week we joined forces with eight other healthcare regulators to produce a joint statement to promote reflective practice among healthcare professionals. Reflective practice is the process of healthcare professionals reviewing their professional experiences to gain insights about how they can improve the way they work and the care they provide to patients.
We would like all registrants to make reflective practice an important part of their Continuing Education and Training (CET). Eye care professionals can do this using the CET tools we provide, including the personal development plan and templates for reflection statements.
The personal development plan provides eye care professionals with an opportunity to reflect on their scope of practice throughout the CET cycle, set learning goals and write reflection statements following any CET training undertaken. Writing a reflection statement is an important way of capturing learning and identifying how it can be applied in practice.
Reflective practice should not be seen as a standalone activity, instead it should be embedded in everyday practice. Experiences at work both positive and negative can inspire learning. Reflection statements are not used in FTP cases therefore registrants should not be worried about negative consequences.
A range of methods can also be used, including talking with colleagues and team activities such as peer review and case-based discussions. There is no one size fits all approach, how each practitioner integrates reflective practice into their work life will differ.