Reflective practice in the professional development of working nurses

Abstract

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF WORKING NURSES

Introduction. Donald Schön claims that reflective practice is not only about dealing with difficult and untypical situations but also the development of one’s professional activity.

Aim of the Study. The aim of the study was to elicit the opinions of nurses about the concept of professional self-development and the possibility of using reflective practice for this purpose.

Material and methods. The diagnostic survey method was used, with the survey questionnaire developed by the authors. The surveyed group consisted of 136 (100%) nurses working in Lublin.

Results. The majority of study participants stated that reflection was an important part of their professional development (frequent – 44.90%, very frequent – 28.70%). Most nurses (85.29%) regard self-development as important. There was a relationship between caring for one’s development and education (p=0.030). There is also a correlation between the need for caring for one’s development and the opinion on occupational burnout (p=0.019).

Conclusions. (1) The majority of the nurses regarded the need to care for their professional development as important, and the nurses who applied reflection in practice perceived the need as more crucial. (2) The nurses with higher education more often claimed that one should definitely care for his/her development. (3) Nurses who assessed themselves as definitely not burned out understand that professional development is crucial.