Practice Placement Portfolio In Nursing

A practice placement portfolio is a collection of work by an individual which is used as evidence to show achievements and other learning that has taken place to enhance their professional development (Hayes E. 2013). It has an important role in the educational development of nursing students as it is a tool which can evaluate the student’s learning during the undergraduate programme and can act as a link between theory and practice (Jones E. 2010). It enables them to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their training, as it makes them engage fully with their experiences from clinical practice which are valuable sources of learning (Joyce P. 2005, Ryan M. 2011). In the professional development of a qualified

This reflection is sought about through the use of reflective cycles, for example Gibbs (1988). Reflection enables the student to develop his or her own theories behind why an event occurred, this is also achieved by linking theory to practice in order to gain a deeper understanding (Levett C. 2010, Stonehouse D. 2011). For this practice placement portfolio the reflective cycle that I have chosen is The Reflective Cycle by Gibbs (See appendix one) (Gibbs 1988). Although it wasn’t made predominantly for reflection through nursing scenarios, as it was developed for educational purposes, it does give the student a cycle which can be used easily to analyse their event in a linear fashion. Although Gibbs reflective cycle is one which is mainly focused on the event itself, rather than the knowledge that can be sought from delving further into the reasoning behind an event, it does create a cycle which allows the individual to focus on their actions and the reasoning behind what they did. In doing this the individual can create their own theories behind the event and are able to develop a plan for the future if a similar event was to occur (Jasper M.

One of the most prevalent ethical issue associated with reflective practice is that of confidentiality, although no names are revealed when reflection takes place, it can be questioned as to whether the interactions we have with patients should be used to help further our professional development (Hargreaves J. 1997). Reflection and reflective practice also have professional implications as it increases the student’s vulnerability as they are recounting events which could have caused them distress in the past as reflection itself is a process which requires the individual to reveal the minute details of how an event made them feel, therefore it is vital that people who are undergoing this process have the support that they require (Cleary M. et. al. 2013). Knight K. et. al (2010) argue that not only do students need this supervision, reflective practice groups should be favoured as they give the students more support, not only from their supervisor but also their peers who could be going through the same