Reflection, what is it? By David Mulcahy. The Term reflection can have many meanings to many people. Reflection can carry meanings that range from the idea of professionals engaging in solitary introspection to that of engaging in deep meaningful conversations with others. But for this assignment I will focus on; what is refection in the clinical setting, why it is important for health care professionals to reflect and where the ideology of reflection came from. I will also provide a personal experience of reflection during my time in the clinical setting that helped me to come up with a solution to a challenging situation. WHAT IS REFLECTION? “…the way that we learn from an experience in order to understand and develop practice” (Jasper 2003) Reflection is a way of going through thoughts and feelings about an incident, or a challenging day and gives us a chance to come to terms with our thoughts and feelings about it. Reflection can be very useful in the clinical setting when dealing with a difficult or challenging situation. This type of reflection can take place when we have had time to take a step back from something, or talk it through, as in: ‘on reflection, I think you might be right’, or ‘on second thoughts, I realise I was upset because…’ This type of more focused reflection can lead to a new way of reacting in or approaching a situation next time. Reflection is an explanation and exploration of events; not just a description. Reflection often relieves