2.1 Explain why reflecting on work activities is an important way to develop knowledge, skills and practice

Qualification: Level 2 Diploma in Care
Unit name: Personal development in care settings
Learning outcome: 2. Be able to reflect on own work activities
Assessment criteria: 2.1 Explain why reflecting on work activities is an important way to develop knowledge, skills and practice

 

Reflection is a skill that you will develop and learn to rely on for your personal development throughout your care career.

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It is the process of looking back on a situation that your were involved in and thinking about the decisions you made and the actions you took.

For example, you may work with a service user that refuses to take his medication. This results in you nagging the individual even more to have their medication to the point that you become frustrated. An hour passes by and you are at the end of your tether and so call your manager for guidance. Whilst on the phone, the service user takes their medication. Later that evening, you reflect on the situation and it occurs to you that the service user was only refusing their medication because you were getting so worked up about them having it. You decide that next time this happens, you won’t pressure the individual to have their medication and if they refuse first time then you will simply say that you will put them somewhere for the service user to take when they are ready. This is reflective practice in…well…practice!

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Regular reflection on the work you do, the experiences you have and the decisions you make can help you to gain powerful insights into how your practice can be improved. Experience is very important but you can only learn from your experiences if you actively reflect on them after-the-fact.

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