Investigation of Nursing Students' Views on Reflective Thinking Experiences in Clinic: “Journey to Ourselves” (Qualitative Study)

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Reflective thinking is practised in nursing education in many countries to prepare and strengthen the students in the process of change and development in healthcare. This study was aimed at investigating the views of nursing students taking a surgery course on reflective thinking experiences in the clinic. Methods: The study was conducted with nursing students taking a 2nd-grade surgery course after reflective thinking practice. The reflective thinking practice is an application included in the curriculum of applied courses. The sample of the study consisted of students who took part in reflective thinking practice within the clinical applications of the course entitled “Surgical Diseases and Nursing”. The data were analysed through content analysis. Results: We identified the themes of “problem solving”, “adding value”, “awareness” and “adding power”. Conclusion: We found that utilising reflective thinking methods in clinical applications improves students’ problem solving and reflective thinking skills, encourages the values of empathising and behaving ethically and makes students stronger in terms of professionalisation. We recommend that reflective thinking practice be conducted in clinical applications in nursing education under the guidance of educators.

Keywords

• nursing student
• learning
• reflection
• qualitative research

References

1. Bulman C. Getting started on a journey with reflection (Chapter 9). In Bulman C, Schutz S, editors. Reflective Practice in Nursing. John Wiley & Sons Ltd; 2013.p.: 225-253.
2. Dewey J. How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. Boston: MA: D.C. Heath & Co Publishers;1933.
3. Kolb DA, Boyatzis RE, Mainemelis C. Experiential learning theory: Previous research and new directions. Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles, 2001;1: 227-247. Available from: URL: https://learningfromexperience.com/downloads/research-library/experiential-learning-theory.pdf.
4. Ünver G. Yansıtıcı düşünme [Reflective thinking], Demirel Ö. (Ed.) Eğitimde Yeni Yönelimler İzinde [New Trends in Education]. Pegem Akademi. Ankara; 2011.p.137-148.
5. Üstünoğlu E. The role of cognitive questions in developing high-level thinking skills. Contemporary Education Journal 2006;331:17-24.
6. Dervent F. Yansıtıcı düşünmenin beden eğitimi öğretmen adaylarının mesleki uygulamalarına etkisi. [The effect of reflective thinking on vocational practice of physical education teacher candidates] (dissertation). Istanbul: Marmara Univ. 2012.
7. Mert H, Bilik Ö, Yıldırım Sarı H, Üstün B. A learning experience: reflection. E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty 2011; 4(2): 89-93.
8. Atkins S, Murphy K. Reflection: a review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing 1993;18:1188–1192.

9. Gibbs G, Farmer B, Eastcott D. Learning by doing. a guide to teaching and learning methods. Birmingham: Far Eastern Univ. 1988.
10. Chong MC. Is reflective practice a useful task for student nurses? Asian Nursing Research 2009; 3(3):111-120.
11. Hughes SJ, Quinn FM. Quinn's principles and practice of nurse education. 6th ed. London; 2013.
12. Karaöz S. General overwiew of clinical evaluation in nursing education: challanges and recommendations. E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty 2013;6(3): 149-158.
13. Tanrıkulu F, Erol F, Dikmen Y. Reflection method used in clinical practices in nursing students effects on problem solving skills. Journal of Human Sciences 2016;13(3): 4931-4943.
14. Hume A. Promoting higher levels of reflective writing in student journals. Higher Education Research & Development 2009;28:247–260.
15. Smith A, Jack K. Reflective practice: a meaningful task for students. Nursing Standard 2005;19(26):33-37.
16. Ulvestad I. Nursing students’ knowledge-based reflections in psychiatric clinical practice. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice 2016;6(2):86-95.
17. Creswell JW, Hanson WE, Clark Plano VL, Morales A. Qualitative research designs: selection and implementation. Journal of Counseling Psychology 2007;35(2):236–64.
18. Dicle A, Edeer AD Examination of clinical decision making perceptions of nursing students. The New Educational Review 2013;33(3):134-144.
19. Çelenk O, Topoyan M. Analysis of problem solving skill levels of nurses working in a university hospital. E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty 2017;10 (4):251-259.
20. Applin H, Williams B, Day R, Buro K. A comparison of competencies between problem-based learning and non-problem-based graduate nurses. Nurse Education Today 2011;31:129-134.
21. Partlak Günüşen N, Üstün B. The relationship between problem solving skills levels and locus of control in nursing students. E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty 2011;4 (2): 72-77.
22. Debbarma M. Importance of human values in the society. International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities 2014;2(1): 2321-2330.
23. Deliktaş A, Körükçü Ö, Kabukçuoğlu K. An applicable method in nursing education: values clarification. Journal of Research in Education and Teaching 2016;5(4):25-31.
24. Dalcalı BK, Şendir M. Determining the relationship between nurses personal values and their ethical sensitivity. Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing 2016;24(1):1-9.
25. Hemmerdinger JM, Stoddart S, Lilford R. A systematic review of tests of empathy in medicine. BMC Medical Education 2007;7: 14-20.
26. Özcan H. Empathic disposition and empathic skills af nurses: example Gümüşhane. Gümüşhane University Journal of Health Sciences 2012;1: 60-68.
27. Akgün Şahin Z, Kardaş Özdemir F. Determination of communication and empathy skill levels of nurses. Journal of Academic Research in Nursing 2015;1(1):1-7.
28. Özcan CT, Oflaz F, Sütçü ÇH. Empathy: The effects of undergraduate nursing education in Turkey. International Nursing Review 2010;57:493-499.
29. Yaman Aktas Y, Karabulut N. A survey on Turkish nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environment and its association with academic motivation and clinical decision making. Nurse Education Today 2016;36:124-128.
30. Al-Dossary RN, Kinsantas P, Maddox PJ. Clinical decision-making among new graduate nurses attending residency programs in Saudi Arabia. Applied Nursing Research 2016;29:25-30.
31. Bektaş İ, Yardımcı F, Bektaş M, White KA. Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of nursing anxiety and self confidence with clinical decision making scale (NASC-CDM-T). E-Journal of Dokuz Eylul University Nursing Faculty 2017;10(2): 83-92.
32. Chen SL, Hsu HY, Chang CF, Lin EC. An exploration of the correlates of nurse practitioners’ clinical decision-making abilities. Journal of Clinical Nursing 2016,25: 1016–1024.
33. World Health Organization (2009). Nursing & midwifery human resources for health. Global standards for the initial education of Professional nurses and midwives. Available from: URL: https://www.who.int/hrh/nursing_midwifery/hrh_global_standards_education.pdf