Abstract:
The importance of reflective practice to the novice nurse was explored in this
study. The novice nurse, for the purpose of this study, was defined as a Registered Nurse
who graduated from an accredited nursing program within a 1 2-month period prior to the
data collection date and who had no prior experience as a Registered Nurse before
graduation. All of the nurses enrolled in this study were female. This study explored the
perceived link between transformational learning and reflective practice, and whether
there may be a need to standardize a conceptual framework and definition for reflective
practice in nursing academia.
The literature that was reviewed for this study indicated that there were
inconsistencies in the application of reflective practice within academic curriculums. The
literature did identify that the majority of academic scholars have agreed that reflection is
paramount in the development of critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and selfdirection.
And, while all of these skills drive professional practice and effect excellent
patient care, institutional health care has been reticent to support the value of reflective
practice because of a lack of empirical data sets.
The 4 novice Registered Nurses who participated in this study were asked 4 openended
questions that provided a foundation for comparing the novice nurses' experiences,
interpretations, and perceptions of reflective practice. These nurses participated in
individual audiotaped interviews with the researcher. The study was based upon Heath's
(1998) model of "Theory hitegration via Reflective Practice."
The results demonstrated that reflective practice was significant to the novice
nurse and was used as a tool to identify further learning needs. Transformational learning
through reflection was described by the study participants. The findings within this study
are consistent with previous work done in the area of reflection and the novice nurse.
