Promoting self-reflection in clinical practice among Chinese nursing undergraduates in Hong Kong

This study evaluated the effect of a structured education programme on improving the self-reflection skills of Chinese nursing undergraduates in managing clinical situations. Johns' Structured Reflection Model was used as a framework for the development of the education programme. Thirty-eight nursing undergraduates attended a 3-hour interactive workshop on reflective skills and were encouraged to practise the skills learned under the guidance of a nurse instructor during their 4-week clinical practicum. The findings indicated that the programme was helpful in improving the undergraduates' reflective skills though only a few of them reached the highest level as critical reflectors. Some undergraduates identified time constraints and the lack of a trusting relationship with their nurse instructor as barriers to their reflective learning. The findings may help nurse educators develop education programmes with structured learning strategies to promote nursing undergraduates' self-refection in clinical practice.