How To Write A Reflection On A Clinical Experience

Throughout the first year of this course I can say that it has not been what I expected. I was hoping to improve myself in many various fields and although I did sense some improvement in certain areas I still felt like there is a huge amount left I have to learn, comprehend and understand.
We always hear about the importance of first impressions when meeting anyone for the first time and I feel this even more important when meeting a patient. So as I approached the doorstep of my patient one can understand my feelings of nervousness, apprehension and insecurity. However, I was also greatly excited to meet a “real” patient for the first time, especially after spending the majority of the first term learning all about the science with only a few fabricated case studies to provide clinical context. Upon greeting my patient all my feelings of anxiety disappeared and he seemed incredibly friendly and open. Once we started talking I attempted to ask open ended questions as we had recently learned about the value of adopting a patient-centred style of interviewing during our …show more content…
I aimed to improve both recognising and using non-verbal signals, gestures, facial expressions and body language. I also tried to advance my active listening skills giving my full attention to my patient while being seen to be listening by maintaining eye contact and give confirmation to the patient by nodding, smiling or by using verbal ratification. I did this to keep the concentration of my patient and prevent them from reaching a conclusion that I wasn’t properly listening. I also found that during this process my patient became more open and at ease meaning the conversation went smoother. This meant it was possible to get deep answers into any underlying, unspoken issues affecting my patient and discussing them with minimal defensiveness, closeness or