Reflective practice in nursing: Gibbs' cycle with an example

Reflection is the step that turns an hour of activity into real professional development. The NMBA's CPD standard expects you to reflect on the learning you undertake, and reflective writing is a core skill throughout nursing education.

Gibbs' reflective cycle

Graham Gibbs (1988) described six stages that give reflection a clear structure:

1. Description – what happened? Keep it brief and factual.
2. Feelings – what were you thinking and feeling at the time?
3. Evaluation – what was good and bad about the experience?
4. Analysis – what sense can you make of it? Bring in evidence, guidelines and standards.
5. Conclusion – what else could you have done? What have you learned?
6. Action plan – if it happened again, what would you do? What will you do now?

Worked example (short form for a CPD log)

Description: During a night shift a patient's PCA pump alarmed for occlusion and I was unsure how to troubleshoot it; a colleague resolved it.

Feelings: I felt anxious and embarrassed, and worried the patient's pain relief had been interrupted.

Evaluation: I recognised the alarm and sought help quickly, which was positive. However, the delay meant the patient had a period without analgesia.

Analysis: I had completed PCA training two years ago but had used the pump rarely since. Infrequently used equipment is a known risk for errors; the local procedure includes a troubleshooting flowchart that I had not reviewed.

Conclusion: I need to refresh my knowledge of the PCA pump and know where the troubleshooting guide is kept.

Action plan: Completed the online PCA module (1 hour) and a hands-on session with the CNE (0.5 hours). I now check the pump settings at the start of each shift for patients with PCA and have shared the flowchart location with the team.

Other models

• Driscoll's “What? So what? Now what?” – quick and useful for short CPD entries.
• Johns' model of structured reflection – deeper, guided cue questions.
• Kolb's experiential learning cycle – experience, reflection, conceptualisation, experimentation.

Tips for meaningful reflection

• Write soon after the event while details are fresh.
• Focus on your practice and learning, not on blaming others.
• Protect privacy – never include patient-identifying information.
• Link your learning to an NMBA standard for practice.
• End with a concrete action you can check later.

Sources and further reading

• NMBA – Registration standard: Continuing professional development
• NMBA – Professional standards (codes, standards for practice)