It is personal:

Your reflection is personal to you; it involves thinking about how the experience made you feel and what you learnt from it. The way you retell the reflection should be authentic to your experience and doesn’t have to use sophisticated or medical language.

Some things you might want to consider are:

1. What did you observe? (this is the least important part, but important for context)
2. What did you learn? (this can be either technical or personal)
3. How did it make you feel? (there is no right way to feel, different feelings make great reflections)
4. What will you take away from this experience? (how will this influence future actions or decisions)

Why should you do it?

Reflection is an excellent thing to talk about in personal statements and interviews because they show a good insight into the field as well as personal growth.

Some other benefits of reflection are:

• Deeper learning- When you think about previous experiences, you can process and internalise what you have learnt.
• Self-growth- Reflecting helps you figure out your strengths, weaknesses and motivations for going into medicine.
• Improving critical thinking- Reflecting allows you to analysis your response to challenges.
• Developing professionalism- Reflecting makes it easier to articulate your experiences at interview. It is also a skill used throughout medical school and your career as a doctor.

Good vs bad reflections :

Bad reflections are:

• Vague
• Observational e.g. I saw this, then they did this
• Superficial e.g I found this really interesting
• Without any evaluation
• Don’t link it back to the bigger picture

Good reflections are:

• Specific
• Discuss feelings
• Analytical- talk about the good and bad in the situation
• Think about the implications for the patient
• Have a main takeaway
• Link to how it will make you a better doctor

Example of reflection:

Sitting in on a GP clinic

Bad:

I sat in on a GP clinic and got to see a variety of patients with different conditions. One case that caught my attention was a child with a rash. Watching the examination process and how the doctor handled the case ignited my interest in dermatology. It made me realise how fascinating skin conditions can be and how rewarding it would be to help patients by diagnosing and treating them. This experience has made me think more about pursuing dermatology as a future specialty.

Why is this a bad reflection?

This reflection is weak because it focusses on an interest in dermatology after seeing a rash but doesn’t discuss why the interaction was meaningful or if they learnt anything from the interaction. There is also a lack of critical thinking, the reflection doesn’t address the difficulty of communicating with child and parent nor the importance of clearly explaining the treatment plan.

Good:

I sat in on a GP clinic and got to see a variety of patients with different conditions. The one that stood out the most to me was a child presenting with a rash. I noticed how the doctor adjusted their communication to speak both to the child and the mother. When taking the history, the doctor used simple language to engage the child while also ensuring the mother understood what was going on. When prescribing the rash cream, the doctor carefully explained to the mother when and how to use it but also took the time to tell the child that using the cream would help them feel better. This made me realise how important it is to communicate clearly with both children and parents to make sure they understand the treatment and are more likely to follow it. This experience made me want to improve my own communication skills, particularly in finding ways to include children more in their care.

Why is this a better reflection?

There is little description and a greater focus on analysis. It discusses the effective communication from the doctor and the greater importance of this in healthcare. There is also a takeaway to improve one’s communication skills, in particular with children which can be a nuanced skill to master.

It’s worth noting that work experience is essential for a strong medical school application. This blog post goes into the importance of work experience and how seek it out

When to reflect:

Reflections should ideally be done soon after the experience you are reflecting on. It is easy to forget how you felt or your immediate thoughts. The greater the time in between, the less authentic the reflection is. Reflecting soon after an experience allows you to maintain the authenticity of your thoughts, helping you relay the lessons you gained and the emotions you felt at the time, making them more valuable for your personal statement and at interview.

Significance of reflection in medicine

Regular self-reflection makes better doctors. It is a valuable time to be introspective on your behaviour and how it impacts the care you provide. Having some distance from the situation allows you to assess your actions and learn from them. Reflecting on how it made you feel is important for your wellbeing and personal development. Lastly, having a takeaway from the experience allows you to set goals for your personal and professional development. This is a skill you can develop even before medical school which looks really impressive in your application. For any support in any stage of the application process, reach out to Future Doc for 1 ON 1 teaching.