Reflection. Part 3: reflective practice and reflective teaching

Reflective practice is probably one of the most talked about, but least practiced aspects within all sectors of nursing. As a profession and as individual practitioners, we like to feel we practice in a reflective way—but in all honesty, can you really say that your clinical practice is built upon a logical and disciplined reflective approach? As I travel around and meet with and talk to different types of nurses in various fields of practice, I see staff who are stretched to their limits with various deadlines, paperwork and inspections. They have little time or energy for reflection on what they do, how they do it and why they are doing it. Take a few minutes to think about your own dental practice, what time do you have built into your daily or weekly routines to think about and reflect upon your clinical practice?