The Bottom Line
- Reflections are judged by insight + action, not word count.
- Write for governance: what happened → what you learned → what you changed.
- Keep it anonymised: no patient identifiers, no unnecessary detail.
Most doctors fail reflections by either (a) writing a diary entry or (b) writing nothing actionable. This template is built for appraisal/ARCP: it makes your learning and behaviour change obvious, while staying safe and professional.
Copy-paste reflection template
1
1) Trigger (1 sentence)
What prompted the reflection? (case, complaint, feedback, teaching session, near-miss, guideline update).
2
2) Context (2–3 sentences, anonymised)
Where/when did it happen, what was the clinical/operational situation, what constraints existed?
3
3) What went well (1–2 bullets)
Name the good practice you want to keep repeating. Be specific.
4
4) What I would do differently (1–2 bullets)
Name the gap (knowledge, system, communication, escalation, documentation, teamwork).
5
5) Learning (3 bullets max)
Write the learning as rules you can reuse (eg, ‘If X + Y then escalate to Z’ / ‘I will use checklist A’).
6
6) Action (the only part that truly matters)
State what changed: template used, SOP updated, teaching delivered, audit started, safety netting line added, supervision sought, course booked.
7
7) Evidence link
Attach one artifact: email, minutes, screenshot, QI plan, CPD certificate, feedback form, audit result.
Gold standard reflection = learning + planned actions
Your reflection does not need a detailed narrative. It should focus on learning identified and the actions you plan to take (or have taken).
SourceOpen the reflection template page
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