The purpose of this assessment is to reflect on clinical learning related to an episode of care for a paediatric patient that presented to your facility. At times, nurses encounter events that they find clinically and professionally challenging. It is important to see these situations as opportunities that contribute to life-long learning and improvement in clinical practice. Reflection is a fundamental component of learning. It integrates the learning experience, the emotional context and the resultant changes in our clinical skills and professional practice. It also, enables us to evaluate the quality of care provided in our clinical setting.

  • Describe a recent challenging presentation of a sick child in your current clinical setting.
  • Explore your feelings about the assessment and management of the patient requiring emergency care.
  • Evaluate or make a judgement about what has happened. Consider what was good about the experience and what did not go well.
  • Analyse the components of the situation which impacted significantly on the care you provided
  • Conclude the reflection process by outlining what you have learned from the experience, what could have been done differently?
  • Formulate an action plan for further learning to meet your clinical practice requirements. What strategies or documentation might be needed to better support you in providing care to sick children and their family?