Reflective Practice in Social Work - Essay Example

For one to be effective in reflection one requires open-mindedness, and both the ability and willingness to examine, question, assess, and objectively analyze own practice to develop necessary skills and knowledge. As a professional, one should listen keenly to other people’s ideas, reflect on one’s work and those of others, and consider, develop, and implement ways of improving practice and service delivery (Martyn, 2000:184-187).

Reflective practice occurs in three stages. First, one needs to think of their experience, understanding, and ideas. Secondly, one should objectively analyze what they have learned from these experiences. Thirdly, identify how these experiences could be made better and transform these into plans and strategies for better outcomes. This should be followed by the implementation and application of the plans. Reflective practice in this manner helps a professional to take control of their learning and development and to improve their practice.

In the course of my duties as an aged caregiver, one of the aged residents made a request for some time in the outdoor yards. Being busy at the time, taking care of other clients, I directed him to the door, opened it, and went back to my duties, leaving him unsupervised and unattended. Though nothing bad happened, the incident later gave me cause for reflection. This reflection was especially prompted by the fact that the client was also afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. The case may have had remarkably serious consequences if the client had either hurt himself or found a way out of the compound and got lost.

Though the number of clients requiring attention and supervision may have seemed overwhelming, it is no excuse for overlooking procedures without due diligence. I should have taken the time to check the patient’s history first. Finding out later about the Alzheimer’s made the dangers I had exposed my client to clearer. 

Apart from that, I should have arranged for the patient’s supervision during the time he spent outdoors, regardless of whether he was suffering from any disease. Institutionalized patients require constant monitoring and supervision and this is more critical with aged patients who may be losing their ordinary faculties. If I could have found that I cannot provide supervision or did not have time to check the patient’s records, I should have referred another caregiver to the case or denied permission until such a time when I was satisfied I was doing the right thing.

Reflection-on-action asks three fundamental questions and seeks to answer them (O’Connor and Hughes, 2006:197-228). One, what actions did I perform that worked, why did I perform them and why did they work? Two, which actions did I perform that did not work, why did I perform them, and why did they not work? The third is what could I have done differently, how would that have resulted in better outcomes, and how do I ensure that I do what is right the next time I am faced with similar circumstances? Reflection-in-action occurs when one is able to analyze and make changes to their actions as they are performing them. The mind at times gets dulled by repetitive actions. This may give rise to a situation where the same mistakes are repeated over and over again. A professional practitioner should be able to make on-the-spot changes to rectify any arising problems. This makes it quite necessary for a professional to have reflection-in-action skills.