1. Multi-professional Reflective Practice Groups in Therapy Services at NUH- An Evaluation of their Effectiveness for Newly Qualified ‘Preceptees’
Authors:Jane Harrison-Paul and Natalie Coley
‘I found it reassuring to hear what worries and concerns other preceptees had and it made me realise that what I was feeling was normal’. (Occupational Therapy preceptee)
Reflective Practice - Enables individuals to consistently evaluate their own practice and make improvements in order to improve the patient experience (DH, 2010).
Introduction
Part of effective ‘Preceptorship’ for newly qualified health professionals is acknowledged to be the development of good reflective practice (RP) skills (DH, 2010). RP groups are intended to enable group members to view situations from a variety of perspectives and gain new insights and improved ways of approaching situations. They allow protected time to bring clinical and non-clinical issues to the group and to reflect about these with peers in order to gain feedback and support. They also present an opportunity to request ‘critical friends’ to offer an individual some challenge regarding their practice to create an opportunity for improvement.
Purpose
With the coming together of dietitians, occupational therapists and physiotherapists within ‘Therapy services’, there was an opportunity to trial multi-professional RP groups for newly qualified therapists across these professions in order to determine their effectiveness across a range of measures. We therefore implemented multi-professional RP groups within Therapy services at NUH in April 2013.
Method
The groups met monthly in a confidential environment for a period of one hour and were facilitated by senior therapists who had undergone appropriate training. Group members were given the opportunity to bring their pertinent issues to the group during their preceptorship period. The groups comprised between 8 and 12 preceptees and ground rules and roles were established in the initial meetings. In December 2014, group members were sent an electronic questionnaire in order to gather data regarding their experience of the groups. 10 responses were received out of the 24 questionnaires sent.
Key Areas of RP Group Impact (Percentages)
‘ Found the sessions very useful as a new graduate, reassuring and allows you to get advice/tips from peers’ (Dietitian preceptee).
‘The reflective practice groups have really improved not only my reflective skills but also the frequency at which I feel it appropriate to reflect on work-based scenarios’ (Physiotherapy preceptee).
“100% of respondents felt that there was mutual trust and peer support within their groups”
Results and Implication for Practice
RP Groups were evaluated positively, impacting most on the following;
Development of reflective skills and self awareness
Increased confidence levels
Enhanced understanding of the roles of other professionals
Increased ability to identify areas for self development
Improved learning from each others’ experiences
New clinical insights being gained
Further considerations
Smaller group size preferable (5-7 preceptees)
The need for good group facilitation was recognised
Further investigations into variable RP group attendance required
References; Preceptorship Framework (2010) Department of Health .
With thanks to Natalie Coley, Sarah Durnan, Tig Howells, Jemma McKay and Lauren Hutchinson ( RP group facilitators, 2014)