The reflective practitioner

The reflective practitioner guidance supports medical students, doctors in training and doctors engaging in revalidation on how to reflect as part of their practice.



Guidance for doctors and medical students

The reflective practitioner guidance has been developed jointly by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the UK Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans (COPMeD), the General Medical Council (GMC), and the Medical Schools Council.

Reflective practice guidance


Supplementary guidance for medical students

Working with the Medical Schools Council, we have created a dedicated introduction to reflective practice designed for medical students.

If you're a medical student, read how reflecting will benefit you as a doctor, and how reflecting can benefit you now. This content may also be valuable for physician associates (PA) and anaesthesia associates (AA) students.

Supplementary guidance for medical students

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Benefits of becoming a reflective practitioner

We have produced a joint statement with eight other healthcare regulators.

This joint statement sets out our common expectations for health and care professionals to be reflective practitioners, engaging meaningfully in reflection and the benefits it brings.

Learning materials

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Workshop and self-learning

Workshop and self-learning

In partnership with DoctorsTraining, we have created these training resources to show how you can effectively put our reflective practitioner guidance into practice.

  1. Workshop: The reflective practitioner
  2. Self-learning: The reflective practitioner
Supporting appraisal and supervision

Supporting appraisal and supervision

Doctors need to reflect as part of their training and revalidation. These resources are designed to help with the process of reflecting, discussing it with appraisers and supervisors, and documenting the reflection.

In this example, a GP reflects on the positive learning points and actions taken from a frustrating experience.

Reflective discussion with appraiser

A GP uses the "What, so what, what now" template to think back over a time when poor communications had a negative impact on a patient's health.

A GP reflects on an experience involving a fitness to practise investigation

Reflection and wellbeing

Reflection and wellbeing

Having time and support for reflection is important for individual wellbeing and development. These resources show examples of supporting reflective practice and how reflection can help with wellbeing.

Good practice examples from organisations showing how they support reflective practice to improve the wellbeing of their employees and students.

Supporting reflection

One doctor talks about a course she has designed for medical students and doctors in training on developing the emotional intelligence needed to reflect.

Being a doctor and staying a person

In this poem by Andrea Clay, a supervisor reflects on supporting a doctor in training through a difficult experience.

Pear shaped - responding to adversity

Good practice examples

Good practice examples

These three scenarios show good practice in reflecting on an experience.

  1. Breaking bad news
  2. CPR conversation
  3. Recording of mental capacity audit
Team reflection

Team reflection

Teams and groups can improve patient care when they are given opportunities to explore and reflect on their work together.

Schwartz Rounds are group reflective practice forums giving staff from all disciplines an opportunity to reflect on the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare.

Schwartz rounds

Balint groups have been meeting since the 1950s to help health and social care professionals reach a better understanding of the emotional content of the doctor-patient relationship.

Learn about Balint groups

Student resources

Student resources

These resources are designed to help medical students learn how to reflect. The good practice examples show how students have developed and used reflection to improve their practice.

  1. The reflective practitioner - a guide for medical students
  2. Examples of good practice from students