The reflective practitioner - guidance for doctors and medical students

Medicine is a lifelong journey, immensely rich, scientifically complex and constantly developing. It is characterised by positive, fulfilling experiences and feedback, but also involves uncertainty and the emotional intensity of supporting colleagues and patients. 

Reflecting on these experiences is vital to personal wellbeing and development, and to improving the quality of patient care. Experiences, good and bad, have learning for the individuals involved and for the wider system.

This short guide supports medical students, doctors in training and doctors engaging in revalidation on how to reflect as part of their practice. It 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.

This guidance is also available in PDF formats for printing and offline viewing:
The reflective practitioner  | Summary

What this guide will help you answer
This guide will help you understand the principles and importance of reflective practice
Why you will need to read this guidance
There is a strong public interest in medical students and doctors being able to reflect in an open and honest way. This guidance gives you practical advice on how to become a reflective practitioner.
  1. Summary
  2. Ten key points on being a reflective practitioner
  3. Being a reflective practitioner
  1. Demonstrating reflection
  2. Disclosure of reflective notes
  3. References and further reading
Next Ten key points on being a reflective practitioner

Related content

Reflective practice hub page Including learning materials, good practice examples, information on using reflection at appraisal time, and more.
Continuing professional development CPD helps you update your knowledge to reflect changes in the needs of patients and changes in society’s expectations of your work.

The reflective practitioner – bespoke advice for medical students

If you're a medical student, read how reflecting will benefit you as a doctor, and how it can benefit you now.
A student reflects