Appreciative Inquiry reflections in nurse education: a tool to overcome the theory to practice gap

Reflection is internationally recognised as a mandatory and beneficial skill for pre-registration and registered nurses. However, the reflective process for nursing students can be heavily influenced by academic outcomes resulting in a process which may feel clinically redundant to the novice reflector and therefore impact on student's attitudes to reflection throughout their nursing careers. Nursing reflection tends to ask what can be improved and therefore is primarily focused on the deficits of the learner. Problem focused reflections which do not result in identifiable actions to address concerns have little value beyond the academic page. Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to organisational change which focuses on positive experiences, without ignoring the negatives, to design and deliver clear outcomes. In this article, the potential of Appreciative Inquiry as a reflective framework for nursing students is discussed with an example from teaching practice.