Stages in coming to terms with reflection: student advanced nurse practitioners' perceptions of their reflective journeys

Aim of the study. To explore student Advanced Nurse Practitioners' (ANPs) experiences of reflection. Background. The development of student ANPs' reflective abilities as part of the implementation of a Master's Course in Advanced Nursing Practice at Wolverhampton University provided the background to the study. Developing reflective abilities was seen as an essential component of ANP development. To facilitate this process a preentry degree level reflective practice module and a reflective component for the level 4 (Master's level) practice module were devised. Rationale. This was a new educational initiative and this study provided the opportunity to explore students' experiences of it following completion of the reflective modules. Design/methods. A qualitative methodology was used. Fourteen ANP students were interviewed and their reflective learning contracts were analysed. Colaizzi's (1978) seven-stage model guided data analysis. Findings. The findings were categorized under the headings of: (i) reflection as a transforming process, (ii) reflective journeys, (iii) worldviews. This paper presents an analysis of the second category reflective journeys. It identifies a number of stages in the development of students' reflective abilities. Conclusions. The conclusions have implications for those involved in reflective curriculum development, and for those seeking to develop reflective abilities in students.