Assessment Brief: Reflective Essay on Person-Centred Care in Adult Nursing

Module: Adult Field of Nursing (B740)

Assessment Title: Reflective Analysis of a Clinical Episode in Adult Nursing Practice

Academic Year: 2025

This assignment requires you to draw on a specific episode of care from your clinical placement in the adult nursing field. You will reflect critically on your involvement, linking your experience to person-centred care principles, evidence-based practice, and professional standards.

Learning Outcomes

By completing this assessment, you will:

• Demonstrate understanding of person-centred nursing care in complex adult health scenarios.
• Apply a structured reflective model to analyse clinical practice.
• Critically evaluate the impact of nursing interventions on patient outcomes.
• Integrate relevant evidence and NMC standards to support your reflection.

Assignment Task

Select one episode of care involving an adult patient with complex needs that you participated in during placement. Write a 2500-word reflective essay structured using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988). Address each stage clearly:

1. Description: Provide a concise account of the episode (maintain patient anonymity).
2. Feelings: Explore your emotions during the event.
3. Evaluation: Assess what worked well and what did not.
4. Analysis: Link to relevant theory, evidence, and NMC Code (2018).
5. Conclusion: Summarise key insights gained.
6. Action Plan: Outline specific steps to improve future practice.

Include an appendix with a brief anonymised summary of the patient’s scenario (not included in word count).

Assessment Criteria

• Clear structure using Gibbs’ model (20%).
• Depth of critical reflection and self-awareness (30%).
• Integration of evidence-based literature and professional standards (30%).
• Application to adult nursing practice and person-centred care (10%).
• Academic writing, referencing (Harvard), and presentation (10%).

Word Count and Submission

2500 words (±10%). Submit electronically via the module’s online portal by the specified deadline.

Keele University’s BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing programme emphasises person-centred approaches to meet diverse patient needs. Reflective practice is central to developing competent nurses aligned with NMC standards. This assessment supports preparation for registration in the adult field.

 References

• Howatson-Jones, L. (2016) Reflective practice in nursing. 3rd edn. London: Learning Matters. Available at: https://www.sagepub.com/books/Book242269 (Accessed: 24 December 2025).
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018) The code: professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. London: NMC. Available at: https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/ (Accessed: 24 December 2025).
• Jasper, M. (2013) Beginning reflective practice. 2nd edn. Andover: Cengage Learning.
• Bolton, G. and Delderfield, R. (2018) Reflective practice: writing and professional development. 5th edn. London: SAGE.
• Toney-Butler, T.J. and Unison-Pace, W.J. (2023) ‘Nursing admission assessment and examination’, in StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493211/ (Accessed: 24 December 2025).