P-35 Exploring the use of reflective practice in clinical skills development among nursing students during their clinical rotation at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Guyana

Methods: A pretest and post-test experimental design was utilized. Fifty-two (52) professional nursing students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups of 26 each. A structured questionnaire with an observational checklist was used to assess knowledge on reflective practice, attitudes and practices. The three weeks intervention consisted of reviewing Gibb’s reflective cycle steps, case study analysis, journal-writing, a peer feedback session and a practical demonstration. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, Ministry of Health, Guyana. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS.

Results: Ninety two percent of nursing students were taught clinical procedures, 88% practiced procedures during clinical rotation under supervision and got feedback. The experimental group had higher post-test scores for knowledge, clinical impact, and perception of usefulness. The t-values and p-values (Knowledge: t = –3.86, p=0.0007; Clinical Impact: t = –3.03, p=0.0057; Perception: t = –4.47, p<0.001) all indicated significant differences. In comparison with the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher scores for knowledge (t = 3.79, p < 0.001), perception of usefulness (t = 3.37, p=0.0015), and total score (t = 4.22, p<0.001).

Conclusion: The study provides compelling evidence that structured reflective practice significantly enhances the clinical skill development of nursing students. The students did not advance in their ability to use reflective practice on their own. Integrating reflective practice into nursing curricula will foster a new generation of practitioners equipped for lifelong learning and professional excellence.