Reflective Practice for Doctors Online Course

As a doctor, regardless of your grade or specialty, you are expected to reflect on your experiences and learn from them. Moreover, there are specific points where written reflections must be submitted to provide evidence of insight, learning, and professional development. These occasions may include:

• Completing a course to obtain a CPD certificate
• Preparing for appraisal or a progress review, such as the ARCP
• Providing evidence towards the award of CCT, CESR, or another training programme
• Responding to a complaint or serious incident
• Contributing to an investigation

Regrettably, the skill of effective reflection is often overlooked or inadequately taught. As a result, many doctors view it as burdensome or even troubling. There is frequently uncertainty and concern surrounding regulatory expectations, with some fearing they may inadvertently put themselves at risk.

However, a variety of approaches and tools exist that can make reflection both meaningful and beneficial. When done well, it becomes a powerful method for organising your thoughts, exploring your emotions and experiences, developing ideas, and clarifying your direction.

What matters most is finding a reflective practice that suits you personally. Our course is designed to support you in doing just that.

Course Format

We estimate that the course will take approximately four hours to complete. It’s divided into 17 short sections, allowing you the flexibility to either complete it in a single focused session or to dip in and out over the coming weeks or months. This means you can work at your own pace, whenever it suits you. You’ll have unlimited access to the course materials for 120 days.

Throughout the course, you’ll engage with a varied and stimulating mix of videos, animations, infographics, written content and reflective exercises. We explore the value of reflective practice, acknowledge the challenges, and offer practical ideas. However, reflection is a deeply personal process.

As part of your learning journey, you’ll be introduced to our Course Panel — a diverse group of doctors who share their own insights and experiences through a series of video interviews. We encourage you to reflect on how their perspectives align with or differ from your own. When combined with the course materials and activities, this will help you to develop your own approach, discover what works best for you, and make reflective practice truly meaningful and beneficial.

Upon completing the course and submitting your Final Reflective Learning Statement, you will receive a certificate awarding 4 CPD points.

Course Modules