Health and Social Care

  2nd reflective entry around the value and application of critical thinking in practice   What is critical thinking In a world filled with constant change, increasing complexity, and an overwhelming flow of information, critical thinking stands out as one of the most valuable skills any individual can develop. Whether navigating workplace challenges, making personal decisions, or interacting with the digital world, the ability to think critically helps us respond more thoughtfully and effectively. Critical thinking is the ability to analyse facts objectively, evaluate different perspectives, and make reasoned judgments free from bias, emotion, or assumption. (Facione2011) At its core, it’s about using logic and evidence to come to a thoughtful conclusion, rather than accepting information at face value, it involves several key components. (Lai, 2011)                      ...

    Reflective Blog Entry: The Value and Application  of Critical Thinking in a Mental Health Practice   Description During an activity in a recent situation where a mental health nurse was attending to a patient who had an acute episode of anxiety. The patient, who happened to be in shock during a consultation, did not wish to continue any further and the nurse was at loss of what to do next. I was the primary person to conduct the conversation on the assessment phase, to determine what was good and what should be done better. The teamwork was productive, although initially, some participants could not cope with the emotional presence of the situation, which is an indication of mental health practice.  Feelings Reading this situation evoked the feeling of empathy, as I remembered a placement where I helped a client with such anxiety symptoms. I was both frustrated and sympathetic towards the nurse because it is not an easy task to combine patien...

  Part 2 Reflective Entry 2 – Critical Thinking in Practice Title: Reflective Entry 2 – Using Critical Thinking to Navigate a Difficult Public Situation   1. Introduction In the fields of health and social care, where choices frequently have dire repercussions right away, critical thinking is crucial. It entails scenario analysis, alternative evaluation, assumption testing, and reasoned decision-making (Paul & Elder, 2014). In this reflection, I'll look at how, while taking care of my own kids, I used—or found it difficult to use—critical thinking in a stressful circumstance involving a disturbed woman in public.   2. The Situation While on holiday in London, I was at a bus stop with my children when I noticed a woman who appeared lost and was shouting. I felt compelled to help, believing I could calm her down. I approached her, but her reaction became more aggressive, which frightened my children. Feeling conflicted, I made the decision to move away...

  Reflective Blog on Mental Health, using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle   Reflective theories and methods of thought help us to better understand out mistakes, and what can be done to improve on ourselves. In this piece of writing, I will be using the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to analyse my own behaviours and learn more about my faults, when it comes to dealing with mental health issues (Ocampo et al, 2025). Especially within the mental health sector, reflecting on experiences to become a kinder and more efficient worker is essential, so I will be using this context to reflect on. The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle requires you to first describe the issue, then write down your personal feelings on the situation, and then to look at it objectively and evaluate what worked and what did not. Next you analyse this further, followed by a conclusion, and finally an action plan for improvement based on your own reflection. This way of reflecting is supposed to cover all bases and allow you to think...

  1st reflective entry around theories and models of reflection at my work (Using Gibbs Reflective Cycle)   Introduction: There are many different forms of reflection but in theory, true reflection is much more then simply looking back and reflecting upon a previous event. Its true form is breaking down the inner thought process and mind frame of oneself and in an emotionless way, breaking down every decision we make, emotion we feel and action we take. This is to understand fully why we do what we do as humans and understand if we really make the best choice in every situation and if the answer is no- then how we can make it. It also means accepting that you make mistakes sometimes and that’s okay. Nobody is perfect, and reflecting honestly helps you learn from those mistakes instead of repeating them. It can help you improve your relationships, your decision-making, and even your confidence, because you’re learning and growing from real experiences. To put it simply, h...

  CRITICAL REFLECTIVE BLOG: APPLYING GIBBS' REFLECTIVE CYCLE TO A MENTAL HEALTH SCENARIO Scenario During a placement, a student nurse secured a patient who had severe anxiety by administering the incorrect dose of drugs. The patient was left unharmed; however, the student reported the mistake and she was anxious and doubted about her competence. A reflection cycle developed by Gibbs is a framework of drawing experience analysis of scenario to best practice in the future ( Markkanen et al., 2022). Description In my placement in a mental health ward, I had the responsibility of giving medicine to a patient in severe cases of anxiety. I was involved in an active shift and grew distracted at one point as I miscalculated the dosage and administered it. I understood what I have done wrong soon afterwards, but it did not take me long to report this incident to my supervisor. The incident was a rude shock and must have caused emotional distress to the patient but fortunately, the pati...

1. Description.  While on vacation in London with my children, we were waiting at a bus stop when I observed a woman who seemed bewildered and disoriented. She began shrieking, implying that she was going through a mental health crisis or was in great distress. I felt compelled to assist her, so I approached her quietly to give support. However, my attempt to engage exacerbated the issue, as she became more irritated and raised her voice even more. My children, plainly terrified, started crying, and I felt overwhelmed. In that time, I made the difficult decision to remove myself from the situation in order to prioritise my children's mental safety. "This image reflects the confusion and emotional challenge involved in public situations requiring empathy and quick judgement." 2. Feelings.  At first, I was concerned for the woman and wanted to help her. I assumed that taking a calm approach would assist to de-escalate the issue. However, when she reacted adversely, I felt h...