If you're stuck on your NMC reflection, stop trying to tell the whole story. Briefly introduce yourself and your role at the time, look at exactly what the regulatory concerns ask, read the Code against those concerns, then explain with some detachment what went well, what didn't and what you would do differently. Only answer what is asked; supporting documents can carry the rest.
Key takeaways
- Stop, breathe and don't overthink it.
- Introduce yourself, your role and its expectations, then go straight to the concerns.
- Read the Code through the eyes of the allegations.
- Write for a reader who has never met you, and only answer what is asked.
Nurses and midwives often tell us they are struggling to know where to start with their reflection. They feel overwhelmed by the size of the task and get locked into making sure the NMC has the full facts: everything that contributed, who else was to blame, the whole picture. They can't get started, and as deadlines approach they panic about a task that should be simple.
Reflection has been part of our practice for years through revalidation. But for the most part we're not very good at it, we don't really understand its purpose, and the anxiety of a regulatory referral makes it even harder to focus. So: stop. Breathe. Don't overthink it.
Step 1: Introduce yourself, briefly
The temptation is to give a long history of everything that happened. That isn't what's needed; supporting documents can carry that information. Your reflection should introduce you as a professional, where you worked at the time and what the expectations of your role were when the incidents happened. That's it.
Step 2: Look at the regulatory concerns
What are they actually asking? It is simple: do you accept the concerns or deny them? Only answer what is asked. Don't fill the gaps.
Step 3: Read the Code with the allegations in mind
When did you last read the NMC Code? Go back to it and read it through the eyes of the allegations.
- How do the allegations sit against the Code?
- Which parts of the Code might they breach?
- How can you show that your practice met that part of the Code?
Step 4: What went well, and what didn't
Write with a level of detachment, explaining it so the reader completely understands. Remember they don't know you or your practice. Make it clear what happened, what you did well and what, looking back, you could do better next time. That's insight, and you're on your way to unblocking your reflection.
Don't over-complicate it. Write as if the reader has never met you, doesn't understand the work you do and has no knowledge of what best practice looks like.
Once you get started, reflection can be therapeutic and can help you understand events from other people's perspectives. The NMC often thinks more in theory than in reality, so help them understand your reality and how you apply theory to practice.
For a framework to hang your reflection on, see reflective models for nurses or our guide on how to start a reflection for the NMC.
Frequently asked questions
You don't need to. The reflection answers the concerns; other information can go in supporting documents such as a timeline, testimonials or a context form.
Read it again with the allegations in mind. The four themes are broad, and almost every concern links to prioritising people, practising effectively, preserving safety or promoting professionalism and trust.
That's important to show. Explain what you understood then, what you understand now and what has changed in your practice since.
Break it into short sessions using the steps above. Starting with the concerns and the Code makes it much quicker than trying to write the whole story.
