Reflective statement example for a dishonesty concern (NMC), annotated

If the NMC is looking at a concern about your honesty, you may feel that a reflective statement is a trap: say too much and you condemn yourself, say too little and you look as though you lack insight. That fear is understandable. A clear, honest reflection is often one of the most important things you can offer, but it has to be done carefully.

The statement below is an illustrative example written by us for teaching. It is not a real case, and the nurse and details are invented. It assumes the nurse accepts what happened. If you dispute the facts, talk to your representative before writing anything. This is general information, not legal advice.

Why is reflecting on dishonesty different?

A clinical error is usually about a gap in skill or a lapse in process. Dishonesty is about a choice. That means your reflection needs to go further into why you made that choice, what pressures or fears were behind it, and why you now see it differently. Panels are looking for evidence that the attitude behind the act has changed, not just the routine.

It also matters because of how seriously dishonesty is viewed. The NMC's guidance on striking-off orders lists cases involving dishonesty or a breach of the professional duty of candour among the types of case most likely to result in striking off. That is not a prediction about your case, but it explains why honesty about your own dishonesty carries so much weight.

Not sure where honest mistakes end and dishonesty begins? Read duty of candour vs dishonesty, and for the wider picture see NMC dishonesty allegations explained.

Part 1: What happened

Illustrative example only. In June, while working a late shift on a surgical ward, I recorded that I had completed two-hourly checks on a patient at high risk of falls at 18:00 and 20:00. I had not done the 20:00 check. I wrote it in the record because I was behind, and I did not want it to look as though I had missed it. This was dishonest. When my manager asked me about it the next week, I admitted it.

Why this works: it uses the word dishonest. It does not say documentation discrepancy or I may have inadvertently recorded. It states exactly what was false, and it gives the real reason in one sentence. It also records the admission factually, without dwelling on it as a credit.

Part 2: The impact

Illustrative example only. By recording a check I had not done, I gave my colleagues false information about a vulnerable patient. If the patient had fallen, the next nurse and the doctors would have relied on my entry and might have made the wrong decisions. My manager and team now have reason to question my records, and I have to earn that trust back. Patients and the public need to be able to rely on what nurses write. When a nurse falsifies a record, it damages trust in all of us, not just in me.

Why this works: it explains why a record that looks small is not small. It covers the patient, colleagues, the employer and public confidence, which ties to the Code themes of preserving safety and promoting professionalism and trust.

Part 3: What I now understand

Illustrative example only. I have thought hard about why I did it. I was afraid of looking incompetent, and in that moment protecting how I looked mattered more to me than telling the truth. I now understand that this is exactly the moment honesty matters most: when it is uncomfortable. The shift was busy and I had not asked for help, but being busy did not make me write something false. That was my decision. I also understand that the honest response, recording that the check was late and why, and telling the nurse in charge, would have kept my patient safer and would have been easy to defend.

Why this works: insight into dishonesty lives here. It names the motive (fear of looking incompetent) and the value judgement behind it, and it says plainly that pressure was context, not cause. It also shows the person knows what the honest alternative looked like.

Part 4: What I have done about it

Illustrative example only. I completed a course on professional honesty and the duty of candour, and a record-keeping update with my employer. I have reread the Code, particularly the parts about honesty and about record keeping, and discussed them in regular sessions with my clinical supervisor. I wrote a reflection after each piece of learning. I have also worked with my supervisor on asking for help early when I am falling behind.

Why this works: the learning targets both the act (records) and the cause (fear of asking for help). It includes learning with other people, and a reflection for each course. In a real statement you would attach evidence.

Part 5: What I do differently now

Illustrative example only. I now record care at the time, or as soon as possible, and if something is late or missed I write that down honestly and tell the nurse in charge. Last month I was delayed with observations during an emergency on the ward. I recorded the actual time and the reason, and handed it over. I tell my team when I am struggling. I know I cannot undo what I did, but I can show, every shift, that my records can be trusted.

Why this works: it gives a recent, specific example of honest behaviour under the same kind of pressure. That is far more convincing than a promise never to do it again.

What words make a dishonesty reflection weaker?

• Euphemisms: error of judgement, oversight, discrepancy, when you mean you wrote something you knew was untrue.
• Blaming the environment: the ward was so short-staffed that I had no choice.
• Making it about you: long passages on your own distress with little about the patient or colleagues.
• Reciting the Code at length instead of explaining what it means to you.
• Promises with no evidence: I would never do this again.

Can I use this example as a starting point?

Use it to understand what each section needs to do, then put it away and write your own. Copied or templated wording is easy to recognise, and in a dishonesty case it is especially damaging, because it raises the question of whether the reflection itself is genuine. For the same reason, do not use AI to write it. Your reflection should sound like you.

Looking after yourself

Facing up to your own dishonesty can bring up shame that feels overwhelming. You are more than this moment. The NMC's Careline offers free, confidential, independent support 24 hours a day on 0800 587 7396, and using it will not affect your case. If you ever feel unsafe, Samaritans are available any time on 116 123.

Get advice before you send it

Dishonesty cases carry high stakes, so take advice from your union (RCN, RCM, Unison or Unite), indemnity provider or a regulatory solicitor before you submit a reflection, especially if any facts are disputed. Our Dishonesty in Nursing course explains how dishonesty is assessed and how to reflect on it, the dishonesty insight reflection prompts help you think it through, and the free reflection builder helps you draft step by step.