Twelve tips for maximizing the potential of reflective writing in medical education

Abstract

Reflective writing (RW) is a popular tool in medical education, but it is being used in ways that fail to maximize its potential. Literature in the field focuses on why RW is used – that is to develop, assess, and remediate learner competencies – but less so on how to use it effectively. The emerging literature on how to integrate RW in medical education is haphazard, scattered and, at times, reductionist. We need a synthesis to translate this literature into cohesive strategies for medical educators using RW in a variety of contexts. These 12 tips offer guidelines for the principles and practices of using RW in medical education. This synthesis aims to support more strategic and meaningful integration of RW in medical education.

Keywords:

• Medicine
• medical education
• reflective writing
• roles of teacher
• teaching and learning
• assessment
• medical humanities

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tracy Moniz

Tracy Moniz, MA, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Carolyn M. Melro

Carolyn M. Melro, MSc, PhD, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Andrew Warren

Andrew Warren, MD, MSc, FRCP(C), Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Chris Watling

Chris Watling, MD, MMEd, PhD, FRCP(C), Director, Centre for Education Research and Innovation; Professor, Departments of Oncology, Clinical Neurological Sciences, and Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.