NURS602 Assessment 1: Part B Portfolio of Evidence Instructions and Guide

There are two parts to Assessment 1: Part A Clinical practice and Part B: Portfolio of

Evidence. This document provides the instructions and a guide to completing Part B using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle in relation to a chosen client and a specific, identified situation.

Submission of Part B

Please read the assessment instructions carefully and submit by the due date outlined in NURS602 Canvas (usually the Monday after your clinical placement ends).

What does the PART B: Portfolio of Evidence consist of?

Part B is a small portfolio of evidence (three items) collected over the duration of the course, demonstrating critical thinking, understanding and practice development, to support student competency assessment. The portfolio of evidence will include the following:

1. Clinical Reflection (1000-1250 words max)

Submitted and graded post-clinical placement

Using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, capture a moment in time/event and show meaningful thinking (analysis & synthesis) about caring for an individual with a disability/long-term condition.  Note: Nursing is as much about ‘being with’ and noticing as it is about ‘doing’.

1. The analysis stage of the Gibbs cycle is the most important and must reflect an understanding of relevant NURS602 theory/concepts.
2. The analysis section is to be approx. 300-350 words and must include 3 relevant references dating from 2015 – 2025 to support your discussion
3. Keep all other stages brief but balanced in word count
4. Use APA 7 referencing style for your in-text citations and in your reference list

Use the headings provided in the submission template and ensure all six elements of the reflective cycle have been addressed.

To maintain privacy avoid naming the school, classroom, institution instead use generic information e.g. Special Ed school, Care Facility, or classroom of multiple disabled 5–8-yearolds

2. Disability Workbook (Submitted pre-clinical on a set date – refer to Canvas)

The Disability workbook is directly linked to the Disability Workshop developed and run online by Tiaho Trust. Please note: Attendance at the workshop and completing the workbook are both compulsories. The Disability Workbook is provided separately (download through Canvas) and you must have it with you when you attend the workshop. You will submit the completed workbook on an assigned date (refer to Canvas) before the NURS602 clinical runs commence.

Pre-Clinical Worksheet (Submitted pre-clinical on a set date – refer to Canvas)

This required learning activity aims to support your learning and understanding before starting your clinical placement. The worksheet is downloadable in Canvas and covers a total of five topics. Each topic has a set of instructions and questions to be answered on the question-and-answer sheet at the end of the worksheet.

You will submit the pre-clinical worksheet on an assigned date (refer to Canvas) before the NURS602 clinical runs commence.

Completion of the pre-clinical worksheet is compulsory.

The following pages provide guidance for completing the Clinical Reflection Activity. Please read them carefully.

Resources to support the Clinical Reflection Activity:

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle

Reflective practice is required in all areas of nursing practice as it enables practitioners to review and make plans to change their practice to promote positive outcomes. There are many different reflective cycles used to structure reflective writing; however, the Gibbs Reflective Cycle is commonly used in the field of nursing.

The Gibbs Reflective Cycle is a six-stage cycle developed by Graham Gibbs in 1988. The cycle gives structure to our ability to learn from an experience. The six-stage framework offers the exploration of an experience through description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and an action plan.

In the early days of writing reflectively, it can be difficult to know how to address each stage. To guide yourself through the process and prompt your thinking, it might be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

Description:

• What happened?
• When and where did it happen? o Who was present?
• What was the outcome of the situation?
• Why was I there?
• What did I want to happen?

Feelings:

• What were you feeling during the situation? o What were your feelings before and after the situation?
• What do you think other people were feeling about the situation? o What do you think other people are feeling about the situation now?
• What were you thinking during the situation? o What do you think about the situation now?

Evaluation: 

• What was good and bad about the experience? o What went well?  o What did not go well?
• What did you and other people do to contribute to the situation (positively or negatively)?

Analysis: 

• Why did things go well? o Why did things not go well? o What sense can I make of the situation?
• What knowledge – my own or others (e.g. academic literature) can help me understand the situation?

Conclusion: 

• What did I learn from this situation?
• How could this situation be more positive? o What skills do I need to develop?
• What else could I have done?

Action Plan: 

• If I was in the same situation again, what would I do differently?
• How will I develop the required skills needed?
• What steps should I take to ensure I act differently next time I am in the same or similar situation again?

Adapted from: Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford.

The following template can be used as a guide for planning your reflective writing piece. Use the headings provided and ensure all six elements of the reflective cycle have been addressed. 

NURS602 Part B Clinical Reflection (1000-1250 words max)

Using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, capture a moment in time/event and show meaningful thinking (analysis & synthesis) about caring for an individual with a disability/long-term condition.

1. The analysis stage of the Gibbs cycle is the most important and must reflect an understanding of relevant NURS602 theory/concepts.
2. The analysis section is to be approx. 300-350 words and must include 3 relevant references dating from 2015 – 2025 to support your discussion
3. Keep all other stages brief but balanced in word count
4. Use APA 7 referencing style for your in-text citations and in your reference list

Use the headings provided below and ensure all six elements of the reflective cycle have been addressed.

Description: (provide a brief description of the event, situation, etc. The description is to ‘set the scene’ for the rest of the reflection).

Feelings: (explain how you felt at the time of this event, situation, etc., and explain what thoughts and feelings came up at that moment in time).

Evaluation: (provide an evaluation of the event, situation, etc., by unpacking it. This process involves discussing pros and cons, ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ elements of the situation. This step can sometimes be made easier by ‘stepping back’ and ‘watching’ the situation, event, etc., unravel in front of you, rather than ‘watching’ it happen to you).

Analysis: (provide a detailed understanding of the event, situation, etc. From describing the event, explaining your emotional reaction, and evaluating it, what is your understanding of what happened? The ‘making sense’ of the event stage)

Conclusion: (write a summary of the event, about what you have learnt, and what you could have done differently).

Action Plan: (what are some steps, goals, or actions you could take for the next time the same or a similar situation happens again? How will you deal with similar situations in the future?)

Reference List: (Use APA7 referencing style)

Include a list of the references used in the analysis section of your reflection.

Useful Resources:

• New Zealand Nurses Organisation (2021): Reflective Writing
• Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford.
• Ingham-Broomfield, B. (2021). A nurses’ guide to using models of reflection. Australian

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 38(4), 62–67.  https://doi.org/10.37464/2020.384.395