AORN JOURNAL • 429

Reviews FEBRUARY 2007, VOL 85, NO 2

Foundations in Nursing andHealth Care: BeginningReflective PracticeMelanie Jasper2003, 206 pages

£12 softcover

This book gives an accessi-ble and practical explanation ofwhy reflective practice is nec-essary and when health carepractitioners should use it. Thebook begins by examining re-flective practice as a concept.Reflective practice is thinkingabout things that have hap-pened and seeing them in adifferent way, which enables aperson to take some kind of ac-tion. Taking action involves de-cision making, and learning toreflect on a situation before act-ing gives one an opportunityto plan what the action will be.Different levels of reflection arediscussed in the chapters. De-pending on the situation, re-flection sometimes is donequickly, though the processmay take longer, for example,

when making a plan of care fora patient.

The second chapter beginswith recognizing personalstrengths and weaknesses.Readers are encouraged to rec-ognize and explore their previ-ous experiences and reflect onhow they dealt withthose experiences. Theauthor believes thatself-knowledge willhelp one reflect onsituations in the clin-ical setting.

Another chapterdiscusses frame-works for reflec-tion. Readers canwork throughsome of their experiencesby using the frameworks andthen applying them to clinicalexperiences. The book thenconsiders the clinical environ-ment, encouraging readers tothink about the challengesthey have encountered therein the past.

The last two chapters pres-ent practical ways of actuallybeing a reflective practitioner.Readers learn ways of reflect-ing on their own as well asways of reflecting with others.

The book has six chapters,and each chapter includes key

points, top tips, reflective ac-tivities, keywords, and casestudies. In each chapter therealso are learning outcomesand rapid recap (ie, short an-swer) questions with the cor-rect answer provided in anappendix. Most chapters con-tain references, though some

of the references areoutdated. The bookalso includes car-toons and incorpo-rates an attractivetwo-color design,which lead the readerto want to read furtherand glean more infor-mation about reflectivepractice.

This well-writtenbook is intended for first-levelhealth care students or healthcare workers returning topractice. I would recommendit to any nursing instructor orhealth care educator.

This book is available fromNelson Thornes Ltd, DeltaPlace, 27 Bath Rd, Chelten-ham GL53 7TH, UnitedKingdom.

ELLEN O’CONNOR RN, BSN, CNOR(E)

ADJUNCT CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR

SNEAD STATE NURSING PROGRAM

SCOTTSBORO, ALA

The AORN Foundation is offering scholarships forthe 2007-2008 academic year to nursing stu-

dents who are seeking to obtain their initial RN li-censure and perioperative nurses who are pursuinga bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. For more

information and to access application forms andcurrent guidelines, visit the AORN Foundation website at http://www.aorn.org/foundation/scholarships.asp. Completed applications must be post-marked by May 1, 2007, to be considered.

AORN Foundation Scholarship Applications Available Online