Reflection on Personal Development in Health and Social Care


Personal development can be regarded as a group of activities which enhance the identity and knowledge about a particular task or process. It makes use of the potential and individual talent to improve the quality of life, and to make the dreams plus aspirations a reality. However, the idea of personal development is not only about the self-development but also involves activities to develop good conditions for others. For instance, the professions of teaching, counseling, and managerial jobs can create and impart an impression on others. Similarly, the health and social care sector can also be regarded as the job areas stemming from the reflection on personal development.

Health and Social Care

Now the question arises that on a broad spectrum, how can one indulge him or herself in personal development in health and social care sector? As an answer to this question, below stated is the comprehensive detail about the question subject:

First Principle- Grasp the Fundamental Requirements of Your Job

Enlist The Tasks You Should Perform
You should communicate to yourself what you are required to do and how can you achieve such targets. Your workload may include assisting a clinically professional practitioner, ensuring high-quality care, and transferring patients to other hospitals if required. Also, it must be obligatory on your part to immediately respond to medical emergencies and devise appropriate treatment solutions. In addition to these requirements, you should abide by all policies and instructions to ensure that all medical protocols are followed to the tee. Similarly, you are liable to be under the supervision of a clinical supervisor or the emergency care practitioner. Also, you should consider the possibility of operating a vehicle with immense care in case of an emergency.

Summary Of The List Of Tasks Obligatory For An Individual:

  • Communicate and coordinate with other professionals to ensure proper execution of the medical tasks.
  • Grasp control over the emergency problems and keep your supervisors updated with the progress.
  • Talk to the patients and their families to keep them well-informed about the medical procedures.
  • Devise accurate measures to keep the confidential information protected.
  • Dispose of the clinical waste while abiding by all safety procedures and protocols.
  • Mentally assess and observe the environment while witnessing the medical causalities. In short, make use of the dynamic risk assessment at the occurrence of any incident.
  • Ensure that the patient report documents are filled as per the policies and protocols.
  • Ensure that the Caldecott guidelines are well followed.
  • Inform your supervisors about any breach of security protocol, negligence, and risk to safety practices.
  • Make sure that all medical equipment is ready to be used right away and are not damaged.
  • Implement measures to keep the vehicle clean and less prone to promote diseases among the masses.
  • Ensure refueling of the vehicles as an emergency can arise anytime.
  • Regularly perform the safety check of the vehicle before every shift.

Gauge What Others Expect From You
Anyone, coming in contact with your services, expects you to display the attributes of professionalism, trustworthiness, compassion, and deal with your patients with a positive attitude. Also, you should coordinate well with the other professional staff to ensure good medical treatment practices. In this connection, you are expected to follow the rules stated in the employee handbook and the GSCC code of practice.

According to the GSCC code of practice, a social worker is expected to:

  • Promote safe conditions for the benefits and protect them from any adverse or harmful situation.
  • Consider it a responsibility to deliver qualitative work while improving their knowledge and polishing their skills.
  • Safeguard the interests and rights of every person involved in the health and social care sector.
  • Ensure that the behavior of the concerned personal stays in line with the normal code of conduct and that they may not harm themselves or the other people around them.
  • Maintain the trust levels and strive to attain the confidence of the service users.

Second Principle- Reflect And Infuse The Personal Development Tactics

Illustrate the Significance of Reflective Practise to Improve the Quality of the Service
According to the Kolb, learning is a cycle and knowledge is attained via personal encounters plus experiences. Utilizing this principle, Kolb has devised a learning cycle to promote better use of individual’s skills and knowledge. The learning stages include:

  • The endurance of any new experience or new exposure to the past experience.
  • Reflective observation is promoted, making this the basis to gap the bridge between the understanding and the experience endured.
  • The reflective observation leads to the abstract conceptualization stage which gives rise to a new idea.
  • The last stage is about the application of the new idea to the world to witness what happens next.

Therefore, reflective observation helps us to assess and implement decisions after resolving the uncertain circumstances involved. This approach may also involve choosing a new course of action or exploring alternative options to solve the problem at hand. Let us consider an example to illustrate the phenomenon of reflective observation impeccably. Consider if someone under your supervision commits a mistake, you must reflect and see what went wrong. If there were any loopholes in the instructions provided by you, how can you eliminate the future occurrence of this mishap, and what lesson is to be learned here?

Showcase the Implementation of Reflective Observation

You should demonstrate the practice of reflection by utilizing the following options:

  • Refer to your shift colleagues and ask for their viewpoint on a certain emergency or conflict.
  • Consult your line manager or the clinical supervisor for any feedback as per the situation at hand.

Third Principle- Evaluate Your Performance

Evaluate How Learning Activities Have Affected Practice
It is vital that you assess your performance and evaluate the factors or procedures which assisted you to perform your role better. You should also consider opting for some courses that improve your knowledge and also be a valuable addition to your resume. According to the GSCC code of practice the health care member should:

  • Seek assistance from the upper management if feeling uncertain about a particular job.
  • Ensure quality standards and try to enhance their knowledge and skills.
  • Participate in training and workshops which not only help increase the individual’s skills but also help to contribute to the development of others.

The fourth Principle- Devise a Personal Development Plan

Locate Your Support System Bodies To Evaluate Your Performance
The support sources to locate in a workplace include the manager and clinical supervisors who provide their feedback via supervisions or appraisals. This evaluation grading helps you improve your performance and directs you to opt for the appropriate training course. Furthermore, this feedback also helps you decide the course of action you should take to enhance your skills and knowledge.

Demonstrate Your Personal Development Techniques
You should keep your clinical supervisor well-informed about your personal development plans. In addition to this, you should share with him the outcome of undertaking a certain training or course. Also, you should discuss your shortcomings and explore the avenues which can help you grow better professionally.

Fifth Principle- Utilise the Knowledge Imparting Practises to Contribute to Personal Development

Scrutinize Your Performance
You should assess how the learning techniques have helped you improve and induced better job performance. Also, think if the training has helped you develop a sense of confidence and the other set of immaculate attributes, such as trustworthiness. In addition to this, also identify your melioration towards the day to day activities in a work setting.

Manifest How Your Ways of Working Improved Using Reflective Practise
You should ask for feedback from your colleagues regarding your improved ways of working. You can also ask them for suggestions so that you may improve further; however, it is essential that you take this feedback as constructive criticism and not treat this as a hostile act.

Demonstrate a Ratio of Record Progress And Personal Development
You should equip your clinical supervisor with your development record file bearing details of the training courses you have attended. The date of attending such training sessions should also be made a part of the record, so it gets easier for them and you to assess whether a certain course requires to be renewed or updated. In addition to this, on your appraisal, you may request further training so as to contribute better to your working role.

On these grounds, this is how the reflective practice on personal development helps you understand the major requirements and assists you to induce competence in your work role. Thus, you should follow these reflective practices to the tee and register yourself for a journey of immaculate success. Remember, it may take a while to get used to harsh feedback or to get yourself focus towards the right direction. All you are required to do is to believe in yourself and give your best shot. Good luck!


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