Critical emancipatory reflection on establishing an equal, trusting relationship among surgery participants in clinical practice in China

Abstract

Abstract Objective Reflection is considered to be one of the important ways to learn from one’s experience, and one should be encouraged to apply the skill of reflection in lifelong learning. The author used the critical emancipatory reflection theory to reflect on a practice issue, which was related to the relationship between doctors and nurses, and tries to become a lifelong reflective practitioner in clinical work. Methods Smyth’s reflective framework, which includes the steps describe, inform, confront, and reconstruct, will be used in this article to help the author to understand the process of reflection and improve the skill of reflection. Utilizing Smyth’s reflective framework to reflect on an issue in practice allows the author to break the routine way of thinking and learn from experience, as well as providing a higher quality of service for patients. Results The theory of emancipatory reflection along with the critical reflection theory will be used to determine the beliefs and values that rule the author’s action and derive how these are distinct from what the author is supposed to achieve. Besides, critical emancipatory reflection theory will be used to discover the dominant power structures in clinical practice; symbolic interaction and hegemony will be utilized to discover the factors that prevent the author from achieving the desired goals; socialization theory will be applied to facilitate the author in improving the professional identity. Conclusions Using the critical emancipatory reflection on the issue in practice helps the author to find out the constraints in practice, bridge the espoused value and enacted value, and thereafter undertake transformative changes in practice. Eventually, the author can improve the skill of critical emancipatory reflection and become a lifelong reflective practitioner, and the quality of clinical practice can be improved as a result.