Step to Work | Positive appraisal of learning during challenging situations

Positive appraisal of learning during challenging situations
By the end of the session you should be able to:

• appraise the thoughts and feelings you have experienced during difficult and challenging situations
• value your own strengths and personal resilience's by sharing this experience with a mentor or colleague

Document your answers to the following task in the worksheet. The exercise should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

1a task: describing the difficult or challenging situation

• Identify one of the most challenging or difficult situations you have experienced learning in practice during the previous 12 months.
• Write a brief overview of the facts of the situation.
• Describe the first or most prominent thought that you had about that situation at the time it happened.
• Describe what you felt the worst thing was about that situation for you personally and how it affected you at the time.
• Describe the impact that the situation had on your life. How did the situation affect you longer term?

Document your answers to the following reflection in the worksheet. The exercise should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

1b reflection: debriefing

Share your experience of the difficult situation with a colleague, your preceptor, someone you have studied with or other mentor by verbally summarising each stage of the debrief.

• Has the process of describing the different stages of the way you responded to the difficult situation changed your perspective on it? If so, in what way?
• Have your colleagues experienced similar situations or reactions to those you described? What common themes can you identify? 
• Discuss with your colleague or mentor what learning capacities, personal qualities and values you can identify in the way you responded to and coped with the challenging situation that will be helpful for you as move forward in your profession.

Summary

• Task debriefing is the process of an individual or team formally reflecting on their performance after a particular task, a shift or a critical event. This process is important for several reasons including to help ensure patient safety.
• Critical incident stress debriefing is an evidence-based approach for staff support that is used in high-stress healthcare contexts. It provides a structure within which you can surface and explore your thoughts and feelings about challenging situations you have experienced.