The float model: visualizing personal reflection in healthcare.

Challenge: Healthcare students and practitioners need to be able to critically assess themselves and their actions in order to learn from their experiences and improve their care of patients. Students' behaviours can be directly observed and faculty can provide direct feedback on it, when necessary. But 'reflection', a mechanism for assessing one's self, is less visible and often remains an abstract notion that is difficult to understand, use, and assess.

The effect of enhanced experiential learning on the personal reflection of undergraduate medical students.

Objective: This study's aim was to test the expectation that enhanced experiential learning is an effective educational method that encourages personal reflection in medical students.

Methods: Using a pre post-test follow-up design, the level of the personal reflection ability of an exposure group of first-year medical students participating in a new enhanced experiential learning program was compared to that of a control group of second- and third-year medical students participating in a standard problem-based learning program. Personal reflection was assessed using the Groningen Reflection Ability Scale (GRAS).

The development of a scale to measure personal reflection in medical practice and education.

Aim: Personal reflection is important for acquiring, maintaining and enhancing balanced medical professionalism. A new scale, the Groningen Reflection Ability Scale (GRAS), was developed to measure the personal reflection ability of medical students.

Method: Explorative literature study was conducted to gather an initial pool of items.

BEME systematic review: predictive values of measurements obtained in medical schools and future performance in medical practice.

Background: Effectiveness of medical education programs is most meaningfully measured as performance of its graduates.

Objectives: To assess the value of measurements obtained in medical schools in predicting future performance in medical practice.

Search Strategy: The English literature from 1955 to 2004 was searched using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane's EPOC (Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group), Controlled Trial databases, ERIC, British Education Index, Psych Info, Timelit, Web of Science and hand searching of medical education journals.

Core characteristics of the competent general practice trainer, a Delphi study.

Introduction: The specific skills, attitude, knowledge, and personality characteristics, which should define the competent GP-trainer have been subject of research for many years. What are the most important of these characteristics have yet to be delineated.

Aim: The aim of this study is to identify which characteristics are prerequisite for a competent GP-trainer.