How do veterinary students engage when reflecting on their development towards being veterinary surgeons?

Background: Reflection has been widely acknowledged to contribute to professional development, the ability to manage tension and enhanced resilience. However, many practitioners struggle to reflect productively due to a lack of clarity of what constitutes effective reflection.

Methods: To help develop reflective competence among future professionals, 30 veterinary students' reflective assignments were analysed by thematic text analysis. Theoretical frameworks were based on published criteria for critical and core reflection.

Results: Reflection was described through resources (the tools used), practices (the ways of using these tools) and outcomes (what was achieved). This helped to distinguish simple skills based reflection from higher-level core reflection. Simple skills-based reflection was associated with an identity of expert learner: students perceive that their task is to identify a knowledge deficit that can be easily rectified through new learning. Core reflection was associated with students articulating an identity of adaptable professionals: rather than veterinary challenges being resolved simply through application of a body of knowledge, wider complexities of professional practice are recognised, including a need to resolve tension between their own and other stakeholders' priorities, values and beliefs.

Conclusion: Scaffolding an iterative, cyclical reflection process may support outcomes oriented towards resilience and the management of tension.