The Reflection, Feedback, and Restructuring Model for Role Development in Nursing Education

An integral component of transitioning to the nursing practice setting is in assimilating and sometimes reformulating and reconceptualizing the knowledge gained in the classroom with what is seen and experienced in practice. An inability to do so may inhibit role development and result in difficult transitions to practice. A constructivist approach was utilized in the development of a new model that describes the process of learning and role development in the clinical and simulation setting. This approach involved reviewing the literature, reanalyzing themes, development of multiple schematics, continual review, personal observations of students in the clinical and simulation settings, and feedback from peer educators. The resulting reflection, feedback, and restructuring model describes an inductive, iterative process strongly influenced by feedback. This conceptual model may be a useful tool to guide nurse educators in facilitating role development and the transition from the classroom to the clinical setting for the nursing student.