It is important for psychiatric nurses to be able to reflect on their practice. This allows them to identify areas where they can improve and make changes to the way they work. One way of doing this is by conducting interviews with patients.
In this essay, I will reflect on an interview I conducted with a patient who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. I will discuss what went well and what could have been done better.
The interview went well overall. I was able to establish a good rapport with the patient and get them to open up about their experiences. However, there are some areas that could have been improved.
One area that could be improved is the line of questioning. Some of the questions I asked were leading and did not allow the patient to fully express themselves. I could have asked more open-ended questions that would have allowed the patient to share more about their condition and how it affects their life.
Another area for improvement is the length of the interview. I only had 30 minutes for the interview, which was not enough time to explore all the topics I wanted to cover. I could have planned my questions better so that I could have covered more ground in the time available.
Overall, the interview went well but there are some areas where I can improve. By conducting further interviews and reflecting on my practice, I can continue to develop my skills as a psychiatric nurse.
The model of Gibbs reflective cycle (1988) will be used to structure the events surrounding my interview and subsequent reflection, as this is the reflective cycle developed by Graham Gibbs (1988) in order to organize the happenings around my interview.
I will reflect upon how I felt prior to my interview, during the interview and after the interview.
Stage 1: Description
I was very nervous before my interview as it was for a placement in Psychiatry which is an area of healthcare that I am passionate about. During the interview, I felt that I performed well and was able to answer all of the questions asked of me. After the interview, I felt relieved and happy that it was over.
Stage 2: Feelings
Before the interview, I felt nervous and anxious as this was an important opportunity for me to secure a placement in Psychiatry. During the interview, I felt confident and able to answer all of the questions asked of me. After the interview, I felt relieved and happy that it was over.
Stage 3: Evaluation
I think that I performed well in the interview and was able to answer all of the questions asked of me. I think that my nerves may have got the better of me at times but overall I am pleased with how I conducted myself.
Stage 4: Analysis
I believe that the reason I felt nervous before the interview was because I really wanted to secure a placement in Psychiatry. This is an area of healthcare that I am passionate about and I want to pursue a career in. I think that my confidence during the interview came across well and helped me to perform to the best of my ability.
When the university gave me an opportunity to attend a selection day for their mental health nursing course, I wondered how being interviewed as part of a group would be different than my past experiences.
The interview helped me to explore and understand how I would develop as a person and a professional, not only would the academic rigour challenge me but through the group interview I was able to meet other like-minded individuals.
Through being interviewed in a group I was able to see that everyone had their own motivations for wanting to study mental health nursing, some were very personal such as overcoming their own struggles with mental health, others wanted to work with specific client groups or make a difference in society.
The group interview also allowed for an element of self-reflection, something which is crucial in the field of mental health nursing. It made me consider my own motivations and why I wanted to study the course, it also helped me to think about how my own experiences could be used to benefit others in a professional capacity.
The interview day as a whole was very informative, not only did it give me a better understanding of the course but it also helped me to reflect on my own motivations and why I want to study mental health nursing. The group interview format was particularly helpful as it allowed for open discussion and reflection between all of the candidates. I would recommend this type of interview to anyone considering a career in mental health nursing.
I felt confident going into the interview, knowing that the university could offer me everything I needed academically, and also wanting to show what unique contributions I could make to the school. However, when I arrived on selection day and saw how many other applicants there were, I started to feel anxious (as CL Hardy warns in 2012: “Interviews are performance events high pressure situations that can initiate the dreaded anxiety attack.”)
The interview took place in a large room with several other interviewees and interviewers, including the course director. The first part of the interview was a group discussion and we were asked to discuss our experience of Psychiatry. I remember feeling confident during this section of the interview as it related directly to my current job role.
We were each given a minute to introduce ourselves and then we discussed as a group for around fifteen minutes. The second part of the interview was an individual interview with two members of staff. During this section, I was asked about why I wanted to study Psychiatry and how I thought it would benefit my future career.
Although I felt confident during both parts of the interview, I did find the second section more challenging as it was more personal. Overall, I felt that the interview was fair and it gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my knowledge and passion for Psychiatry.
Looking back, I would have liked to have been given more time to talk about my future career plans as I feel this is an important part of Psychiatry. In addition, I would have liked to have been asked more questions about my experience of working in Psychiatry as I feel this would have given me the chance to highlight my clinical skills.