Does reflection, reflective comments and reflective practice full you with dread?
It didn’t used to with me, I felt I was pretty good with it. Then I did an ONCORE course… and had to keep a reflective diary as part of the course learning, and it still taught me so much that I didn’t realise I even needed to know!
“I’m in an odd place in my career”
I recently did the Leadership course on motivation and really enjoyed it. I’m in an odd place in my career where my writing and online activities are seen by many – and I know sometimes the motivation for this can be questioned. I’ve also found it can affect my time in practice as people have a pre-conceived idea of what I’ll be like.
This course was an amazing opportunity to explore our motivation and how we can motivate others. It gave me an insight into how your own motivations are seen by others and how to manage team motivation as well as personal motivation.
“..managing change – needed by most people who are in charge of a team”
As with all ONCORE CPD it is outcome-based and includes a reflective element. Both these elements make it great for vet nurses, and the result is information and paperwork that you can take away to use in your role. I created a motivation planner for managing change in a vet team – very relevant to what I do and needed by most people who are in charge of a team of nurses.
“I surprised myself”
I also wrote my reflective diary – and although the ideas for this started on the discussion boards, and from interaction with other practice leaders throughout the course; the chance to explore those comments in detail on my own was really interesting. I surprised myself with what I wrote and I discovered a lot about my thoughts and feelings on the subject and then felt far better equipped to apply this to the planner I created.
Outcome based and reflective CPD might sound like hollow buzz words – but ONCORE course made me realise just how useful they are and the course transformed my approach to team leadership in 3 weeks. That’s got to be good!
Article written by Jane Davidson
Jane is a very familiar face in the veterinary profession, and provides invaluable support and information for the veterinary nurse profession through her highly active social media work. (#planetrvn)
Jane also continues to work in veterinary practice through locum work, and is on the VN Futures working party group for education.
ONCORE are passionate about leadership in the veterinary profession, and helping veterinary professionals gain the skills that will help them to be successful and confident, whatever their role.
Their Leadership & Management series courses aim to offer practical, supportive, collaborative online learning – for veterinary practice leaders and those who simply want to enhance their leadership skills.
You can find out more about the series here.
