A Uro-Oncology Nurse Specialist’s Reflection on her Practice Journey

This book provides a unique insight and background of a uro-oncology nurse’s career from a personal and professional perspective, one that encapsulates the ever changing dynamics in the nursing profession over 40 years - 1970’s to current, 2022.  In writing this book, the objective is to devise a beneficial point of reference, one that is conducive to enlightening individuals within the healthcare profession and the wider context, on the art of reflection and acknowledging its benefits in terms of exploring their feelings and understanding their meaning. 

Reflection is a highly beneficial tool. In this context, the process enables the author to reflect constructively on her nursing career and practice, to highlight the positive as well as the negative aspects within that practice, and illustrate how the experiences gained have contributed to her development, personally and professionally, throughout that journey. Reflection includes deliberate reflection on experience, emotions, actions and responses and acknowledging how essential these have been to informing the author’s existing knowledge base and in ensuring a higher level of learning and understanding.  

In the continued quest to deliver optimal healthcare, the objective of reflection is in enabling healthcare individuals e.g. nursing students, newly qualified nurses or those considering change of nursing speciality, to better understand their patients from a holistic standpoint (physical, psychological, psycho-social, spiritual, cultural and economic) and ultimately, improving the individual patient’s overall experience – cancer or otherwise, as  well as improving and enhancing practice outcomes.  

The importance of reflection and its contribution to increasing the healthcare professional’s self-awareness – emotional, personal and professional, is also well underlined. Various Modules and Case Studieswithin the book are used to explain and highlight key issues, and to enhance content and visual acuity.