Factors associated with self-reported reflective practices among nursing students of Nepal

A key component of professional nursing practice is reflection, which also serves as a method for practice-based learning. It supports students in developing metacognitive knowledge, which enables them to plan for their learning. This study aimed to assess the level of reflective action among nursing students and identify factors associated with socio-demographic variables. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 293 nursing students enrolled in their final year at Purbanchal University of Bagmati Province, Nepal. The data was collected using a reflective practice self-assessment instrument. The descriptive statistics, such as frequency and percentage, were used to analyse the data, and the association of reflect action level with socio-demographic characteristics was assessed by using the chi-square test. The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the participants were aged less than 25 years, with mean age of 25.5 years. Most of the participants, 59.7% were unmarried, and 68.3% were from nuclear family. In terms of educational status, 38.6% of the participant’ fathers had mostly a graduate or above degree while 28.3% of the participants’ mothers had mostly a secondary level education. The majority of the participant’s fathers and mother occupation were self-employed 39.9% and 63.8% respectively. Most of the participants resided in urban areas (75.1%), and were studying post-basic bachelor in nursing (55.6%). The mmajority of the participants 68.6%depicted good potential for using reflective practices. Similarly, it was found that age, education of mother, occupation of mother, and nursing background  were significantly associated with the level of reflect action (p<0.05).  The study concludes that nursing students in Nepal have good potential for reflective practices. Offering professional development activities like workshops and seminars can further enhance their reflective skills.