What "reflective" means in practice
- Insight: what you noticed about your own thinking, feelings or assumptions.
- Learning: something specific you found out, and where.
- Change: what you will do differently and how you will check.
- Breadth: the wider implications for the patient, the team or the system.
If you deleted the case description, would the rest still show learning? If not, it is a case summary.
The numbers by year
| Requirement | ST1 | ST2 | ST3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection on feedback and other log types check current RCGP guidance | no fixed number | no fixed number | no fixed number |
Full time, per training year unless stated. Less than full time: per-year totals stay the same and each 6-month review needs a pro rata share; 6-monthly ESRs and 12-monthly certificates are not pro rata. Check with your deanery and educational supervisor.
Notes on these numbers
- Reflection on feedback and other log types, LTFT: n/a
- Reflection on feedback and other log types, confidence: medium. Our sources were partly secondary for this item: check current RCGP guidance.
How to do it well
Phrases that signal thinking
- "My first assumption was ... but ..."
- "I was uncomfortable because ..."
- "I checked [source] and found ..."
- "Next time I will ..."
- "I will know this has worked when ..."
- "This matters beyond this patient because ..."
Things that drag a log down
- Copy-pasted guideline text.
- "I learned a lot" with no specifics.
- Blame of patients, colleagues or the system without your own learning.
- Identifiable details.
- Eight capability links.
Worked example: a teaching session
Teaching session. I attended a teaching session on dermatology. It was very useful. I learned about eczema and psoriasis.
Emollients and steroid ladders: fixing a gap in my eczema plans.
What happened: A half-day dermatology teaching session. I went aware that my eczema plans were vague after two consultations this month where parents were unsure how much steroid to use.
What I learned: The fingertip unit and the steroid potency ladder; how much emollient a child actually needs each week (far more than I had been prescribing); how to write an action plan for flares.
What I will change: I have added a fingertip-unit leaflet to my templates and will prescribe emollients in realistic quantities. I will audit my next five eczema consultations for a written plan.
Capabilities: Clinical management (appropriate quantities and potencies); Communication and consultation (written plans parents can follow). Group: Infants, children and young people.
The Log Writer on the CCR page scores these signals as you type.
Common ARCP pitfalls
- Descriptive logs with no reflection: no evidence of insight or change.
- Nothing about wellbeing, workload or difficulty across three years, which can look like a lack of insight.
- Feedback ignored rather than reflected on.
- Reflection written for the reviewer the night before the ESR.