1504 Mandatory Reflection as a Learning Tool

Introduction Reflection has become a compulsory part of medical training and forms the basis of most trainee portfolios. Method We sent an electronic questionnaire to doctors from a range of specialties at various stages of training and asked how often they were involved in reflection, whether this was mandatory, and whether they found this useful. Results We received 608 responses, 66% from doctors in training. 90% stated that reflection was mandatory for training. 396 had a pre-set number of reflections they had to meet in a set timeframe. 26% of respondents admitted using formulaic responses in the “majority of occasions” or “always”. 27% admitted to copying and pasting from previous reflections. 20% altered their story to make it relevant to the message they wished to convey. 85% found voluntary reflection useful to some degree. Conclusions Although reflection plays it part as a learning aid, making this mandatory, with a set number of reflections seems to detract from its value. There is a risk that this educational tool becomes an exercise in creative writing.