What Matters to Me & Reflection

When we actively reflect about something that happened, we give ourselves an opportunity to
explore what went well and what we can improve upon. We can write our own future and choose to
respond different the next time we face a similar experience. This reflection assignment is based on
the exercise that we completed in class on our personal values and the impact that these values may
have on the care we provide patients and families (Gottlieb, 2012).

For this assignment, you will:

• Complete the What Matters to Me Form

• Write a reflection that is based on the exploration of your values in completing the What
Matters to Me exercise using the reflection model (what, so what, now what)

Due: Day 2 at the beginning of class

Weight: What Matters to me Form 10% and Reflection 20%

This reflection is an opportunity to show that:

• You can identify principles involved in providing hospice palliative care.

• You can explain your role within the palliative care team

• You can demonstrate a holistic approach to care

Directions

Part 1

During our in-class session consider and respond to the questions in this What Matters to Me Form in
sentences or in point form.

Part 2

Reflect on the meaning of this activity to you considering the following:

• In the past, did your values affect your practice as a PSW? If so, describe how.

• Moving forward, how do you think being aware of your values will affect your practice?

• Take into account your relationship with patients, patients’ families, and other members of the
health care team.

Work Cited: Gottlieb, L.N. (2012). Strengths-based nursing care: Health and healing for person and
family [electronic resource]. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

PART ONE
 What Matters to Me?
Take a few moments to consider your own personal values:

• What matters to you? Take a few minutes to jot down all the things that are most important
to you.

• How would you define health and well-being?

• What do you need to be healthy?

• Imagine you have recently just received some troubling news – for example a troubling
diagnosis, an unexpected divorce, a recent loss of a job due to downsizing. How many of the
values that you listed in the first question would be affected by these scenarios? How may
this impact your health and well-being?

• Do our personal values impact our health and well-being? What happens if one or more of
those values disappear (say due to a loss of job, chronic disease, or lengthy hospitalization
for example)? Is it possible to be healthy without your network of what makes you most
happy?
• How much control do we have over our health and well-being? Are there elements that are
out of our control?

Now, as a care provider:

• Consider a patient you recently cared for, what do you think their list would entail? What
role do you play in embracing a patient’s network of happiness?

• How may our personal values and network of happiness impact patient care (pros and
cons)? For example, as an extrovert I love to talk for many patients this may be comforting,
however; for others this quality may be overwhelming as they may prefer silence and space.

• What are some creative ways that you can integrate your values and network of happiness
into patient care to enhance the patient experience? For example, family is of outmost
importance to me, so ensuring patient care is always reflective of family-centred principles
regardless of the care setting is very important to me.
 • What has this activity meant for you personally and professionally?

PART TWO:
Reflection Portion

What?

So What?

Now What?

Criteria Distinguished Excellent Satisfactory Minimal Compliance

>90% 80%-89% 75%-79% 65-74%

What Matters to Me Form 10%

Answers to 14 12 10.8 10
Questions on Questions are Questions are Questions are Questions are vague bu
Form answered in-detail complete and complete and complete and answers
 and answers answers answers demonstrate a minimal way address
comprehensively demonstrate a an increasing level of change from current
demonstrate self- strong self- self-awareness and practice.
awareness and awareness and professional growth.
professional growth. professional growth.
Organization 7 6 5.4 5
and Answers contain no Answers are clear Answers are clear Answers require
Readability spelling or and easy to read with some spelling or concentration to read
grammatical errors with hardly any grammatical errors owing to spelling or
spelling or grammatical errors
grammatical errors
Reflection 20%
What? 7 6 5.4 5
Describe the Description is Description is clear Description is clear. Description is vague.
event. detailed and and expressive. Reader can create a Reader can for the mos
expressive. Reader Reader can create a mental image of the part visualize the event
can create a mental mental image of the event.
image of the event. event.
So what? 7 6 5.4 5
Analyze the Makes insightful Makes thoughtful Makes clear Makes limited
event: Why connections connections connections between connections regarding
was this between what is between what is what is learned from what is learned from th
moment so learned from the learned from the the event and event and self.
impactful? event and oneself. event and oneself. oneself.
What did you
learn from it?
So what? 7 6 5.4 5
Analyze the Describes in detail Describes the Outlines the impact of Vaguely addresses the
event: How the impact of the impact of the event the event on some impact of the event on
does it impact event on all those on most involved involved (for others involved (the
others involved (for (for example, the example, the patient, patient, the family, or
involved? example, the patient, family, the family, and/or the care team).
patient, family, and/or care team). care team).
and/or care team)
Now what? 7 6 5.4 5
What will you Insightfully suggests Clearly suggests a Clearly suggests a Suggests a solution tha
do next time? a strong solution strong solution that solution that shows shows progress from
that shows positive shows positive positive progress described event that is
progress from progress from from described event based on personal
described event described event that reflects best opinion and/or
using credible using reliable practice strategies. experience.
resources. resources.
Organization 7 6 5.4 5
and readability Reflection contains Reflection is clear Reflection is clear Reflection requires
no spelling or and easy to read with some spelling or concentration to read
grammatical errors with hardly any grammatical errors owing to spelling or
spelling or grammatical errors
grammatical errors