Comics as Reflection: In Opposition to Formulaic Recipes for Reflective Processes

The importance of reflection in the continued learning and professional development of health care professionals is imparted to medical students soon after they begin their training. However, in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical training, reflection is most commonly "assessed" in extended pieces of formal writing-something that can inhibit natural approaches to reflective practice. The development of compulsory, standardized reflection aims to enable everyone to reflect on their practice, learn from it, and improve, but it does a disservice to those who already have mechanisms in place to reflect naturally and appropriately. It could be argued that standardized or formulaic recipes for reflective processes stunt the development of "creative, adaptive, and autonomous persons," actually resulting in the opposite of what reflection aims to achieve. Facilitating reflection in ways that suit learners and practitioners may help to overcome this. In opposition to formal, standardized approaches to reflection, it is argued that comics can mesh congruously with multiple approaches to reflection and, as such, can promote legitimate natural reflective processes, which may appeal to health care professionals.