Reflection can help nurses make sense of their clinical surroundings and understand risks, challenges and opportunities. Learning the art required for reflective practice begins as a student when critical reflection is particularly important during practice placements.

A suitable reflective framework is provided by Rolfe et al (2011). Adopting this framework, this article draws on the placement experiences of a second-year undergraduate children’s nursing student in an acute setting, caring for a toddler with 13% partial and full-thickness burns.

The decisions made about assessing and monitoring homeostasis, overall fluid and pain management, infection prevention and potential safeguarding concerns are explored. Reflecting on clinical experience provides students with invaluable transferable skills.