Rolfe Reflective Model: A Nursing Guide

Last updated August 2026

Resources / Rolfe reflective model

The Rolfe reflective model is one of the most popular frameworks used by UK healthcare students. It strips reflection down to three questions: What?, So what? and Now what? That simplicity makes it perfect for a quick reflection at the end of a placement shift, yet it is robust enough to produce a thoughtful piece of writing for a portfolio or supervision meeting.

This guide explains how each stage works, what to write in each section, and how to avoid the common mistakes that cost marks. You will find a complete nursing example, an anonymisation checklist, and a free copyable template you can use straight away. Every scenario is fictional and composite — no real patient, colleague or placement is described.

What is the Rolfe reflective model?

Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper published their framework in 2001 with the deliberate aim of making reflection more accessible. The model uses a loop of three questions that can be asked at increasing depth:

• What? — the descriptive stage. What happened? What is the event I am reflecting on?
• So what? — the interpretive stage. What did it mean? Why does it matter for me and my practice?
• Now what? — the action stage. What will I do next time, and what do I need to learn or change?

The power of the model is that each question can be expanded or compressed depending on how much time you have and how significant the event was. For a five-minute post-shift note you might answer each question in a sentence. For a portfolio piece you might write several paragraphs under each heading.

Why UK nursing students use Rolfe

UK nursing programmes teach reflection because the NMC Code expects registered nurses to reflect on their practice, and revalidation requires five written reflective accounts every three years. Starting the habit as a student makes professional registration far less daunting.

Rolfe is especially useful when:

• You want to write a reflection quickly while the details are still fresh.
• The event is contained — one conversation, one procedure, one shift moment.
• You need a structure that is easy to explain in a supervision discussion.
• You want to keep the focus on practice change rather than deep emotional exploration.

If the event was significant, upsetting or complex, Gibbs may be a better choice because it has dedicated stages for feelings and deeper analysis. If your assessment brief specifies a model, follow that.

Stage-by-stage breakdown

What? — describe the event

The first stage is purely descriptive. Your goal is to give the reader enough context to understand the reflection without drifting into analysis, opinion or identifiable detail. Keep it factual, anonymous and focused on one event rather than a whole shift.

Helpful prompts for What?:

• What happened?
• Where did it happen?
• Who was involved?
• What was I doing at the time?
• What was the outcome?

Anonymity tip: write "an adult patient on an acute medical ward" rather than giving a ward name. Use roles such as "my practice supervisor" or "the registered nurse" rather than names. Remove exact dates, NHS numbers, dates of birth, addresses and rare diagnoses.

So what? — explore the meaning

This is where most of the learning happens. Move from what happened to why it matters. Be honest about your feelings, but keep the focus on what the experience revealed about your practice and your professional development.

Helpful prompts for So what?:

• How did I feel at the time? How do I feel now?
• What did I do well?
• What could I have done differently?
• What did I learn about myself?
• How does this link to the NMC Code, my learning objectives or placement standards?
• What was the impact on the patient, the team or my own learning?

Strong reflections at this stage connect the event to professional standards. For example, if you reflected on a confidentiality decision, you could link it to the NMC Code requirement to respect confidentiality and to your trust's information governance policy.

Now what? — plan the change

The final stage turns insight into action. A good Now what? section has specific, achievable commitments rather than vague intentions. It should also say how you will know whether you have improved.

Helpful prompts for Now what?:

• What will I do differently next time?
• What skill, knowledge or behaviour do I need to develop?
• What support do I need? From whom?
• How will I measure my improvement?
• When will I review this action plan?

Weak action plans say things like "I will communicate better next time." Strong action plans say "I will use the SBAR handover structure when escalating concerns and ask my practice supervisor to observe me doing this during my next shift."

Common mistakes to avoid

• Describing the whole shift. Rolfe works best on one specific event. If you try to reflect on an entire shift, your So what? stage becomes a list rather than a focused analysis.
• Skipping Now what? A reflection without a clear action plan is just a story. The Now what? stage is what turns the experience into professional development.
• Being vague about feelings. "I felt bad" is less useful than "I felt anxious because I was unsure whether I had the authority to speak up." Naming the specific feeling helps you learn from it.
• Leaving out professional standards. Linking to the NMC Code, trust policy or evidence shows that your reflection is grounded in professional practice, not just opinion.
• Identifying patients or staff. Always anonymise. Breaching confidentiality in a reflective account can have serious academic and professional consequences.

Rolfe reflective model example: a difficult conversation with a relative

This example is fictional and anonymised. It is written at a length suitable for a portfolio entry; you can expand or compress each section depending on your assessment requirements.

What? A relative approached me in the corridor during a busy afternoon shift and asked for an update on their family member. I did not know whether consent to share information with that person was recorded in the notes, so I said I would find the nurse in charge. The relative became visibly frustrated and said they had already been waiting for over an hour.

So what? My decision on confidentiality was correct — sharing information without confirming consent would have breached the NMC Code and the placement provider's information governance policy. However, I delivered the message awkwardly. I focused entirely on protecting the information and did not acknowledge how worried the relative was. That made a professionally correct action feel unhelpful to them. I felt anxious and then defensive, which probably showed in my body language. The experience taught me that being right about a rule and being helpful to a person are two different skills, and patients and families experience both. I also noticed that I was intimidated by the emotional intensity of the situation, which made me default to a formal response.

Now what? I will keep escalating information requests rather than guessing, but I will lead with empathy. Next time I will say something like, "I can see this is difficult and you want an update. I need to check with the nurse in charge that we have consent to share this information with you. Let me find them now and come back to you within ten minutes." I have added communication in emotionally charged situations as a learning objective for my next practice supervisor meeting, and I have asked to observe an experienced nurse handle a similar conversation. I will review my progress in two weeks.

Free Rolfe reflection template

Copy the template below into a document or note-taking app, or use it inside SoliWard's guided reflection tool. It includes the three stages and an anonymity checklist so you can save with confidence.

Rolfe Reflective Model Template

What? (Description)
- What happened? Describe the event briefly and factually.
- Who was involved? Use roles only (e.g. "the registered nurse", "my practice supervisor"), never names.
- Where did it happen? Keep it general (e.g. "an adult medical ward"), not a specific ward name.
- When did it happen? Give the rough timing (e.g. "during my second week") rather than an exact date.
- What was I doing? State your role and what you observed or did.

So what? (Meaning and learning)
- How did I feel at the time? Be honest about your emotional response.
- What did I do well? Identify the strengths you showed.
- What could I have done better? Be specific, not self-critical in a vague way.
- What does this mean for my practice? Link to the NMC Code, your learning objectives, or placement standards.
- What did I learn about myself or the situation? Name one insight.

Now what? (Action plan)
- What will I do differently next time? Write one or two concrete behaviours.
- What support or learning do I need? Include a skill, discussion, or resource.
- How will I know I have improved? Set a measurable check or observation.
- Who will I discuss this with? E.g. practice supervisor, personal tutor, mentor.

Anonymity checklist before saving
- No patient, relative or colleague names
- No NHS numbers, dates of birth, addresses or exact dates
- No ward names, hospital names or placement provider names
- No rare diagnoses or identifying details

When to use Rolfe vs Gibbs vs Driscoll

• Rolfe — best for a quick, focused reflection on a single event, especially when you are short of time.
• Gibbs — best for a significant event you want to explore in depth, including how it felt and a detailed action plan.
• Driscoll — best when the reflection is mainly about what you will do differently in practice.

Still unsure? See our full nursing reflection examples guide for worked examples of all three models.

FAQ

Start your next Rolfe reflection with SoliWard

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