Exploring Nursing Students’ Reflection Experiences in Patient Safety PBL Reflective Journals

This study aimed to explore the content and time-point changes of nursing students' reflection experiences recorded in reflective journals during a patient safety PBL process, and to derive the theoretical core categories of these reflective experiences.To this end, a total of 265 reflective journals written by nursing students participating in a nursing management practicum in the first semester of 2025 were analyzed based on grounded theory methodology.Data were collected at three distinct time points reflecting the PBL process topic selection, planning, and outcome phases and were analyzed following the open coding, axial coding, and selective coding procedures of Strauss and Corbin .The analysis yielded four major categories and twelve subcategories.The major categories were explored as "multidimensional recognition of patient safety problems," "duality of reflective emotional experience," "recognition of competencies through the PBL process," and "perceptions and orientations regarding professional nursing identity".The core category was derived as "growth into a professional practitioner through the internalization of patient safety responsibility," and a developmental process spanning the three time points-confronting the problem and awakening, exploring causes and contemplating practice, and integrating into a professional practitioner-was confirmed.This study qualitatively demonstrates that patient safety PBL-based reflective education contributes to the formation of professional identity among nursing students, and suggests the potential of structured reflective journals for use in nursing education.