Tara Reed, DNP

DNP: California State University, Fresno

Project Title: Engaging and Assessing Nursing School Students' Clinical Judgement Using Evidenced-Based Tools in the Clinical Practicum

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The project aimed to identify if the use of evidence-based clinical judgment tools could improve engaging nursing students’ clinical judgment in the clinical setting and improve clinical instructors’ assessment of students' clinical judgment competencies. During the clinical experience and post-conferences, the Clinical Judgement Measurement Model tool was used to engage students in clinical judgment when discussing patients and case scenarios (National Council of State Board of Nursing [NCSBN], 2019a). The clinical instructors also used Lasater Clinical Judgement Rubric (LCJR) validated tool to evaluate nursing students’ clinical judgment competencies (Lasater et al., 2015). Pre-survey data was collected on the clinical instructors’ current methods utilized to engage and confidence to assess students’ clinical judgment. Clinical instructors participated in a one hour zoom workshop to learn how to use the tools. The tools were used over the semester in the first, second and fourth medical-surgical clinical courses. Post survey data was collected on the effectiveness to engage students using the NCJMM tool and the instructor’s confidence in assessing students’ clinical judgment using the LCJR tool. The pre and post survey analysis determined the NCJMM tool (z = -3.42, p = <.001) and LCJR tool (z = -2.687, p = .007) demonstrated a statistically significant improvement when used to engage and assess students’ clinical judgment competencies.   

Dr. Eileen Jimenez