Exploring how clinical nursing instructors understand and facilitate clinical judgment in nursing students

Abstract

Clinical judgment is recognised as an essential skill for competent nursing practice. The clinical setting is an ideal place for students to explore clinical judgment. Clinical judgment is often used interchangeably with clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making. There is limited information from the perspective of clinical nursing instructors. This study was undertaken to explore the experiences of clinical nursing instructors with regards to their understanding of clinical judgment, their perspectives on what enhances and what hinders its development, and to obtain their recommendations for new instructors. Five study participants answered questions regarding these topics. Of interest, was the discussion on hindrances to the development of clinical judgment and participant recommendations for new clinical instructors. Study results can help new and experienced instructors explore and expand their practice, and could be used to help support new instructors during their first couple of years of practice.