Reflective Clinical Judgment Questions to Educate the Next Generation of Nurses.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of health care requires entry-level nurses to have competent clinical judgment skills. In response, a nursing program created Reflective Clinical Judgment Questions (RCJQ) to guide students in the development of clinical judgment. METHOD: The RCJQ incorporates the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's action questions, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's core competencies for professional nursing education. The RCJQ includes cognitive process questions and self-reflection questions aligned to the prelicensure subcompetencies to direct student thinking and build a routine for clinical decision making. RESULTS: The RCJQ provides faculty with a framework to teach clinical judgment and incorporates self-reflective questions to guide decision making for safe and effective client care. CONCLUSION: The RCJQ streamlines the clinical judgment process and guides students to achieve essential outcomes in classroom, clinical, and simulation settings to prepare for clinical practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(3):182-185.].

Curriculum Evaluation Using Path Analysis.

The purpose of this study was to explore the application of path analysis to evaluate the curriculum model and provide guidance in course sequencing. Using statistical package R to add and subtract various path connections, the curriculum model was improved to a proposed curriculum model, which passed the exact-fit test (χ42 = 45.612, with P = .286 > .05). Path analysis provided an objective method to evaluate the curriculum model and course sequencing in the baccalaureate program under study, while informing possible placement of courses.

Early Indicators of NCLEX-RN performance.

Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI(™)) test results, course grades, and National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN(®)) outcomes of students in an associate degree nursing program at a midwestern public university were investigated. Statistical analysis revealed that introductory Fundamentals HESI test scores, more than either comprehensive HESI Exit Exam scores or other specialty HESI test scores, significantly predicted NCLEX-RN outcomes in this study (p < 0.05), while controlling for grade point average and high school percentile rank. In addition, of the general education courses and the nursing courses in the associate nursing program examined, Pediatric Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing, and Maternity Nursing course grades were found most statistically significantly influential of all the HESI test scores (p < 0.01).