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.].

Escape to Learn! An Innovative Approach to Engage Students in Learning.

BACKGROUND: Research has demonstrated that the use of games such as escape rooms can promote engagement in student learning. Escape rooms also promote teamwork, encourage analytical thinking, and improve problem solving, all of which are vital skills for nursing students. Escape rooms have become a global phenomenon since being introduced in Japan in 2007. METHOD: This escape room was created as part of a learning activity in a mental health course. Puzzles were based on the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are required by nurses. RESULTS: All of the students highly agreed (100%, N = 22) that the puzzles required teamwork, cooperation, critical thinking, and concentration. CONCLUSION: Escape rooms can reinforce essential learner competencies and serve as an effective method to engage students in active learning. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(5):278-282.].

The Effect of Concept Maps on Undergraduate Nursing Students' Critical Thinking.

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of using concept maps as a teaching and learning strategy on students' critical thinking abilities and examine students' perceptions toward concept maps utilizing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. BACKGROUND: Researchers have found that almost two thirds of nurse graduates do not have adequate critical thinking skills for a beginner nurse. Critical thinking skills are required for safe practice and mandated by accrediting organizations. Nursing educators should consider teaching and learning strategies that promote the development of critical thinking skills. METHOD: A literature review was conducted using "concept maps, nursing education, and critical thinking" as the combined search terms. Inclusion criteria were studies that measured the effects of concept mapping on critical thinking in nursing students. RESULTS: Seventeen articles were identified. CONCLUSION: Concept maps may be useful tools to promote critical thinking in nursing education and for applying theory to practice.

Millennial Students' Preferred Methods for Learning Concepts in Psychiatric Nursing.

The current longitudinal, descriptive, and correlational study explored which traditional teaching strategies can engage Millennial students and adequately prepare them for the ultimate test of nursing competence: the National Council Licensure Examination. The study comprised a convenience sample of 40 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in a psychiatric nursing course. The students were exposed to a variety of traditional (e.g., PowerPoint(®)-guided lectures) and nontraditional (e.g., concept maps, group activities) teaching and learning strategies, and rated their effectiveness. The students' scores on the final examination demonstrated that student learning outcomes met or exceeded national benchmarks.