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Title

The Effects of a Dedicated Education Unit on Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Clinical Judgment.

Authors

Cooper, Rhonda; Musallam, Eyad; Warner, Karen

Abstract

Background: Nurse educators and students consider clinical learning experiences to be the best method for learning clinical judgment skills. Research on the relationship between dedicated education units (DEUs) and nursing students' clinical judgment skills is scarce. This study investigated the effects of a DEU on Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students' clinical judgment skills. Method: A descriptive one-group pretest-posttest study assessed the effect of a DEU on BSN students' clinical judgment skills. Data were collected using the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR). Results: Students' essential clinical judgment skills (noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting) improved significantly. The DEU clinical experience helped students progress in clinical judgment behaviors from the developing stage to the accomplished stage using the LCJR. Conclusion: The DEU clinical experience positively affected nursing students' clinical judgment. Further research is needed to assess how DEU models affect clinical judgment and transition to professional practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2025;64(1):35–39.]

Subjects

PSYCHOLOGY of college students; MEDICAL logic; SELF-evaluation; REPEATED measures design; DATA analysis; RATING of students; NURSING education; REFLECTION (Philosophy); PRE-tests & post-tests; ABILITY; ANALYSIS of variance; STATISTICS; JUDGMENT (Psychology); NURSING students; TRAINING; CRITICAL thinking; SELF-perception; INFORMATION-seeking behavior

Publication

Journal of Nursing Education, 2025, Vol 64, Issue 1, p35

ISSN

0148-4834

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.3928/01484834-20240827-01