Using Online Exercises and Patient Simulation to Improve Students' Clinical Decision‐Making

Abstract

ABSTRACT Faced with increasingly complex clinical situations, nurses must respond with accurate clinical judgment. But del Bueno (2005) reports that only 35 percent of new graduate nurses exhibit entry‐level expectations of the necessary critical‐thinking skills. Croskerry (2003) argues that clinicians' education should be directed at developing cognitive strategies that reduce errors in clinical decision‐making. A challenge for nurse educators is finding activities to help students analyze their thinking as they address clinical problems. The author describes an assignment, given to third‐year baccalaureate students, that used both online learning and high‐fidelity patient simulation. Through discussions with instructors and peers, as well as personal reflection, students gained insight into both their sound and faulty critical thinking and clinical decisions.