The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric: Implications for Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness

The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric: 17 Years Later

BACKGROUND

Nearly 17 years ago, the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) was published to provide a common language and trajectory of students' development to think like a nurse.

METHOD

This article traces the uses of the LCJR from creation to the present and cites lessons learned from its use.

RESULTS

During the intervening years, the LCJR has been used effectively as a debriefing guide in simulation and as a research instrument, as well as for formative assessment. The LCJR has been translated or is in process in 19 languages besides English.

CONCLUSION

This article provides evidence of the efficacy of the LCJR and discusses important lessons learned. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(3):149-155.].

Barriers and Facilitators Experienced by Undergraduate Nursing Faculty Teaching Clinical Judgment: A Qualitative Study

Background

Clinical judgment is declining in new graduate nurses, which affects patient safety and is therefore tested on the Next Generation NCLEX. There is limited research describing barriers and facilitators impacting nursing faculty's experiences teaching clinical judgment.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators affecting undergraduate nursing faculty's clinical judgment teaching methods.

Methods

Sixteen qualitative interviews were conducted with full-time nursing faculty at seven universities in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the United States.

Results

The findings revealed program, student, and faculty factors affecting clinical judgment teaching methods. Subthemes included time, class size, students' class preparation, critical thinking, task orientation, professional development, and faculty resistance.

Conclusion

Minimizing barriers and strengthening facilitators based on participants' practices and previous research can support more effective clinical judgment pedagogy, which has the potential to achieve Next Generation NCLEX success and potentially increase patient safety.

Clinical Judgment Development and Assessment in Clinical Nursing Education

BACKGROUND

There is a gap in evidence for effective clinical teaching strategies to promote nursing students' development of clinical judgment (CJ).

PURPOSE

This study examined the effect of active learning strategies (ALSs) during clinical postconference sessions on the CJ of undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS

This quasi-experimental study of ALSs or standard postconferences used the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) to rate CJ at 3 time points. All faculty members and students were trained on use of the LCJR. Ratings were done by both faculty and students.

RESULTS

All ratings of CJ improved over time ( P < .001). Ratings of CJ varied between the control and intervention groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study contribute to knowledge regarding the effectiveness of clinical teaching strategies for CJ and preparation for entry to nursing practice.

Nursing students' clinical judgment skills in simulation and clinical placement: a comparison of student self-assessment and evaluator assessment

BACKGROUND

Clinical judgment is an important and desirable learning outcome in nursing education. Students must be able to self-assess their clinical judgment in both the simulation and clinical settings to identify knowledge gaps and further improve and develop their skills. Further investigation is needed to determine the optimal conditions for and reliability of this self-assessment.

AIMS

This study aimed to compare the same group of students' self-assessment of clinical judgment with an evaluator's assessment in both simulation and clinical settings. The study further aimed to investigate whether the Dunning-Kruger effect is present in nursing students' self-assessment of clinical judgment.

METHODS

The study applied a quantitative comparative design. It was conducted in two learning settings: an academic simulation-based education course, and a clinical placement course in an acute care hospital. The sample consisted of 23 nursing students. The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric was used to collect data. The scores were compared using a t-test, intraclass correlation coefficient, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman plots. The Dunning-Kruger effect was investigated using linear regression analysis and a scatter plot.

RESULTS

The results showed an inconsistency between student self-assessment and evaluator assessment of clinical judgment in both simulation-based education and clinical placement. Students overestimated their clinical judgment when compared to the more experienced evaluator's assessment. Differences between students' scores and the evaluator's scores were larger when the evaluator's scores were low, indicating the presence of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

CONCLUSION

It is vital to acknowledge that student self-assessment alone may not be a reliable predictor of a student's clinical judgment. Students who had a lower level of clinical judgment were likely to be less aware that this was the case. For future practice and research, we recommend a combination of student self-assessment and evaluator assessment to provide a more realistic view of students' clinical judgment skills.

Using Simulation to Develop Clinical Judgment in Undergraduate Nursing Students

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing plans to update the National Council Licensure Exam for nursing graduates to better measure clinical judgment. It is important that schools of nursing provide opportunities for nursing students to practice and develop clinical judgment skills. Simulation offers nursing students opportunities to use clinical reasoning and clinical judgment to care for patients in a safe environment The purpose of this study was to evaluate an unfolding case study using high-fidelity simulation to develop nursing students' clinical judgment skills across three practice settings: primary care office, acute care hospital, and home healthcare. This was a mixed-method, posttest study design with a convenience sample of 91 nursing students using the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) and survey questions. The posttest analysis mean of the LCJR subgroups revealed students felt accomplished following the intervention. Four themes emerged from content analysis of the qualitative data: 1.) increased knowledge of management of diabetes in various clinical settings, 2.) using clinical judgment/critical thinking in the home care setting, 3.) being able to self-reflect on actions, and 4.) a desire for more simulation experiences in the home healthcare setting. The results of the LCJR indicated that students felt accomplished after the simulation experience. This outcome was also evident in the qualitative data, indicating that students felt more confident in managing the care of a patient with a chronic illness using clinical judgment skills in various clinical settings.

Engaging the creative heArts of nurse educators: a novel conceptual model

OBJECTIVES

Nurse educators are increasingly challenged in preparing future nurses to be creative thinkers. The purpose of this innovative quality improvement initiative is to share nursing students' interpretations of the value arts-based pedagogy (ABP) brings to their nursing practice.

METHODS

Braun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis was utilized to identify and report patterns of ideas within learners' interpretations of engaging in an ABP assignment.

RESULTS

The analysis of students' interpretations led to the creation of a novel conceptual model to encourage and support nurse educators in the use of innovative ABP approaches.

CONCLUSIONS

ABP can be seamlessly integrated within teaching and learning methodologies to cultivate meaningful student learning.

IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE

The intent of the conceptual model is to encourage and support nurse educators in the use of innovative ABP approaches designed for engaging nursing students in active, creative, and challenging learning environments.