Related Experiment Videos
Teaching Prioritization: "Who, What, & Why?"
Background:
New graduate nurses must be equipped to prioritize the needs of multiple complex patients and intervene on problems causing the highest risk of adverse outcomes. Targeted and theoretically supported strategies to teach prioritization without significant change to clinical education structure are needed.
Method:
A structured, scaffolded prioritization exercise using individual and peer-learning strategies engages prelicensure nursing students in purposeful practice prioritizing care needs for individuals and groups of patients. The exercise uses students' assigned clinical patient data, during existing clinical conference sessions, across a three-semester clinical course sequence with baccalaureate-level prelicensure nursing students.
Results:
Students appreciate the peer learning and coaching provided by instructors during this activity. Instructors identify that students more readily recognize potential and actual risks and prioritize nursing actions in conferences and clinical sessions.
Conclusion:
Simple and theoretically based teaching strategies offer a pathway for teaching students to recognize salient features of complex patient situations, prioritize actions, and provide safe patient care. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(5):302-305.].