Mapping Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning, and Clinical Judgment Across the Curriculum

Critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical judgment are skills nurses use when caring for clients. However, teaching and evaluation of clinical judgment are challenging for faculty.

Before revising a curriculum, it is necessary to map current practices and determine a framework for revisions.

Faculty mapped critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical judgment activities across the 5-semester traditional baccalaureate program. Use of an external consultant helped faculty to determine additional activities that could be used to assess clinical judgment in classroom and clinical settings. Faculty worked together to develop teaching strategies and Next Generation National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) item types for assessing clinical judgment.

Using the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Clinical Judgment Model as an educational framework can guide faculty in curriculum mapping, revisions, and development of clinical judgment activities and assessment.