UPDATE 2026
Clinical Judgment - Answers The process of figuring out what is happening with the
patient, deciding what matters most, determining what to do, and evaluating whether
it worked.
NCJMM Six Functions - Answers Recognize Cues → Analyze Cues → Prioritize
Hypotheses → Generate Solutions → Take Action → Evaluate Outcomes.
NCJMM Mnemonic - Answers RAP-GTE: Recognize → Analyze → Prioritize →
Generate → Take → Evaluate. Think: "RAP, then Get The Evidence."
Recognize Cues - Answers Identify relevant patient information. Ask: "What do I
notice?"
Recognize Cues Examples - Answers Vital signs, assessment findings, laboratory
findings, medications, health history, patient statements, family observations, and
changes from baseline.
Analyze Cues - Answers Connect related findings and determine what they may
mean together. Ask: "What might this mean?"
Recognize vs Analyze - Answers Recognize = NOTICE the data. Analyze =
INTERPRET the data.
Prioritize Hypotheses - Answers Determine which possible patient problem or
explanation is most important. Ask: "What worries me most?"
Generate Solutions - Answers Identify possible nursing interventions or actions. Ask:
"What could I do?"
Take Action - Answers Select and perform the safest and most appropriate
intervention for the priority need. Ask: "What should I do now?"
Generate Solutions vs Take Action - Answers Generate Solutions = think of possible
interventions. Take Action = choose and perform the best intervention.
Evaluate Outcomes - Answers Reassess the patient and determine whether the
intervention worked. Ask: "Did it work?"
Evaluate Outcomes Questions - Answers Is the patient better? Worse? Unchanged?
Does the plan need to continue or change?
NCJMM Scenario Mnemonic - Answers NOTICE → MEANING → MOST
IMPORTANT → OPTIONS → ACT → CHECK.
, Tanner Clinical Judgment Model - Answers Noticing → Interpreting → Responding
→ Reflecting.
Tanner Mnemonic - Answers NIRR: Notice It, Respond, Reflect. More precisely:
Notice → Interpret → Respond → Reflect.
Tanner Noticing - Answers Initial recognition or perception of important patient
information. Ask: "What do I see?"
Tanner Interpreting - Answers Assign meaning to the information using reasoning.
Ask: "What does it mean?"
Tanner Responding - Answers Decide what action or inaction is appropriate and
monitor the patient's response. Ask: "What should I do?"
Tanner Reflecting - Answers Examine the situation and learn from it. Ask: "What
happened and what can I learn?"
Reflection In-Action - Answers Reflection occurring WHILE the patient situation is
happening; the nurse monitors responses and adjusts care during the event.
Reflection On-Action - Answers Reflection occurring AFTER the situation, such as
during debriefing or post-conference, to improve future clinical judgment.
Reflection Mnemonic - Answers IN-action = IN the situation. ON-action = looking
back ON the situation afterward.
Nursing Process - Answers Assessment → Diagnosis/Analysis → Planning →
Implementation → Evaluation.
ADPIE Mnemonic - Answers ADPIE: Assess, Diagnose, Plan, Implement, Evaluate.
NCJMM and ADPIE Comparison - Answers Assessment = Recognize/Analyze Cues;
Diagnosis/Analysis = Prioritize Hypotheses; Planning = Generate Solutions;
Implementation = Take Action; Evaluation = Evaluate Outcomes.
Tanner and NCJMM Comparison - Answers Noticing ≈ Recognize Cues; Interpreting
≈ Analyze Cues/Prioritize Hypotheses; Responding ≈ Generate Solutions/Take
Action; Reflecting ≈ Evaluate Outcomes and learning from the situation.
All Three Clinical Judgment Models - Answers ADPIE, Tanner, and NCJMM use
different terminology but describe related processes nurses use to think through
patient care.
Critical Thinking - Answers Broad thinking that uses logic, intuition, standards,
evidence, analysis, and reflection to determine what to believe or do.
Clinical Reasoning - Answers The thought process used in the clinical setting to think
through patient problems and arrive at conclusions.