Clinical judgment Correct Answer-an essential skill that involves the
interpretation of a patient's needs, concerns, or health problems and the
decision to take action or not, to use or modify standard approaches, or
to improvise new approaches on the basis of a patient's response
Attitudes for clinical judgement Correct Answer-confidence, thinking
independently, fairness, responsibility and authority, risk taking,
discipline, perseverance, creativity, curiosity, integrity, and humility.
Confidence Correct Answer-Learn how to introduce yourself to a
patient; speak with conviction when you begin a treatment or procedure.
Do not lead a patient to think that you are unable to perform care safely.
Always be well prepared before performing a nursing activity.
Encourage a patient to ask questions.
Thinking independently Correct Answer-Read the nursing literature,
especially when there are different views on the same subject. Talk with
other nurses and share ideas about nursing interventions.
Fairness Correct Answer-Listen to both sides in any discussion. If a
patient or family member complains about a co-worker, listen to the
story and speak with the co-worker as well. If a staff member labels a
patient uncooperative, assume the care of that patient with openness and
a desire to meet the patient's needs
Responsibility and authority Correct Answer-Ask for help if you are
uncertain about how to perform a nursing skill. Refer to a policy and
,procedure manual to review steps of a skill. Report any problems
immediately. Follow standards of practice in your care.
Risk taking Correct Answer-If your knowledge causes you to question a
health care provider's order, do so. Be willing to recommend alternative
approaches to nursing care when colleagues are having little success
with patients.
Discipline Correct Answer-Be thorough in whatever you do. Use known
scientific and practice-based criteria for activities such as assessment
and evaluation. Take time to be thorough and manage your time
effectively.
Perseverance Correct Answer-Be cautious of an easy answer. If co-
workers give you information about a patient and some fact seems to be
missing, clarify the information or talk to the patient directly. If
problems of the same type continue to occur on a nursing division, bring
co-workers together, look for a pattern, and find a solution.
Creativity Correct Answer-Look for different approaches if interventions
are not working for a patient. For example, a patient in pain may need a
different positioning or distraction technique. When appropriate, involve
the patient's family in adapting your approaches to care methods used at
home
Curiosity Correct Answer-Always ask why. A clinical sign or symptom
often indicates a variety of problems. Explore and learn more about a
patient so as to make appropriate clinical judgments.
, Integrity Correct Answer-Recognize when your opinions conflict with
those of a patient; review your position and decide how best to proceed
to reach outcomes that will satisfy everyone. Do not compromise
nursing standards or honesty in delivering nursing care.
Humility Correct Answer-Recognize when you need more information
to make a decision. When you are new to a clinical division, ask for an
orientation to the area. Ask registered nurses (RNs) regularly assigned to
the area for assistance with approaches to care.
Skills for clinical judgement Correct Answer-Interpretation, analysis,
inference, evaluation, explanation, self- regulation
Interpretation Correct Answer-Be orderly in collecting data about
patients. Apply reasoning while looking for patterns. Categorize the data
(e.g., nursing diagnoses). Gather additional data or clarify any data if
uncertain.
Analysis Correct Answer-Be open-minded as you look at information
about a patient. Do not make careless assumptions. Does the data reveal
a problem or trend that you believe is true, or are there other options?
Inference Correct Answer-Look at the meaning and significance of
findings. Are there relationships among findings? Does the data about
the patient help you see that a problem exists?