28.4: Summary
28.1 Clinical Judgment Measurement Model
Historically, nursing was often viewed as a task-oriented career, but in recent years, the profession has grown in terms of autonomy and clinical judgment. Some of this growth was due to the development of the CJMM, a tool designed to measure critical thinking and clinical judgment in nursing students. This tool allows educators to assess the development of nursing student’s critical thinking skills to help ensure they are ready to practice as a nurse after graduation. This tool involves several steps that have expanded upon the traditional nursing process model, making it an excellent framework to guide new nurses in making clinical judgment calls in practice.
28.2 Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Nursing involves several types of thinking, of which one of the most important is critical thinking. Critical thinking involves applying knowledge to make care decisions that reflect evidence-based practice and consider patient preferences. Thinking is a subconscious process, but there are several models that have been developed to focus upon developing more improved thinking skills. Specifically, the 4-Circle CT model demonstrates characteristics that are vital to develop critical thinking skills. The development of critical thinking skills is especially important within nursing because nurses are constantly making clinical judgment calls when caring for sick patients.