Question

One of the most important skills a nurse needs is clinical judgment. This is a skill that can be learned. Reflect on your own ability to critically think and the reading for this module.

When see yourself as a nurse and giving care, discuss what qualities and behaviors you possess that make you a person that would have good clinical judgment. What three strategies can you use to develop better clinical judgment? As a nurse, what areas of the nursing process do you think might be more challenging to you given the critical thinking and clinical judgment skills you have now?

Answer 1

The distinction of nursing care by professional nurses lies in the clinical judgment inherent in the process of assessment,diagnosis,implementation and evaluation. Knowledge forms the basis of the patient needs assessment and determines the action to meet those needs,professional accountability for decision and actions including the decision to delegate to Co workers and the structural nurses-patient relationship which incorporates the professional code of ethics. Beyond observation ,clinical judgment allows the nurse to associate pieces of information,to review them,to establish relationships with known facts and to analyse and interpret the data. The development of sound clinical judgment is an essential part of training. It requires the close attention be paid to offering adequate training based on judicious patient observation and the meticulous analysis of relevant data. Nurses should analyse a problem within its bio psychological and spiritual sphere before making a clinical judgement. It allows nurses to exercise their role in the healthcare environment in a professional manner. Clinical judgment is much more than mere observation. It is much more than the assessment findings required by the nursing therapeutic plan.