Connecting Theory to Practice: Using Guided Questions to Standardize Clinical Postconference

Abstract

Assisting nursing students with the integration of theoretical knowledge in the practice setting can be a challenge for clinical instructors. Clinical instructors using planned questions to guide discussion among students during postconference is one method that can be used to achieve this goal. Open-ended guided questions that deliberately address and synthesize classroom knowledge during postconference discussions are advantageous to both students and clinical instructors. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of standardizing the weekly postconference by deliberately integrating questions within a second-year nursing clinical course at a Canadian university. In this course, the guided questions provided clinical instructors who facilitated the postconferences with an opportunity to enhance their own level of comprehension and currency in various subject areas, as well as evaluate students' critical thinking and knowledge gaps. Understanding the nursing curriculum and providing clinical instructors with the appropriate skills to facilitate postconference discussions were paramount to the success of these standardized postconferences.