Evaluating the Importance of Clinical Judgment in Entry-Level Nursing.

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which clinical judgment is important in entry-level nursing practice. A task analysis linkage study methodology based on a large-scale, comprehensive practice analysis was used for the study. The practice analysis validated more than 200 entry-level nursing tasks, and the linkage study sought to evaluate the importance of clinical judgment overall and for each specific task expectation. The results provide confirmatory evidence of the importance of clinical judgment. In addition, the work provides a comprehensive list of entry-level tasks and their associated clinical judgment importance. Clinical judgment is a vital skill at entry into the profession and is expected to grow over time. This study offers insights on the extent to which clinical judgment is a necessary skill and provides direct evidence of its importance for specific entry-level tasks. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(3):156-162.].