Pre-assessment judgement framework for judging nursing students’ performance in clinical placements: A qualitative case study

Abstract

AimThis study aims to better understand and articulate the pre-assessment judgement processes commonly used by experienced clinical facilitators when assessing nursing students undertaking clinical placement. BackgroundIn the Australian context, clinical facilitators are registered nurses who primarily educate, monitor, support and assess groups of nursing students on clinical placements without carrying a patient load.The duties and scope of clinical facilitators may differ across international and institutional contexts. However, the core concepts of this paper will be relevant despite these differences as the importance of facilitators’ confidence in making pre-assessment judgements of individual nursing student performance while on placement is universally acknowledged.Nursing students are often assessed on their provision of safe practice, patient task-orientated outcomes and professional behaviour. Clearly articulating performance judgements prior to formal assessment is vital to ensure progressive learning of students. Literature reports that many clinical facilitators lack confidence in the art of making performance judgements and call for targeted professional training and support in the clinical assessment of nursing students. To better understand and address this problem, clinical facilitators need a shared understanding of how individual nursing students’ pre-assessment performance judgements are reached during placement experiences. DesignA qualitative case study was used, with data collected via semi-structured interviews. Fifteen Australian clinical facilitators participated, each with over six months of experience. MethodsInterview transcripts were analysed through an interpretive-constructivist paradigm. Thematic analysis revealed themes that were then deductively described through the application of the Cognitive Continuum Theory. ResultsSix modes of pre-assessment judgement emerged from the data synthesis process: 1) Recognising patterns, 2) Acknowledging uncertainty, 3) Understanding key players, 4) Verifying or refuting the information, 5) Benchmarking performance and 6) Contextualising information. Each mode is validated through the deductive application of the Cognitive Continuum theory. ConclusionsUnderstanding how experienced clinical facilitators make pre-assessment performance judgements has the potential to increase confidence in performance judgement decisions. In turn, confidence in judgements will increase clinical facilitator’s capacity to give nursing students feedback that can be explained and justified. The pre-assessment judgement framework also provides a preliminary model for teaching the art of reaching accurate performance judgements to clinical educators in disciplines beyond nursing.