Available online 2 December 2023

Author links open overlay panel, , , AbstractBackground

New graduate registered nurses are entering clinical practice with deficient clinical judgment skills.

Methods

A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used to describe and evaluate interactive whiteboard technology (IWB) as a method for development of students’ clinical judgment skills.

Results

Dual application of IWB technology facilitated dynamic, interactive learning in the classroom and simulation laboratory and provided multiple opportunities for students to practice and hone critical thinking and clinical judgment skills.

Conclusion

The novelty of this study lies in the unique procedures and methods used in the implementation of IWB technology to develop students’ clinical judgment skills. The culmination of data indicates IWB technology promotes clinical judgment skills by providing a visual platform for the early identification of patterns and cues, facilitating team communication and collaborative decision-making. Future quantitative research is needed to examine the effects of IWB technology on clinical judgment to develop generalizable evidence for nursing education.

Section snippetsBackground

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) published The Essentials: Core Competencies for Nursing Education to provide clarity regarding the professional knowledge and competencies required of nursing graduates at the entry and advanced levels of practice (AACN, 2021). The AACN Essentials explicitly address the attainment of sound clinical judgment skills as a required competency for NGRNs. Thus, it is imperative for nurse educators to narrow the preparation-to-practice gap through

Study Design, Setting, and Sample

A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used to gain a comprehensive understanding of using IWB technology as a teaching-learning method to develop students’ clinical judgment skills. The mixed-methods approach expands the breadth and depth of the inquiry and enhances validity of the findings (Dawadi et al., 2021). Specifically, the qualitative component was employed to gain a contextual understanding of using IWB technology in the classroom and simulation laboratory; feasibility,

Usability of the IWB Technology

Analysis of investigator-developed narrative case report forms revealed multiple positive attributes of integrating the IWB in the classroom and simulation laboratory and overall minimal challenges with logistical and technical issues. A summary of faculty observed student interactions with the IWB technology is presented in Table 1.

Focus Group Themes

The following three themes emerged from the focus group sessions: (a) Collaboration, (b) Helpful Resource, and (c) Lessons Learned.

Collaboration. A primary theme

Discussion

The novelty of this study lies in the unique procedures and methods used in the implementation of IWB technology to develop students’ clinical judgment skills. The conceptual map of the CJM was a critical component that provided a framework to guide students’ clinical decisions when using the IWB technology. Dual application of IWB technology facilitated dynamic, interactive learning in the classroom and simulation laboratory and provided multiple opportunities for students to practice and hone

Conclusion

Despite the limitations, the overall study findings provide practical and valuable information and contribute to the evolving body of clinical judgment literature. In today's “high tech” world with automated chat services and AI that provide nursing students with “easily accessible” answers, IWB technology provides an alternate teaching method to facilitate students’ critical thinking, reasoning, and clinical judgment skill development. Through this study, nurse educators are provided a

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Melody D. Reibel: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Project administration. Dawn M. Terzulli: Investigation, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing. Kristen Poston: Investigation, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing. Melanie L. Cason: Investigation, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing personal relationships or financial interests that may have influenced the study reported in this paper.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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© 2023 Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.