First Advisor
Roehrs, Carol
Document Type
Dissertation
Date Created
12-1-2011
Abstract
Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals. Their ability to think critically and communicate effectively even in ambiguous and uncertain situations has a direct effect on the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health care. Nurses must be able to utilize critical thinking to move beyond seeing individual pieces or components of patients' clinical pictures to seeing the whole, with an appreciation of how the pieces connect and interrelate. Graduate nurses have reported difficulty in seeing the whole of a clinical situation. This qualitative study used descriptive phenomenology to describe how senior nursing students came to see the whole of a clinical situation. Eleven nursing students were interviewed. The results revealed five themes important to the experience: build a solid foundation, see the patient, connect the dots, trust oneself, and relationship with faculty/preceptors. The results were reviewed in the context of existing literature. Recommendations for nursing education were made and opportunities for future research were discussed.
Abstract Format
html
Keywords
Qualitative research; Clinical judgment; Critical thinking; Education; Nursing; Nursing students
Extent
170 pages
Local Identifiers
Rolloff_unco_0161D_10118
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by author.
Recommended Citation
Rolloff, Mary Kay, "Students' experiences of seeing the whole of a clinical situation" (2011). Dissertations. 240.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/240