Advisor
Roehrs, Carol
Committee Member
Hayes, Janice
Committee Member
Reifschneider, Ellen
Committee Member
Lohr, Linda
Department
Nursing
Institution
University of Northern Colorado
Type of Resources
Text
Place of Publication
Greeley (Colo.)
Publisher
University of Northern Colorado
Date Created
12-1-2011
Genre
Thesis
Extent
170 pages
Digital Origin
Born digital
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.
Degree type
PhD
Degree Name
Doctoral
Language
English
Local Identifiers
Rolloff_unco_0161D_10118
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by author.
