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.

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