title: The use of structured reflective journal questions to promote fundamental development of clinical decision-making abilities of the first-semester nursing student.
abstract: The ability to reflect is becoming a core competency in many nursing educational programs. A clinical journal assignment was developed for first-semester (novice) nursing students. The aim was to see if the process of reflection-on-action through the medium of journal writing promoted fundamental clinical decision-making abilities of the first semester nursing student. This author discusses components of the clinical decision-making process used to structure six clinical journal questions for use by the first semester nursing students during their clinical rotation. Exemplars of students' self-reported reflections are included.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, California State University, Long Beach, USA.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Croke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009736:Nursing Process; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011231:Preceptorship; D011340:Problem Solving; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking; D014956:Writing