title: Questioning skills of clinical facilitators supporting undergraduate nursing students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on a study investigating questioning skills of clinical facilitators who support the learning of undergraduate nursing students.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The ability to think critically is integral to decision-making and the provision of safe and quality patient care. Developing students' critical thinking skills is expected of those who supervise and facilitate student learning in the clinical setting. Models used to facilitate student learning in the clinical setting have changed over the years with clinicians having dual responsibility for patient care and facilitating student learning. Many of these nurses have no preparation for the educative role. This study adapted a comparative study conducted over fifteen years ago.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive online survey including three acute care patient scenarios involving an undergraduate nursing student. Participants were required to identify the questions they would ask the student in relation to the scenario.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 133 clinical facilitators including clinical teachers, clinical educators and preceptors from five large partner healthcare organisations of one Australian university participated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of questions asked were knowledge questions, the lowest category in the cognitive domain requiring only simple recall of information. Facilitators who had undertaken an education-related course/workshop or formal qualification asked significantly more questions from the higher cognitive level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides some evidence that nursing facilitators in the clinical setting ask students predominantly low-level questions. Further research is needed to identify strategies that develop the capacity of facilitators to ask higher level cognitive questions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical facilitators should undertake targeted education that focuses on how to frame questions for students that demand application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia.|School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University Centre for Quality and Patient Safety (QPS), Geelong, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6821-4983
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia.|School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University Centre for Quality and Patient Safety (QPS), Geelong, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Maxine M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Duke
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Rona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weerasuriya
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005181:Faculty, Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D013338:Students, Nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013850:Thinking
keywords: clinical decision-making; clinical educator; clinical facilitator; clinical teacher; high level; low level; nurse education; preceptor; quality and safety; questioning