Abstract
AIM: The purpose of this article is to define clinical judgment, examine valid and reliable instruments to measure the construct, review established strategies by which to develop it, and propose key future nursing education research priorities in clinical judgment.
BACKGROUND: A pressing interest in prelicensure nursing students' clinical judgment development has emerged in response to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing project Next Generation NCLEX.
METHOD: Sequential literature reviews uncovered six instruments that measure clinical judgment and 24 studies that demonstrate the effects of high-fidelity simulation on clinical judgment in prelicensure learners.
RESULTS: Six themes emerged: number of simulation-based experience exposures, specific nursing specialty simulations, debriefing and its effect on clinical judgment, assessment, clinical decision-making, and reflection.
CONCLUSION: Based on these results, key future research priorities investigating the effects of interprofessional simulation and simulation in the classroom were identified.