Running Head: THE IMPORTANCE OF NURSING CLINCAL JUDGMENT 1

The Importance of Nursing Clinical Judgment

Madison Bokros

Senior Capstone

Youngstown State University

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The Importance of Nursing Clinical Judgment
To be a nurse, a person must have certain attributes that make them adequate for the job.

It is extremely important to be able to identify when a person is in danger in terms of their health,

and this is not always an easy judgment to make. Sometimes, people present with odd

symptoms, and as nurses, it is important to associate these symptoms with disease processes so

we can get the earliest interventions possible. The sooner nurses intervene, the better the patient

outcomes, which is what makes nurses so vital in healthcare settings. Every single nurse can

recall a time when their clinical nursing judgment made a huge difference in their patient’s life

and contributed to their improvement of health. A nurse’s clinical judgment can involve

identifying signs and symptoms with the SBAR technique, delegating work to other healthcare

team members, and implementing interventions and plans for patients.

In order to carry out the tasks of a nursing plan, a nurse must first be able to identify the

key problems. A patient’s plan must be based on their individualized needs, which can only be

discovered through identification of the signs and symptoms the patient is presenting. This can

be found by following the SBAR technique. Through this, a nurse will identify the situation,

evaluate the patient’s background, assess the patient, then determine recommendations. This

standard practice is perfect for developing a proper care plan for a patient. In the article,

“Clinical Judgment: The last frontier for evaluation” it describes how to do a proper nursing

assessment by explaining that it is important to do a former head-to-toe assessment (2011). This

will help the most with identifying the key focus points. Once these have all been identified, it is

time to implement the recommendations. This is done through constructing a care plan, by being

able to do this, it is setting up the patient for the most beneficial care outside of medical

treatments. These typically involve activities that the patient can take part in, support systems

put into place, and evaluation of the treatments put in place by the interdisciplinary team. The
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The Importance of Nursing Clinical Judgment
evaluation of the outcomes will determine how well the patient is progressing, and the

interventions can be adjusted based on these outcomes. It benefits the patient greatly to be able

to define interventions that best fit their needs because it will help them towards health success in

a faster, and more effective way.

Another important factor in the nursing clinical judgment is the ability to delegate tasks

to fellow healthcare workers such as unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) and licensed practical

nurse (LPN). By delegating tasks, this allows for more focused care on each patient, and less

tasks for the nurse so that they can focus on more difficult tasks, assessments, and high-acuity

medication administration. Being able to delegate tasks is helpful, but it is important to stay

within each job’s scope of practice. In the article, “National Guidelines for Nursing Delegation”

(2016) it gives the example, it would be appropriate for a nurse to delegate to a UAP to assist a

patient onto a bedpan, but it would be inappropriate to ask a UAP to pass any type of medication.

Delegation is very important because it keeps the nurse from being overwhelmed and making

mistakes. When the workload begins to become too much, it is easy for a nurse to feel flustered

and rushed, which will increase the chance of errors and burnout. Errors can greatly affect the

patient, nurse, and even the hospital administration so it is best to avoid them at all costs. Nurse

burnout is a large issue amongst nurses due to the heavy workloads and long shifts. This is

difficult for many nurses to keep up with, which makes them feel inadequate, overwhelmed, and

often times, ready to quit their jobs. Delegation reduces the chances of these situations from

occurring. It can be a great assist during the day, and it will promote the best form of patient

care.

Last but not least, the interventions for patients are by far one of the most effective forms

of treatment that someone can receive. Interventions are extremely crucial in terms of patient
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The Importance of Nursing Clinical Judgment
outcomes. In the article, “Nurse Leadership Style, Nurse Satisfaction, and Patient Satisfaction A

Systematic Review” (2018) it states, “results suggest that relational leadership traits contribute to

greater satisfaction whereas task-oriented styles may decrease nurse satisfaction,” which points

out the importance of nursing styles and interventions. It is very important to have a good

nursing style that puts the patient’s best interest first. Safety is the main priority for patients, and

it is important for nurses to develop interventions that keep their patients’ safety at the top of the

list. Nurses will have the best patient outcomes if they develop the skills necessary to keep their

patients safe and improving.

My personal experiences through clinical that have involved nursing clinical judgment

have contributed to the skills I have developed and will continue to develop as a future nurse.

My first experience using nursing clinical judgment was when I had a patient who had found out

they were diabetic within the last year. The patient’s blood sugar had been difficult to manage,

and it turns out this was because of their compliance to checking their daily blood sugars and not

taking their medications as scheduled. At this point, I had assessed the situation, the patient’s

background, and did a full head-to-toe assessment on this patient. For my recommendations, I

knew I needed to include patient teaching specifically. I explained to the patient that it is very

important to keep track of their blood sugars before and after meals every single day, and what to

do if they feel their sugar is too high or too low. When I was done explaining this to the patient,

I had them repeat back to me what I had said so that they could verbalize their understanding of

my explanation. I also had them demonstrate the correct way to administer a blood sugar

fingerstick test. I did this to reassure that the patient did understand the importance taking their

daily sugars, and it also seemed to reassure the patient because they felt more comfortable

discussing their understandings along with their confusions. Without clinical nursing judgment,
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The Importance of Nursing Clinical Judgment
I would not have known how important it really is for a patient to be taught the correct way to

administer medications. I am thankful for my experience with the clinical nursing judgment

because I feel as though it is going to contribute to making me a better nurse.

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The Importance of Nursing Clinical Judgment
Works Cited

Lasater, K. (2011). Clinical Judgment: The last frontier from evaluation. Retrieved March 4,

2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471595310001605

McCay, R., MSN, RN, Lyles, A., PhD, & Larkey, L., PhD, CRTT. (2018, December). Nurse

Leadership Style, Nurse Satisfaction, and Patient Satisfaction A Systematic Review.

Retrieved March 4, 2021, from

https://journals.lww.com/jncqjournal/Abstract/2018/10000/Nurse_Leadership_Style,_Nurs

e_Satisfaction,_and.10.aspx?WT.mc_id=HPxADx20100319xMP

National Council of State Board of Nursing. (2016, April 28). National Guidelines for Nursing

Delegation. Retrieved March 4, 2021, from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2155825616310353