Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to determine if participation in post conference via clinical rounds utilizing a SBAR framework positively impacted clinical judgment compared with participation in classroom-based post conference discussions. A mixed method analysis approach of pretest, posttest, and reflective journal findings was utilized.
Results: A designated case study was given to participants as a pretest and posttest which was scored with the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR). Quantitative data from a two-sample t-test did not reveal statistically significant results. However, there was a positive trend as LCJR mean scores increased in clinical rounding groups (n=33; +0.76) as compared with a decrease in classroom-based discussion groups (n=13; -1.0). Qualitative data revealed themes of increased problem-solving ability and risk identification among students who participated in the clinical rounding strategy.
Conclusion: Utilizing clinical rounding as a post conference strategy may provide an important tool that can be customized to various curricular models and promote the development and evaluation of clinical judgment skills in the future nursing workforce. Findings suggest application of structured clinical rounding has the potential to improve clinical judgment in undergraduate nursing students. This study was approved by IRB’s at Carlow University, Malone University, and Mercy Medical Center.