Infusing Clinical Judgment Into All Corners of the Nursing Curriculum

Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

April 2023 marks the first time that new nursing graduates complete the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) Examination. The results of the work of the National Council of State Board of Nursing (NCSBN) in developing the NGN and the responses of nurse educators who are preparing students for this innovative licensing approach will be documented in the test results over the next year. All nurse educators and regulators are hopeful that the NGN will more accurately differentiate among new graduates who are prepared to make clinical judgments required for today’s nursing practice and those who are not. In addition, Continue reading “Infusing Clinical Judgment Into All Corners of the Nursing Curriculum”

Report from the 2022 NCSBN NCLEX Conference

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

On September 22, 2022, I participated in the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s 2022 NCSBN NCLEX Conference and found all of the presentations helpful in understanding how to prepare both RN and PN students for the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN), coming in April 2023. As we move closer to the initial implementation of the NGN, the content of these presentations helped to clarify various components of the 2023 exam, including information regarding Continue reading “Report from the 2022 NCSBN NCLEX Conference”

Writing Next Generation NCLEX-Style Case Study Questions

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Recently, our blog featured tips for developing Next Generation NCLEX (NGN)-style questions, particularly the revision of test questions faculty already include on their examinations. Revising these questions provides a strategy to adapt current test items to reflect the NGN process, since these knowledge questions represent many questions on the NGN exam.

Now let’s turn our attention to writing NGN Case Study questions. Continue reading “Writing Next Generation NCLEX-Style Case Study Questions”

Report from the 2021 NCSBN NCLEX Conference

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN                                                            

April 2023 remains the target date for the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) for both the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN licensure examinations. These examinations emphasize the use of clinical judgment in caring for patients in a variety of healthcare settings by focusing on interactions between nurse and client, the client’s needs, and expected outcomes.

Nursing faculty across the US and Canada are ramping up their preparation for the new NGN approach to testing. Continue reading “Report from the 2021 NCSBN NCLEX Conference”

Setting Students Up for Success

nursing student set for successBy Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Ashley’s Story

Regular readers of the Collaborative Momentum Consulting blog may remember the November 2020 story of Ashley, a high school dropout who wanted to be a nurse. A single mother of a small boy, Ashley had been working at low paying jobs when she was encouraged by a friend to complete a GED and take prerequisite courses necessary for a nursing degree. Grades in these courses, although not outstanding, were sufficient for admission to the nursing program.  Ashley struggled her first year in the nursing program—making low C’s in all her nursing courses, although she performed well in during her clinical experience.

We all have had students like Ashley. Continue reading “Setting Students Up for Success”

Developing Clinical Judgment in an Online Environment

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Perhaps the most critical challenge we face is to ensure that our graduates are competent when making clinical judgements appropriate for novice nurses. Developing this competence has always been important—after all, effective clinical judgment is what keeps the clients we serve safe. However, the implementation of the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) in 2023 has brought this need into prominence. At the same time, the pandemic has created the need to deliver more instruction for nursing students in an online format. Let’s look at four principles to help us achieve the outcomes of developing novice nurses who make effective clinical judgment the core of their nursing practice, all of which can be implemented in an online setting. Continue reading “Developing Clinical Judgment in an Online Environment”

Report from the 2020 NCSBN NCLEX Conference

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

On September 14, 2020, I participated in the first-ever virtual 2020 NCLEX Conference offered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). There were many interesting presentations, but I believe that you will agree that the discussion about Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) was most important for nursing educators. So here is an overview of the discussion about NGN. Continue reading “Report from the 2020 NCSBN NCLEX Conference”

Highlights from the new NCSBN Report on Quality Indicators for Nursing Programs

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

COVID-19 has changed how nurse educators prepare students for practice. The changes in the health care environment—and nursing specifically—over the last decade have given faculty numerous challenges: integration of important new content in an already “stuffed” curriculum, evolving expectations of students, parents and college administrators, and the difficulty in finding appropriate clinical sites and sufficient numbers of faculty. As if these challenges weren’t enough, now faculty must cope with an international pandemic that has huge implications personally and professionally. In addition to their other responsibilities, faculty now must prepare students for practice using masks, social distancing, and limited clinical sites-all while working from home!

One thing, however, has not changed. Continue reading “Highlights from the new NCSBN Report on Quality Indicators for Nursing Programs”

Testing Online in the Era of Social Distancing

By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Most of us have been coping, both personally and professionally, with the results of social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While we would like life to return to “normal,” we also worry about the health impact of returning to our “face-to-face” lives.  Equally important, when this crisis passes, what will the new normal look like? Continue reading “Testing Online in the Era of Social Distancing”

W.A.I.T.: Impact on Teaching Clinical Judgment

by Susan Sportsman, RN, PhD, ANEF, FAAN

After being a faculty for many years, I find that I often want to “instruct” my family and friends. This urge is particularly prevalent with my husband. Being a very nice man, when I begin to “instruct” him, he appears to be listening (he looks my way), but the look in his eyes says very clearly,  “I have no intention of doing whatever it is that she is saying.” When I see this look, I always say, “W.A.I.T.—Why Am I Talking?Continue reading “W.A.I.T.: Impact on Teaching Clinical Judgment”