A student is confused about the need to answer questions in a clinical journal about what happened during the day that could have been handled differently and what the possible outcomes might have been

Question

The nursing instructor explains that this kind of questioning
a. allows students to contemplate theoretical possibilities in clinical.
b. focuses on the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and the skills required for this.
c. helps cement in students' minds that the actions they took were best.
d. provides a chance to understand assumptions that guided their actions.

Answer 1

D
To use critical thinking skills effectively, one must dig deeper than the surface attributes of a given situation and examine the assumptions held that led to certain actions. In patient care settings, these assumptions may be right or they may be erroneous, and actions taken as a result will have corresponding results.
A discussion of possible actions in clinical could include a review of the theories behind possible actions, but it does not necessarily include this aspect.
If the student writes specifically about a clinical situation that includes interdisciplinary collaboration, then this statement could be correct, but not all journal entries will include this activity.
If students had several options and the chosen course of action was a good one, journaling about the experience could "cement" the action in the students' minds as appropriate, which would be good if they realized that all actions need to be context driven, and what worked in this situation might not be beneficial in another setting. Regardless, this is not the best choice.