Evaluating the Importance of Clinical Judgment in Entry-Level Nursing

Background: This study investigated the extent to which clinical judgment is important in entry-level nursing practice. Method: A task analysis linkage study methodology based on a large-scale, comprehensive practice analysis was used for the study. The practice analysis validated more than 200 entry-level nursing tasks, and the linkage study sought to evaluate the importance of clinical judgment overall and for each specific task expectation. Results: The results provide confirmatory evidence of the importance of clinical judgment. In addition, the work provides a comprehensive list of entry-level tasks and their associated clinical judgment importance. Conclusion: Clinical judgment is a vital skill at entry into the profession and is expected to grow over time. This study offers insights on the extent to which clinical judgment is a necessary skill and provides direct evidence of its importance for specific entry-level tasks. [ J Nurs Educ . 2024;63(3):156–162.]