Effect of Clinical Reasoning Seminars on Medical-Surgical Specialty HESI Examination Scores

Background Clinical reasoning and clinical judgment have been identified as essential skills for the delivery of quality patient care. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of clinical reasoning seminars (CRSs) on medical-surgical specialty HESI examination scores of high-risk students. Methods A retrospective correlational design was used for this study, which involved a review of medical-surgical HESI scores for 115 junior-level baccalaureate nursing students who were identified as academically high-risk and who participated in a series of CRSs. Results The participation in CRSs by high-risk students did not have a statistically significant impact on the medical-surgical HESI scores. Students who attended CRSs, however, had a higher mean medical-surgical HESI score than students who did not attend any CRSs. Conclusion Although statistical differences were not found, it appears that high-risk students may have benefitted from participation in CRSs.