Evaluating the clinical judgment of newly hired staff nurses

Assessing newly hired nurses' readiness for practice is critical for safe practice and the quality care of patients; therefore, hospitals need effective assessment strategies to promote clinical judgment development. One large medical center hospital developed a process to assess new hires' clinical judgment, using case studies. This article describes the assessment process and reports findings from a retrospective analysis of the clinical judgment competency of the participants. The findings suggest that more orientation time and experience are needed for less-experienced nurses (<3 years) and experienced nurses who have not practiced in acute care. The research concludes that practice and academic educators must work more closely for a smoother transition of novice nurses into practice.