{"id":485,"date":"2022-04-14T21:06:59","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T21:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/changing-course\/?p=485"},"modified":"2022-10-10T18:56:00","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T18:56:00","slug":"rethinking-the-nursing-care-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/changing-course\/rethinking-the-nursing-care-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking the Nursing Care Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this issue of Changing Course\u00a0<\/em>we will Rethink the Nursing Care Plan.<\/em> The change to the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) is quickly approaching. Students currently enrolled in nursing programs must be ready to pass this redesigned licensing exam. The NGN emphasizes clinical judgment<\/span> to prepare students for decision-making<\/span> in nursing and real-world practice (National Council of State Boards of Nursing [NCSBN], 2022). Nurse educators must adapt teaching strategies to ensure student success on the NGN and in practice. The Next Generation Care Plan (NGCP)<\/em><\/strong> is a new care planning strategy that encourages students to think deeply, make decisions, and demonstrate nursing competencies.<\/h4>\n

Traditionally, the nursing care plan centers around the more than half-century old nursing process. While the nursing process is still useful, nurses must enter practice prepared to make clinical judgments and educators must develop strategies that meet the needs of 21st century nursing. According to the NCSBN (2018), 65% of nursing errors can be attributed to poor clinical judgment, while 20% of employers believe novice nurses are not prepared to make clinical judgments. Additionally, two recurring reasons new-to-practice nurses have disciplinary action against their licenses are failure to notice and failure to act (Sherrill, 2020). Nursing’s scope of practice has rapidly evolved since the the birth of the nursing process and new nurses are now expected to notice data, make clinical judgments and take action. It is definitely time to rethink the nursing care plan!<\/h4>\n

Because clinical judgment is central to success on the NGN and for entry to practice, the NGCP<\/em> combines the Clinical Judgment Model (CJM) (Tanner, 2006), the nursing process, and the NCSBN Nursing Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (NCJMM) to foster the deep thinking necessary to make sound decisions in clinical practice.<\/h4>\n

\"Combining<\/p>\n

The Next Generation Care Plan (NGCP)<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0NGCP <\/em>is a template that prompts students to think about noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting, the tenets of the CJM (Tanner, 2006), all while focusing on layers three and four of the NCJMM (NCSBN, 2022). The template is designed to be used with patient scenarios. As students progress through the NGCP<\/em>, they use clinical judgment to make decisions and reflect on actual or potential outcomes.<\/h4>\n

The Next Generation Care Plan (NGCP) Template
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\"The<\/h6>\n
*Provide evidence-based cited and referenced rationales.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

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Everything Old is New Again . . .
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The NGCP<\/em> can be applied to currently used case studies, simulations, and other nursing educational activities. It is an easy way to transform previously used materials into new and improved exercises for nursing students.<\/h4>\n

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Repetition Creates Muscle Memory . . .
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The\u00a0NGCP <\/em>creates a framework for thought processes, and when used repeatedly as a teaching strategy across the curriculum, can reframe student thinking patterns. This care planning strategy can be used individually, or collaboratively as a team. The NGCP<\/em> can be used in the classroom, clinical, simulation and lab.<\/h4>\n

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Level Up\u00a0 . . .<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0NGCP <\/em>can be scaffolded to increase in complexity as nursing students progress toward entry to practice. To create more challenging experiences, don’t change the NGCP, <\/em>change the scenario. Here is an example of the NGCP <\/em>for use in clinical:<\/h4>\n