It is true that present nursing graduates clinical competency is as low as the current studies reveal. In essence, new nursing graduates are required to be competent in many different areas in the field of nursing. Currently, as noted by Kavanagh and Szweda (2017) with the increased sensitiveness of patients and the ongoing shortage of nurses, the new nurses are required to have a mastery of both psychomotor and critical thinking skills. However, most orientation programs in hospitals focus on skill attainment and having an understanding of the policies specific to the hospital. Nonetheless, I believe that that competency extends beyond skills and policies. Competencies encompass a wide array of elements including values, attitudes, general nursing knowledge, and clinical skills. Many studies are at a consensus that it is not all areas that new nursing graduates are less competent. According to Kavanagh and Szweda (2017), nursing graduates competency in communication, leadership, critical thinking, and stress management. I tend to believe that the reason why new nursing graduates are less competent in these areas is that they do not have practical experience in the nursing influence. This is not to say that there no exceptional nursing graduates who are competent in these areas. With the right strategies, the competency of new nursing graduates can be increased.

Nobody would fancy receiving treatment from a nurse who lacks clinical judgment. I am not an outlier to this, and I would not imagine my loved one, myself or any other person receiving treatment or care from a nurse who lacks clinical judgment. Nurses who lack clinical judgment lacks skilled clinical knowledge. These nurses also lack discretionary judgment. Furthermore, as noted by Standing (2017), a nurse who lacks clinical judgment  cannot  integrate complex multi-system data, which help in the understanding of the presumed trajectory of health conditions and diseases. Such nurses are not able to respond to critical illness quickly and with the right procedures jeopardizing the health of the patients. Unlike a nurse with clinical judgment, nurses who lack clinical judgment do not have or fails to develop a global understanding of a situation. Besides, they are not able to forecasts the patients’ level of recovery. In this regard, I would feel bad if I find my loved ones or myself in a situation where a nurse who lacks clinical judgment is responsible for the treatment. In this case, I would not hesitate seeking treatment from other nurses, or another healthcare organization for that matter. I believed, patient care is a critical aspect and should be handled by nurses who can think critically.

I would say with certainty that I am clinically competent to assume the role of a registered nurse on a medical-surgical floor. Ideally, I have all the required skills to master to coordinate the medical-surgical floor. Furthermore, I can be able to juggle care for many patients at a time without losing focus that is required to enhance patient care in the medical-surgical floor. In terms of critical thinking skills, I considered myself of having high- skills. With these skills, I will be able to use the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the care of patients in the medical-surgical floor. Besides, I know how to use my discretionary judgment to diagnose patients health conditions and diseases. Furthermore, I can be able to integrate complex multi-system data which will be of much help to other nurses and surgeons around the surgical table. As a competent registered nurse, I will be responsible for creating a harmonious environment in the medical-surgical floor for the surgery to take place efficiently.

References

Standing, M. (2017). Clinical Judgement and Decision Making in Nursing. Learning Matters.

Kavanagh, J. M., & Szweda, C. (2017). Crisis incompetency: The strategic and ethical imperative for assessing new graduate nurses’ clinical reasoning. Nursing Education Perspectives, 38(2), 57-62.