Cheat Sheet: Guide to Clinical Questioning

As a preceptor, it’s important to help new graduates build clinical judgment. Following the nursing process of
assessment, analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation, in alignment with the development of clinical
judgment, preceptors must ask clinical questions that will assist new graduates in developing critical thinking skills. Use
the example questions below when you’re precepting a new graduate.

Type of Question When to Use It Example Questions to ask your Preceptee

Assessment
Help new graduates to
Recognize cues, helping to
make sense of the
information they have about
their patients, and figure out
what else they need to
determine a plan of care
Analysis
Organizing and linking the
recognized cues to the
client’s clinical presentation
to form and Priorize
hypothesis
Planning
Assist the graduate nurse to
priorize by Generating
solutions
Implementation
Take action to address the
highest priorities.
• To guide a new
graduate through a
patient assessment
• To determine
additional information,
they need to know (or
find out) about a
patient
• Evaluating and ranking
hypotheses according
to priority (urgency,
likelihood, risk,
difficulty, time, etc.).
• Using hypotheses
[priorities] to define a
set of interventions for
the expected
outcomes.
• Implementing the
solution
• To help your preceptee
plan for a new
procedure or shift
Tell me about your patient(s):
• What do you see?
• Have you seen this before? How is it the
same? How is it different?
• What are the most significant findings? (Identify
relevant and important information from different
sources)
• What do you think [symptom, test result,
observation] means?
• What findings did you expect based on the
patient’s diagnosis/concern?
• Are there any findings that seem contradictory?
• What other information can you gather to help you
determine the significance of the assessment?
• What is the most concerning assessment data?
• What is most likely occurring?
• What will happen if this is not treated?
• What else could be going on?
• Which priority is the most important and should be
managed first?
•
•
What interventions are needed immediately?
What interventions can be delegated and to
whom?
• What response will you expect from your patient
after the intervention? What could it mean if you
didn’t see the reaction you were expecting?
• Talk me through the steps we are about to do.
• What supplies will you need for this activity?
• What interventions do you need help with?
• What skills do you need to practice so you can
perform the steps safely?
Evaluation
Encourage new graduates to
evaluate the outcome for
their patient and evaluate • To debrief on tasks,
their own decisions and
performance
• Comparing observed • How did the patient respond to your
outcomes against intervention(s)?
expected outcomes • Did the response surprise you? If yes, how would
you change your plan?
particularly in follow- • Is any follow-up data needed? Or any critical
up to any important assessment that needs to be monitored?
events during their • What difference would it make to your plan if your
shifts (e.g., rapid patient also had [recent surgery, allergy to latex,
responses, near misses, diabetes]?
adverse events)