Problem:
Activity Title: The Funky Funfetti
Objective: To apply the six steps of the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Model to a non-nursing scenario, demonstrating transferable critical thinking skills.
Instructions:
Scenario Immersion: Read the following scenario carefully, noting all the details.
CJM Application: For each of the six steps of the NCSBN CJM, analyze the scenario and make decisions based on the information provided.
Justification: Explain your reasoning for each step. Why did you identify those cues? How did you analyze them? What made you prioritize those potential issues?
Creative Solutions: Think broadly about potential solutions and their likely outcomes.
Scenario:
You're planning a surprise retirement office party for your boss, who is a huge fan of Funfetti cake. After contacting multiple bakeries and getting quotes on cakes, you decide to bake one yourself. "If can't be too hard!" You find a new recipe online that boasts being "most beautiful and delicious, tall, towering, Funfetti cake ever!"
You gather all the ingredients and follow the recipe meticulously. As the cake bakes, you notice a few things:
Observation 1: The cake is rising significantly more than you expected, almost to the top of the pan much earlier than the recipe indicated. (but this is a towering cake, so maybe that's fine?)
Observation 2: You smell a faint but distinct burnt aroma coming from the oven about 10 minutes before the recipe's suggested baking time is up.
Observation 3: Peeking through the oven window, you see that the top of the cake is already looking quite dark and firm.
Observation 4: The kitchen is starting to feel unusually warm and appears a little hazy.
Observation 5: You double-check the oven temperature setting, and it matches the recipe.
Your Tasks (Applying the CJM):
Step 1: Recognize Cues
List at least four significant cues you've observed.
For each cue, briefly explain why it's noteworthy in the context of baking a cake. What does it suggest might be happening? Need Assignment Help?
Step 2: Analyze Cues
Group the cues you identified into at least two potential issues or patterns.
For each potential issue, explain the relationship between the cues in that group. What could be going wrong with the cake?
Step 3: Prioritize Hypotheses
Based on your analysis, identify at least two most likely problems with your cake in order of urgency or potential impact on the final result.
Provide a brief rationale for your prioritization. Why is one problem potentially more critical than the other at this stage?
Step 4: Generate Solutions
For one of your prioritized problems from Step 3, propose at least two possible actions you could take.
For each action, explain the intended outcome and the reasoning behind it. How might this action help mitigate the problem?
Step 5: Take Actions
Describe the first two actions you would take based on the solutions you generated in Step 4. Be specific about what you would do and the order.
Consider the immediate situation and the tools/resources available (oven mitts, timer, etc.).
Step 6: Evaluate Outcomes
For each of the first two actions you described in Step 5, identify one specific observation or result that would indicate whether your action was effective or not.
Explain how this observation relates to the intended outcome of your intervention.
Reflection (Individual or Group Discussion):
How does applying the CJM steps to this baking scenario compare to how you might intuitively approach a problem?
What similarities do you see between the thinking process in this scenario and the clinical judgment required in nursing?
Can you think of other everyday scenarios where this kind of systematic approach to problem-solving would be beneficial?
This activity demonstrates that the core principles of the CJM-careful observation, logical analysis, prioritization, action planning, and outcome evaluation-are valuable in a wide range of situations, not just healthcare!