The Association Between Nursing Students' System Thinking, Self-Leadership, and Clinical Reasoning: A Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

Background

Nursing students are expected to demonstrate a broad array of competencies that enable them to provide exemplary care and improve patient outcomes. These competencies comprise system thinking, self-leadership, and clinical reasoning. Exploring the relationship between system thinking, self-leadership, and problem-solving is crucial for nursing students to deliver exceptional care and improve patient outcomes. This study examines the relationships between system thinking, self-leadership, and clinical reasoning in nursing students to inform evidence-based educational interventions.

Material and methods

The research study is a non-experimental cross-sectional survey design with Structural Equation Modeling to test the a priori hypothesized study model. The study was conducted among nursing students at a university in Angeles City, Philippines. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), are employed to investigate relationships and causal pathways among system thinking, self-leadership, and clinical reasoning.

Results

Findings revealed robust relationships between system thinking, self-leadership, and clinical reasoning in nursing students, with system thinking and self-leadership explaining 36.5% of clinical reasoning variance. These findings underscore the value of incorporating system thinking and self-leadership training into nursing education to enhance clinical reasoning.

Conclusion

This research provides compelling evidence of a statistically significant link between clinical reasoning, system thinking, and self-leadership, underscoring the critical role of clinical reasoning in integrating these competencies and enhancing the Clinical performance of nursing students.