Clinical decision-making is the basis for professional nursing practice. This can be taught and learned through appropriate teaching and clinical experiences. Unfortunately, it has been observed that many graduates are unable to demonstrate suitable clinical decision-making skills. Research and study on the process of decision-making and factors influencing it assists educators to find the appropriate educational and clinical strategies to teach nursing students. To explore the experience of nursing students and their view points regarding the factors influencing their development of clinical decision-making skills. An exploratory qualitative approach utilizing grounded theory methods was used; focus group interviews were undertaken with 32 fourth year nursing students and data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Four main themes emerged from the data: clinical instructor incompetency, low self-efficacy, unconducive clinical learning climate and experiencing stress. The data indicated that students could not make clinical decisions independently. The findings of this study support the need to reform aspects of the curriculum in Iran in order to increase theory-practice integration and prepare a conductive clinical learning climate that enhances learning clinical decision-making with less stress.

Focus group methodology is a qualitative research approach that provides the potential for authentic quality data to be captured by using the candour and spontaneity of participants in an atmosphere of dynamic group interaction. The use of this methodology within nursing research is growing as it provides a qualitative approach that can produce quality data and can be used effectively by both experienced and novice researchers. The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to the novice nurse researcher who may be considering using this methodology so that appropriate use is promoted and practical advice for its use may generate quality data.

A growing body of work in the literature describes and explains narrative pedagogy within nursing and midwifery programs. This paper continues the conversation by explaining, with examples, how narrative pedagogy has been interpreted and applied within a new nursing faculty in Australia. The aims of our nursing and midwifery programs are to provide students with a clear professional identity and to prepare them for contemporary Australian nursing practice. As part of these aims, we want students to develop their imaginations and to consciously examine, and challenge, nursing and healthcare paradigms and practices such as the enduring illness model of healthcare and the emphasis on technique-oriented care. Members of our teaching team, working together and individually, have used narrative pedagogy in a variety of ways, developing novel teaching and learning activities for use in real time classroom settings as well as online to provide a regionally and globally relevant educational experience.

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