An Interactive Skills Fair to Prepare Undergraduate Nursing Students for Clinical Experience

Promoting critical thinking through an evidence-based skills fair intervention

“…One type of evidence-based practice that can be used to engage students, promote active learning and develop critical thinking is skills fair intervention (McCausland and Meyers, 2013; Roberts et al , 2009). Skills fair intervention promoted a consistent teaching approach of the psychomotor skills to the novice nurse that decreased anxiety, gave clarity of expectations to the students in the clinical setting and increased students' critical thinking skills (Roberts et al , 2009).…”

“…Evidence-based practice has been advocated to promote critical thinking (Profetto-McGrath, 2005; Stanley and Dougherty, 2010). The skills fair intervention can be one type of evidence-based practice used to promote critical thinking (McCausland and Meyers, 2013; Roberts et al , 2009). The Intervention used in this study incorporated evidence-based practice rationale with critical thinking prompts using Socratic questioning, evidence-based practice videos to the psychomotor skill rubrics, group work, guided discussions, expert demonstration followed by guided practice and blended learning in an attempt to promote and develop critical thinking in nursing students.…”

“…Evidence-based practice was defined as “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient” (Sackett et al , 1996, p. 71). Skills fair intervention, one type of evidence-based practice, can be used to engage students, promote active learning and develop critical thinking (McCausland and Meyers, 2013; Roberts et al , 2009). Skills fair intervention helps promote a consistent teaching practice of the psychomotor skills to the novice nurse that decreased anxiety, gave clarity of expectations to the students in the clinical setting and increased students' critical thinking skills (Roberts et al , 2009).…”