Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation
Abstract
Introduction: The skills nurses bring to clinical situations have a much greater impact on clinical judgement than information gathered at the scene (7). How nurses make decisions is a complex process, often eclipsed by competing influences rooted in personal, organizational, and patient related factors (1,2,4). The purpose of this study was to establish a conceptual definition of nurse savvy to explain why some nurses exhibit this superior clinical judgement.
Design: Reynold’s (5) hybrid concept analysis model was chosen because it offers both an inductive and deductive approach, lending itself to the identification of those aspects essential to the concept while also providing clarity based on the experiences of participant interviews (6).
Methods: Clinical nurse specialists, clinical educators, and nursing faculty affiliated with a medium sized, Midwestern regional academic and hospital center were recruited for the study. During the theoretical phase, twelve articles meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed for use of the word savvy. Since sample sizes of 5 to 24 are the ideal range to reach saturation (3), 8 participants were interviewed during the fieldwork phase on a secure online platform.
Results: Coded data revealed 6 major themes along with 17 subthemes representing nurse savvy. The following conceptual definition emerged: Nurse savvy is the calm deployment of wisdom, through the use of situational awareness, intuitive reasoning, knowledge expertise, and exceptional skill, combined with knowing the patient through connection, compassion, and respectful caregiving. Nurse savvy is marked by the recognition and interpretation of clinical findings to facilitate clinical decision making that includes superior resource identification and utilization. Nurse savvy is made possible through networking and the harnessing of nursing workplace social capital, leading to an assertive, willingness to take risks style of care, and patient advocacy during practice.
Discussion: The fieldwork data for nurse savvy consistently pointed toward attributes that supported or led to sound clinical judgement. Fostering elements of nurse savvy that can be used immediately, such as those necessary for relationship building, provide inexperienced nurses with tools to create a support network of more experienced nurses to assist them with decision-making.
Notes
References:
1. Alaseeri, R.; Rajab, A.; Banakhar, M. (2019). Factors Influencing Nurses’ Decision-Making Process: An Integrative Literature Review. IOSR Journal of Nursing Health Science, 2019, 8, 36-48.
2. Ham, W.; Ricks, E.J.; van Rooyen, D.; Jordan, P.J. (2017). An Integrative Literature Review of the Factors That Contribute to Professional Nurses and Midwives Making Sound Clinical Decisions. International Journal of Nursing Knowledge, 28, 19-29.
3. Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative
research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292,
114523, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523
4. Johansen, M. L., & O’Brien, J. L. (2015). Decision making in nursing practice: A
concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 51, 40– 48. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/nuf.12119
5. Reynolds, P.D. (1971). A primer in theory construction. New York, Bobbs-Merrill.
6. Sherriff N, Hall V, Panton C. (2014). Engaging and supporting fathers to promote
breast feeding: A concept analysis. Midwifery, 30:667-77.
7. Tanner, C. A. (2006). Thinking like a nurse: A research-based model of clinical
judgment in nursing. Journal of Nursing Education, 45(6), 204– 211.
Sigma Membership
Alpha
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Nursing Skills, Competence, Critical Thinking, Clinical Judgement, Nurse Savvy
Recommended Citation
Phillips Mitchell, Lynae M. and Reising, Deanna L., "Exploring the Concept of Nurse Savvy and its Role in Clinical Judgement: A Hybrid Concept Analysis" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 97.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/97
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Invited Presentation
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-10
Exploring the Concept of Nurse Savvy and its Role in Clinical Judgement: A Hybrid Concept Analysis
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Introduction: The skills nurses bring to clinical situations have a much greater impact on clinical judgement than information gathered at the scene (7). How nurses make decisions is a complex process, often eclipsed by competing influences rooted in personal, organizational, and patient related factors (1,2,4). The purpose of this study was to establish a conceptual definition of nurse savvy to explain why some nurses exhibit this superior clinical judgement.
Design: Reynold’s (5) hybrid concept analysis model was chosen because it offers both an inductive and deductive approach, lending itself to the identification of those aspects essential to the concept while also providing clarity based on the experiences of participant interviews (6).
Methods: Clinical nurse specialists, clinical educators, and nursing faculty affiliated with a medium sized, Midwestern regional academic and hospital center were recruited for the study. During the theoretical phase, twelve articles meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed for use of the word savvy. Since sample sizes of 5 to 24 are the ideal range to reach saturation (3), 8 participants were interviewed during the fieldwork phase on a secure online platform.
Results: Coded data revealed 6 major themes along with 17 subthemes representing nurse savvy. The following conceptual definition emerged: Nurse savvy is the calm deployment of wisdom, through the use of situational awareness, intuitive reasoning, knowledge expertise, and exceptional skill, combined with knowing the patient through connection, compassion, and respectful caregiving. Nurse savvy is marked by the recognition and interpretation of clinical findings to facilitate clinical decision making that includes superior resource identification and utilization. Nurse savvy is made possible through networking and the harnessing of nursing workplace social capital, leading to an assertive, willingness to take risks style of care, and patient advocacy during practice.
Discussion: The fieldwork data for nurse savvy consistently pointed toward attributes that supported or led to sound clinical judgement. Fostering elements of nurse savvy that can be used immediately, such as those necessary for relationship building, provide inexperienced nurses with tools to create a support network of more experienced nurses to assist them with decision-making.
Description
When considering an example of exceptional practice, unparalleled decision making, and that something extra that sets them apart, certain nurses automatically come to mind in the ways they surpass the bar at its highest. These unique individuals could be said to be savvy. This hybrid concept analysis utilized both, theoretical and fieldwork methods to explore and develop what it means to be nurse savvy.