Script concordance approach in nursing education

Abstract

Background The script concordance approach aims at triggering judgments in simulated contexts of uncertainty.

Problem Nursing students need to be prepared to manage the uncertainty of clinical practice.

Approach The purpose of this article is to describe the theoretical foundation and the pedagogical use of the script concordance approach, as well as to present the current state of nursing evidence on the subject. The script concordance approach includes (1) script concordance testing, which is a quantitative examination that evaluates clinical reasoning; (2) a face-to-face script concordance activity; and (3) a digital educational strategy based on script concordance delivered via an online teaching/learning platform that aims to support clinical reasoning development.

Conclusions Relying on questioning and experts' modeling, the script concordance offers an innovative pedagogical approach that approximates the uncertainty of clinical practice.