It’s Snowing at the Picnic: Teaching the Clinical Judgment Model Without Medical Content

🎙️ It’s Snowing at the Picnic: Teaching the Clinical Judgment Model Without Medical Content

In this episode of Learning Lab RN, we talk with Victoria Deardorff, an emergency department nurse educator who developed the Prioritization Picnic, a delightfully nonclinical activity that breaks down the clinical judgment model in its simplest form. Initially created for a pre-nursing class, this activity helps students practice the core components of clinical reasoning—noticing, interpreting, and responding—without getting stuck on content they haven’t learned yet. It's a great reminder that critical thinking doesn’t require complex patient scenarios to be effective—it just takes a clever setup, and maybe a picnic blanket.

🔑 Key Takeaways

The Clinical Judgment Model Doesn’t Require Medical Knowledge

• Victoria designed the Prioritization Picnic to help students practice the foundational thinking behind clinical decision-making before they even start nursing school. Students work through silly, but meaningful, scenarios using the framework: What do you notice? What does it mean? What are you going to do?

Noticing and Interpreting Are Distinct

• By separating out these two steps, students slow down their thinking. Instead of jumping straight to action, they learn to pause and analyze, just like nurses do when assessing a rapidly changing patient.

Nonclinical Scenarios Build Confidence

• Removing medical jargon gives students the freedom to focus on process over perfection. As they encounter unexpected “weather changes” at their imaginary picnic, learners gain comfort with ambiguity and decision-making skills that transfer directly to clinical practice.

Resources Mentioned:

• Download the prioritization picnic worksheet: learninglabrn.com
• Subscribe to the show: learninglabrn.com
• Join the newsletter and explore active learning tools: breakoutrn.com
• Full transcript: Here

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