This study was conducted toclarify the process whereby nurses with more than three years of experiences determine what nursing care is necessary（nursing judgment）. An inductive-descriptive method that uses semi-structured interviews was adoped. Data were collected from 12 nurses. Based on the data analysis of 34 scenes, the process was divided into five categories. Explanations by nurses on the process of nursing judgment were encoded into 17 phrases, and these phrases were subcategorized under each category.

The process begins with：【Making careful observations of patients’capacity and changes in the clinical setting】（Category 1）. There were Category 1,【Taking a nursing action】（Category 3）, and【Taking measures to identify the focus attention】（Category 5）in one scene by all means. 【Understanding what should be the focus attention】（Category 2）and 【Reviewing the care one has given】（Category 4）were connected to Category 3. The connection went to both. Category 2 and Category 4 had the case that there was not in one scene.

Objective : The present paper examines improvement of critical thinking （CT）among baccalaureate nursing students using an educational intervention that emphasizes student independence. During the intervention, students were expected to be purposeful, systematic, and analytic, and able to draw inference.

Methods : In the educational intervention, which lasted 6 weeks, students learned nursing care using paper patients in small groups. CT disposition and CT ability were measured before and after the intervention. A scale for measuring CT disposition contains 7 subscales which are truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, systematicity, etc. Two other scales were used for measuring CT ability. One of the scales is to measure nursing CT ability. This includes 26 items which are self-awareness, independence, problem-solving skills, communication skills, etc. Other scale is to measure interpersonal CT ability. This includes 7 subscales which are understanding of essential point, understanding of diversity, considering evidence, understanding of other people, etc.

Results : No significant difference in CT disposition was observed after the intervention. In nursing CT ability, fifteen of 26 items, including problem solving skills, communication skills, confidence in evidence utilization etc, showed significant improvement after the intervention. In interpersonal CT ability, all 7 subscales were significantly improved. Systematicity, a subscale of CT disposition, showed a stronger correlation with improvement in CT ability score than the other dispositions.

Conclusion : It is not easy to improve CT disposition. The present results suggest that nursing students are able to gain a more skeptical attitude, problem-solving, communication, and learning skills, decision making ability, and confidence in evidence utilization through this educational intervention. Systematicity is an important aspect of CT disposition for the improvement of CT ability.

Objectives：The aims of the present study were to clarify topics in nursing ethics education considered necessary for new nurses immediately following graduation from nursing school and their level of mastery of these topics, and to obtain data for the creation of programs to train new nursing personnel.

Methods：Nurses in charge of in-hospital education at 82 special functioning hospitals throughout Japan were surveyed twice using anonymous self-completed questionnaires.

Results and Discussion：Agreement was obtained for 36 of a total of 63 educational items in 4 presented frameworks. Eighteen of these items related to principles of nursing ethics, 8 to ethics regulations, 8 to ethical problems and methods of resolving them, and 2 to measures and issues in practice and education. Agreement on level of mastery was obtained for a total of 31 items. The agreed level of mastery was until content is understood for 25 items, until content can be explained for 1 item, and until action can be taken based on concept for 5 items. Further study based on the opinions of people in educational settings will be needed for the educational items on which mutual consent was not obtained.

〔Purpose〕 This study was conducted in order to clarify what nursing students had learned regarding patient education through their participation as volunteers in health classes, which are aimed at supporting self-management in outpatients with diabetes mellitus.

〔Methods〕 A semi-structured interview was conducted. Information regarding patient education was collected using content analysis.

〔Results〕 Two categories of information were collected. One category was about the current situation of patients with a focus on their lifestyle and psychology, and was entitled, “Understanding patients receiving treatment as a part of their everyday lives realistically.” The other category was about both the support provided by nurses for diabetic patients and mutual support among the patients. This category was entitled, “Supporting patients receiving treatment as part of their everyday lives.”

〔Discussion〕 Nursing students’ awareness of the living conditions and feelings of diabetic patients increased, and the students started to orient patient education towards the patients and their lives. This has a positive effect on helping patients who in reality have continued self-management through daily trial and error. It also has a positive effect in terms of the aims of the health classes, that is, not only that of building knowledge, but also that of supporting treatment continuation and improving patients’ self-management skills.