A good post clinical experience should include a debriefing :
What went right? What went wrong? and How could things have been different?
There should also be opportunity for each student to express any concerns and ask questions. If there is or will be any type of medical equipment that needs to be used during the clinical rotation that is new to the students, there should be time set aside for demonstration and explanation of how and why this equipment is used.
When I was doing clinical rotations we also had to work in groups of 2-3 to present on a potential disease state that could be seen during that rotation. (example: diabetes , hypertensive crisis, sickle cell crisis, material hypertension) The presentation needed to include possible causes, complications, and treatment options that are usually given. This afforded us the chance to work as a team and learn more about certain common diseases. During a different rotation we had to teach each other about different types of equipment that could be used during a rotation.
Things I would do as an instructor to help promote critical thinking:
I would ask questions like how one thing relates to another: like how are diabetes and high blood pressure connected?
Or questions like how chronic disease and depression relate? By asking these types of questions it causes students to look deeper into disease states as well as make insightful and real world connections; thus improving their critical thinking skills.
I would also encourage them to think of some questions to ask that would help each other make associations that would benefit their growth as nurses and life long learners.