1. Critical Thinking in the Nursing Process

2. What Critical Thinking IS
Process acquired through experience, commitment to learning, and active curiosity
Continuous process characterized by open mindedness
Recognizing problems, evaluating situations, making conclusions

3. What Critical Thinking is NOT
A linear, step by step process
Learned in a short amount of time
Separate from clinical decision and practice

4. Why Do We Emphasize Critical Thinking?
Important to know in order to properly follow nursing process
Permits sensible judgments so that nurses can provide appropriate care to clients
It is impossible to teach every scenario that a new nurse

5. Critical Thinking and Clinical Decisions
Sometimes situations exist where there is no textbook solution
Nurses need to seek information, act quickly, and make sound clinical decisions

6. Critical Thinking Skills
Interpretation
Analysis
Inference
Evaluation
Explanation
Self-regulation

7. Thinking and Learning Learning is a lifelong process
Growth involves learning new knowledge, as well as refining the ability to think, solve problems and make judgments
The science and knowledge body of nurses continues to grow. Nurses need to be flexible and open to new information

8. Benner’s Model
Novice
Advance beginner
Competent
Proficient
Expert

9. Concepts for a Critical Thinker
Truth seeking
Open mindedness
Analytic approach
Systematic approach
Self confidence
Inquisitiveness
Maturity

10. Critical thinking competencies
Scientific method
Problem solving
Decision making
Clinical decision making
Diagnostic reasoning and inference
Nursing process

11. Five Components of critical thinking
Knowledge base
Experience
Nursing process competencies
Attitudes
Standards

12. Attitudes of Critical Thinking
Confidence
Independence
Fairness
Responsibility
Risk taking
Discipline

13. Attitudes of Critical Thinking
Perseverance
Creativity
Curiosity
Integrity
Humility

14. Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Reflective journaling. Not just “what happened”
Concept mapping . How does this all fit together?

15. Critical Thinking
A reasoning process used to reflect on and analyze data, actions, situations, behavior, thoughts
Requires a desire to grow intellectually
Requires the use of the nursing process to make sound nursing judgments