In Nursing, critical thinking is the ability to think in a systematic and logical manner, with openness to question and reflect on the reasoning process used to ensure safe nursing practice and quality care (Rushing, 2014).
Critical thinking involves paying attention to how you think. Critical thinking is more than just problem solving. Critical thinking has specific characteristics that makes it unlike problem solving. Nurses use critical thinking to improve patient outcomes.
In preparation for the progressive nature of today’s acute care hospital it is essential that nursing students learn how to think critically (Oja, 2011).
In a study about using problem-based learning in the clinical setting to improve nursing students’ critical thinking, studies indicate a positive relationship between problem-based learning and improved critical thinking in nursing students. Critical thinking facilitates reflective thinking when nurses evaluate their interactions with a patient after the collaboration of healthcare.
Novice nurses will learn to reflect their thinking during a collaboration with a patient instead of afterwards. Critical thinking has been a crucial outcome of nursing educational programs. Effective nurses should be knowledgeable about complex patient situations and confident in their skills (Kaddoura, 2010).
The Essay on Critical Thinking in Nursing
... Nursing, 2013 paragraph 3) Critical thinking in the nursing profession must be mandatory. Critical thinking helps nurses how to view a client and determine the type of problems ... shown Critical thinking is the background of professional nursing. Critical thinking insures proper patient care and the ability to quickly respond with accurate answers. Critical thinking and critical reasoning ...
Based on the definition of critical thinking, reflective thinking is pretty much a process that comes after critical thinking.
Reflective thinking is thinking about what has happened and an The characteristics of critical thinking is rational and reasonable. Critical thinking is based on reasons rather than preferences, prejudice, or self-interest (Rushing, 2014).
Nurses should question whether or not if they need any additional information to avoid prejudice. If any assumptions are made about a patient the nurse should question the accuracy of the assumption.