NUR2349 PN1 PROFESSIONAL NURSING I EXAM
2026 COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND TESTED
CONCEPTS
◉ Critical Thinking in Nursing. Answer: Professional nurses must
think critically to solve problems, implement empirically-based
interventions, and address patients' needs.
◉ Inquiring Minds. Answer: Nurses need to use inquiring minds
when thinking about patients and use all sources of data to facilitate
positive patient outcomes.
◉ Rigorous Questioning. Answer: Critical thinkers rigorously
question ideas and assumptions rather than accept them at face
value.
◉ Systematic Problem Solving. Answer: Critical thinkers identify,
analyze, and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition
or instinct.
◉ Clinical Decision Making. Answer: Acquiring critical thinking skills
to make sound judgments about nursing care planned, implemented,
and evaluated in every clinical situation.
, ◉ Active Curiosity. Answer: Critical thinking is gained through
experience and having an active curiosity toward learning.
◉ Active Learner. Answer: Critical thinking means being an active
learner rather than a passive recipient of information.
◉ Outcome Focused. Answer: Critical thinking in nursing is outcome
focused and driven by the patient's and family's needs.
◉ Levels of Critical Thinking in Nursing. Answer: Evolve with clinical
nursing experience and include Basic, Complex, and Commitment
levels.
◉ Basic/Novice Thinking. Answer: Tends to be concrete, task
oriented, and based on a set of rules or principles, often seen in UG
nursing students & new nursing graduates.
◉ Complex Critical Thinking. Answer: Involves analyzing situations,
examining choices independently, and recognizing benefits and risks
of each solution.
◉ Commitment/Expert Level. Answer: Nurses make clinical
decisions without assistance, choose actions based on available
alternatives, and accept full accountability for their decisions.
2026 COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND TESTED
CONCEPTS
◉ Critical Thinking in Nursing. Answer: Professional nurses must
think critically to solve problems, implement empirically-based
interventions, and address patients' needs.
◉ Inquiring Minds. Answer: Nurses need to use inquiring minds
when thinking about patients and use all sources of data to facilitate
positive patient outcomes.
◉ Rigorous Questioning. Answer: Critical thinkers rigorously
question ideas and assumptions rather than accept them at face
value.
◉ Systematic Problem Solving. Answer: Critical thinkers identify,
analyze, and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition
or instinct.
◉ Clinical Decision Making. Answer: Acquiring critical thinking skills
to make sound judgments about nursing care planned, implemented,
and evaluated in every clinical situation.
, ◉ Active Curiosity. Answer: Critical thinking is gained through
experience and having an active curiosity toward learning.
◉ Active Learner. Answer: Critical thinking means being an active
learner rather than a passive recipient of information.
◉ Outcome Focused. Answer: Critical thinking in nursing is outcome
focused and driven by the patient's and family's needs.
◉ Levels of Critical Thinking in Nursing. Answer: Evolve with clinical
nursing experience and include Basic, Complex, and Commitment
levels.
◉ Basic/Novice Thinking. Answer: Tends to be concrete, task
oriented, and based on a set of rules or principles, often seen in UG
nursing students & new nursing graduates.
◉ Complex Critical Thinking. Answer: Involves analyzing situations,
examining choices independently, and recognizing benefits and risks
of each solution.
◉ Commitment/Expert Level. Answer: Nurses make clinical
decisions without assistance, choose actions based on available
alternatives, and accept full accountability for their decisions.
