lOMoARcPSD|52942330
Ch15_Critical_Thinking_Fundamentals_Skills_
Chamberlain_University
, lOMoARcPSD|52942330
Chapter 15: Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice
Clinical Judgement – interpretating patient’s needs, concerns, health problems & deciding whether to
take action or not.
Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice
-Clinical judgement is what separates RN from techs
-RNs observe for changes in patients, recognizes potential problems, identifies new
problems, & takes action when conditions worsen
-Techs are directed by nurses & report back to RN
-RN relies on knowledge/experience when deciding if a care plan is ineffective or if it is
something that requires a healthcare provider to be notified when complications arise.
Critical Thinking & Terms
-Critical Thinking: ability to think in a systematic & logical way with openness to question &
reflect on reasoning process. Involves open-mindedness & perseverance, & willingness to look @
each unique patient & situation.
-Evidence-Based Knowledge: knowledge based on research or clinical expertise; helps make an
informed critical thinker
-Interpretation: orderly collection of data about patients applying reasoning while looking for
patterns & then categorizing data. Gather additional data or clarification if uncertain.
-Analysis: be open minded when looking @ patient info, do not assume anything
-Inference: consider meanings and significance of findings; are there relationships among them?
Does the data make a problem clear?
-Evaluation: look at all situations objectively; use criteria to determine results of nursing actions.
Reflect on own behavior.
-Self-Regulation: reflect on own experiences, connect actions with outcomes, identify new ways
to improve own performance.
-Truth-Seeking: seek true meaning of situation; be courageous, honest, objective
-Open-Mindedness: be tolerant & sensitive, be aware of own implicit bias, be respectful
of others
-Analyticity: analyze potential problematic situations, anticipate possible results/consequences,
use evidence-based reasoning.
-Inquisitiveness: be eager to acquire knowledge & learn explanations even when application of
new knowledge is unclear.
-Maturity: multiple solutions are acceptable; reflect on your judgements
Ch15_Critical_Thinking_Fundamentals_Skills_
Chamberlain_University
, lOMoARcPSD|52942330
Chapter 15: Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice
Clinical Judgement – interpretating patient’s needs, concerns, health problems & deciding whether to
take action or not.
Clinical Judgement in Nursing Practice
-Clinical judgement is what separates RN from techs
-RNs observe for changes in patients, recognizes potential problems, identifies new
problems, & takes action when conditions worsen
-Techs are directed by nurses & report back to RN
-RN relies on knowledge/experience when deciding if a care plan is ineffective or if it is
something that requires a healthcare provider to be notified when complications arise.
Critical Thinking & Terms
-Critical Thinking: ability to think in a systematic & logical way with openness to question &
reflect on reasoning process. Involves open-mindedness & perseverance, & willingness to look @
each unique patient & situation.
-Evidence-Based Knowledge: knowledge based on research or clinical expertise; helps make an
informed critical thinker
-Interpretation: orderly collection of data about patients applying reasoning while looking for
patterns & then categorizing data. Gather additional data or clarification if uncertain.
-Analysis: be open minded when looking @ patient info, do not assume anything
-Inference: consider meanings and significance of findings; are there relationships among them?
Does the data make a problem clear?
-Evaluation: look at all situations objectively; use criteria to determine results of nursing actions.
Reflect on own behavior.
-Self-Regulation: reflect on own experiences, connect actions with outcomes, identify new ways
to improve own performance.
-Truth-Seeking: seek true meaning of situation; be courageous, honest, objective
-Open-Mindedness: be tolerant & sensitive, be aware of own implicit bias, be respectful
of others
-Analyticity: analyze potential problematic situations, anticipate possible results/consequences,
use evidence-based reasoning.
-Inquisitiveness: be eager to acquire knowledge & learn explanations even when application of
new knowledge is unclear.
-Maturity: multiple solutions are acceptable; reflect on your judgements
