The purpose of this quantitative research study was to identify the critical thinking dispositions of undergraduate nursing students and nursing faculty in Southwestern Nigeria. Critical thinking dispositions are required for critical thinking skills. People who have critical thinking disposition exhibit seven traits: truth-seeking,…

Accelerated transitional nursing programs (ATNPs) designed specifically for licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) to transition to become registered nurses (RNs) are graduating novice nurses who need critical thinking skills to solve patient problems. The health care industry and patient outcomes depend on graduate nurses to be proficient with quality…

The task of developing vocational nursing students' critical thinking abilities is one of the greatest challenges facing nurse educators today. Licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) must be trained to think critically in order to provide safe patient care. Due to the expanded role and functions in the LVN's scope of practice, LVNs are making more…

As part of a doctoral study, the critical thinking dispositions of post-RN (post-diploma) nurses continuing their education at a mid-sized university were measured before and after the intervention of a three-credit online course. The tool used to measure the changes in critical thinking disposition was the California Critical Thinking…

Public health relies on well trained nurses and clinical experience is an important component of that training. However, clinical experience training for student nurses also has significant challenges, as it can place patients at risk. Also it is difficult to schedule/predict patient conditions and procedures. Human patient simulation (HPS) can…

Nurses need critical thinking to make sound clinical judgments. Identifying critical thinking dispositions during employee orientation can help individualize orientation programs that nurture critical thinking in clinical practice. (SK)

Alternative approaches to evaluating critical thinking skills are needed, as pencil and paper assessments may not accurately predict simulated or actual clinical performance. To ensure patient safety, it is imperative to determine how to best promote and measure critical thinking skills. Few studies have examined how these skills are related to…

The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and California Critical Thinking Skills Test were administered to 328 nursing students. There were significant differences in disposition scores between sophomores and juniors/seniors. Weak truth-seeking disposition scores appeared at all levels. (SK)