CRITICAL THINKING CLINICAL REASONING 2026
CORRECT FINAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RATED
A+
✔✔Metacognitive processes (components of clinical reasoning) - ✔✔include reflective
thinking and awareness of the skills learned by the nurse in caring for the client
✔✔A client in a cardiac rehabilitation program says to the nurse, "I have to eat a low-
sodium diet for the rest of my life, and I hate it!" Which is the most appropriate response
by the nurse?
1. "I will get a dietary consult to talk to you before next week."
2. "What do you think is so difficult about following a low-sodium diet?"
3. "At least you survived a heart attack and are able to return to work."
4. "You may not need to follow a low-sodium diet for as long as you think." - ✔✔2.
"What do you think is so difficult about following a low-sodium diet?"
Rationale: The nurse recognizes the need to obtain further information from the client in
order to respond directly to the client's statement. Option 1 passes off the client's
educational needs to another practitioner. Options 3 and 4 are non-therapeutic.
✔✔A client reports feeling hungry, but does not eat when food is served. Using clinical
reasoning skills, the nurse should perform which of the following?
1. Assess why the client is not ingesting the food provided.
2. Continue to leave the food at the bedside until the client is hungry enough to eat.
3. Notify the primary care provider that tube feeding may be indicated soon.
4. Believe the client is not really hungry. - ✔✔1 . Assess why the client is not ingesting
the food provided.
Rationale: The nurse recognizes that many assumptions (beliefs) could interfere with
the client eating—such as that the food presented is not culturally appropriate. These
assumptions must be clarified with the process of clinical reasoning. Options 2 and 3
reach conclusions not supported by the facts. In option 4, the nurse has made a
, judgment or has an opinion that may not be accurate. Also, the nurse is acting without
assessment. Implementation should be preceded by assessment.
✔✔Techniques in Critical Thinking - Critical Analysis - ✔✔is the application of a set of
questions to a particular situation or idea to determine essential information and ideas
and discard unimportant information and ideas.
✔✔Perseverance (Attitudes that Foster Critical Thinking) - ✔✔Determination in finding
effective solutions to client and nursing problems
✔✔Confidence (Attitudes that Foster Critical Thinking) - ✔✔believe that well-reasoned
thinking will lead to trustworthy conclusions
✔✔Intellectual Humility (Attitudes that Foster Critical Thinking) - ✔✔means having an
awareness of the limits of ones own knowledge
✔✔A client complains of shortness of breath. During assessment the nurse observes
that the client has edema of the left leg only. The nurse reviews evidence-based
practice literature and reflects on a previous client with the same clinical manifestations.
What do these actions represent?
1. Clinical judgment
2. Clinical reasoning
3. Reflection
4. Intuition - ✔✔2. Clinical Reasoning
Rationale: Reviewing evidence-based literature and identifying similarities in the clinical
manifestations of symptoms is an act of clinical reasoning. Past experiences in care
enhance the nurse's ability to recognize and respond in the delivery of client-centered
care. Clinical judgment in nursing is a decision-making process to ascertain the right
action to implement at the appropriate time during client care (option 1). Reflection is
the nurse's review of the care provided to determine strategies to improve future care
(option 3), Intuition is a problem-solving approach that relies on a nurse's inner sense
(option 4).
✔✔What do you need to do to develop your ability to think critically - ✔✔Make
commitment to develop critical thinking characteristics such as honesty.
Take responsibility and seek out learning experiences to get critical thinking knowledge.
Gain interpersonal skills such as teamwork.
Practice related technical skills.
✔✔Personal Critical Thinking Indicators: self aware - ✔✔Clarifies biases, inclinations,
strengths, and limitations.
CORRECT FINAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RATED
A+
✔✔Metacognitive processes (components of clinical reasoning) - ✔✔include reflective
thinking and awareness of the skills learned by the nurse in caring for the client
✔✔A client in a cardiac rehabilitation program says to the nurse, "I have to eat a low-
sodium diet for the rest of my life, and I hate it!" Which is the most appropriate response
by the nurse?
1. "I will get a dietary consult to talk to you before next week."
2. "What do you think is so difficult about following a low-sodium diet?"
3. "At least you survived a heart attack and are able to return to work."
4. "You may not need to follow a low-sodium diet for as long as you think." - ✔✔2.
"What do you think is so difficult about following a low-sodium diet?"
Rationale: The nurse recognizes the need to obtain further information from the client in
order to respond directly to the client's statement. Option 1 passes off the client's
educational needs to another practitioner. Options 3 and 4 are non-therapeutic.
✔✔A client reports feeling hungry, but does not eat when food is served. Using clinical
reasoning skills, the nurse should perform which of the following?
1. Assess why the client is not ingesting the food provided.
2. Continue to leave the food at the bedside until the client is hungry enough to eat.
3. Notify the primary care provider that tube feeding may be indicated soon.
4. Believe the client is not really hungry. - ✔✔1 . Assess why the client is not ingesting
the food provided.
Rationale: The nurse recognizes that many assumptions (beliefs) could interfere with
the client eating—such as that the food presented is not culturally appropriate. These
assumptions must be clarified with the process of clinical reasoning. Options 2 and 3
reach conclusions not supported by the facts. In option 4, the nurse has made a
, judgment or has an opinion that may not be accurate. Also, the nurse is acting without
assessment. Implementation should be preceded by assessment.
✔✔Techniques in Critical Thinking - Critical Analysis - ✔✔is the application of a set of
questions to a particular situation or idea to determine essential information and ideas
and discard unimportant information and ideas.
✔✔Perseverance (Attitudes that Foster Critical Thinking) - ✔✔Determination in finding
effective solutions to client and nursing problems
✔✔Confidence (Attitudes that Foster Critical Thinking) - ✔✔believe that well-reasoned
thinking will lead to trustworthy conclusions
✔✔Intellectual Humility (Attitudes that Foster Critical Thinking) - ✔✔means having an
awareness of the limits of ones own knowledge
✔✔A client complains of shortness of breath. During assessment the nurse observes
that the client has edema of the left leg only. The nurse reviews evidence-based
practice literature and reflects on a previous client with the same clinical manifestations.
What do these actions represent?
1. Clinical judgment
2. Clinical reasoning
3. Reflection
4. Intuition - ✔✔2. Clinical Reasoning
Rationale: Reviewing evidence-based literature and identifying similarities in the clinical
manifestations of symptoms is an act of clinical reasoning. Past experiences in care
enhance the nurse's ability to recognize and respond in the delivery of client-centered
care. Clinical judgment in nursing is a decision-making process to ascertain the right
action to implement at the appropriate time during client care (option 1). Reflection is
the nurse's review of the care provided to determine strategies to improve future care
(option 3), Intuition is a problem-solving approach that relies on a nurse's inner sense
(option 4).
✔✔What do you need to do to develop your ability to think critically - ✔✔Make
commitment to develop critical thinking characteristics such as honesty.
Take responsibility and seek out learning experiences to get critical thinking knowledge.
Gain interpersonal skills such as teamwork.
Practice related technical skills.
✔✔Personal Critical Thinking Indicators: self aware - ✔✔Clarifies biases, inclinations,
strengths, and limitations.
