Critical Thinking: The Development of an Essential Skill for Nursing Students 283
Published online: 21/08/2014
Published print: 08/2014
doi: 10.5455/aim.2014.22.283-286
ACTA INFORM MED. 2014 AUG 22(4): 283-286
Received: 11 July 2014 • Accepted: 12 August 2014
PROFESSIONAL PAPER © AVICENA 2014
Critical Thinking: The Development of an
Essential Skill for Nursing Students
Ioanna V. Papathanasiou1, Christos F. Kleisiaris2, Evangelos C. Fradelos3, Katerina Kakou1,
Lambrini Kourkouta4
Nursing Department, Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, Greece1
Nursing Department, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Greece2
State Mental Hospital of Attica “Daphne”, Greece3
Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece4
Corresponding author: Ioanna V. Papathanasiou, RN, MSc, PhD. Assistant Professor. Nursing Department. Technological Educational Institute of
Thessaly, Greece. Phone: +302410684446. E-mail: ,
ABSTRACT
Critical thinking is defined as the mental process of actively and skillfully perception, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of collected in-
formation through observation, experience and communication that leads to a decision for action. In nursing education there is frequent
reference to critical thinking and to the significance that it has in daily clinical nursing practice. Nursing clinical instructors know that
students face difficulties in making decisions related to clinical practice. The main critical thinking skills in which nursing students should
be exercised during their studies are critical analysis, introductory and concluding justification, valid conclusion, distinguish of facts and
opinions, evaluation the credibility of information sources, clarification of concepts and recognition of conditions. Specific behaviors are
essentials for enhancing critical thinking. Nursing students in order to learn and apply critical thinking should develop independence of
thought, fairness, perspicacity in personal and social level, humility, spiritual courage, integrity, perseverance, self-confidence, interest for
research and curiosity. Critical thinking is an essential process for the safe, efficient and skillful nursing practice. The nursing education
programs should adopt attitudes that promote critical thinking and mobilize the skills of critical reasoning.
Key Words: critical thinking, nursing education, clinical nurse education, clinical nursing practice
1. INTRODUCTION Critical thinking, combined with creativity, refine
Critical thinking is applied by nurses in the process the result as nurses can find specific solutions to spe-
of solving problems of patients and decision-making cific problems with creativity taking place where tra-
process with creativity to enhance the effect. It is ditional interventions are not effective. Even with cre-
an essential process for a safe, efficient and skillful ativity, nurses generate new ideas quickly, get flexible
nursing intervention. Critical thinking according to and natural, create original solutions to problems, act
Scriven and Paul is the mental active process and independently and with confidence, even under pres-
subtle perception, analysis, synthesis and evaluation sure, and demonstrate originality (4).
of information collected or derived from observation, The aim of the study is to present the basic skills of
experience, reflection, reasoning or the communica- critical thinking, to highlight critical thinking as a es-
tion leading to conviction for action (1). sential skill for nursing education and a fundamental
So, nurses must adopt positions that promote crit- skill for decision making in nursing practice. More-
ical thinking and refine skills of critical reasoning in over to indicate the positive effect and relation that
order a meaningful assessment of both the previous critical thinking has on professional outcomes.
and the new information and decisions taken daily
on hospitalization and use of limited resources, forces 2. CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
you to think and act in cases where there are neither Nurses in their efforts to implement critical
clear answers nor specific procedures and where op- thinking should develop some methods as well as
posing forces transform decision making in a complex cognitive skills required in analysis, problem solving
process (2). and decision making (5). These skills include critical
Critical thinking applies to nurses as they have di- analysis, introductory and concluding justification,
verse multifaceted knowledge to handle the various sit- valid conclusion, distinguishing facts and opinions to
uations encountered during their shifts still face con- assess the credibility of sources of information, clar-
stant changes in an environment with constant stress ification of concepts, and recognition conditions (6,
of changing conditions and make important decisions 7).
using critical thinking to collect and interpret informa- Critical analysis is applied to a set of questions that
tion that are necessary for making a decision (3). relate to the event or concept for the determination of
ACTA INFORM MED. 2014 AUG 22(4): 283-286 / PROFESSIONAL PAPER
Published online: 21/08/2014
Published print: 08/2014
doi: 10.5455/aim.2014.22.283-286
ACTA INFORM MED. 2014 AUG 22(4): 283-286
Received: 11 July 2014 • Accepted: 12 August 2014
PROFESSIONAL PAPER © AVICENA 2014
Critical Thinking: The Development of an
Essential Skill for Nursing Students
Ioanna V. Papathanasiou1, Christos F. Kleisiaris2, Evangelos C. Fradelos3, Katerina Kakou1,
Lambrini Kourkouta4
Nursing Department, Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, Greece1
Nursing Department, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Greece2
State Mental Hospital of Attica “Daphne”, Greece3
Nursing Department, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece4
Corresponding author: Ioanna V. Papathanasiou, RN, MSc, PhD. Assistant Professor. Nursing Department. Technological Educational Institute of
Thessaly, Greece. Phone: +302410684446. E-mail: ,
ABSTRACT
Critical thinking is defined as the mental process of actively and skillfully perception, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of collected in-
formation through observation, experience and communication that leads to a decision for action. In nursing education there is frequent
reference to critical thinking and to the significance that it has in daily clinical nursing practice. Nursing clinical instructors know that
students face difficulties in making decisions related to clinical practice. The main critical thinking skills in which nursing students should
be exercised during their studies are critical analysis, introductory and concluding justification, valid conclusion, distinguish of facts and
opinions, evaluation the credibility of information sources, clarification of concepts and recognition of conditions. Specific behaviors are
essentials for enhancing critical thinking. Nursing students in order to learn and apply critical thinking should develop independence of
thought, fairness, perspicacity in personal and social level, humility, spiritual courage, integrity, perseverance, self-confidence, interest for
research and curiosity. Critical thinking is an essential process for the safe, efficient and skillful nursing practice. The nursing education
programs should adopt attitudes that promote critical thinking and mobilize the skills of critical reasoning.
Key Words: critical thinking, nursing education, clinical nurse education, clinical nursing practice
1. INTRODUCTION Critical thinking, combined with creativity, refine
Critical thinking is applied by nurses in the process the result as nurses can find specific solutions to spe-
of solving problems of patients and decision-making cific problems with creativity taking place where tra-
process with creativity to enhance the effect. It is ditional interventions are not effective. Even with cre-
an essential process for a safe, efficient and skillful ativity, nurses generate new ideas quickly, get flexible
nursing intervention. Critical thinking according to and natural, create original solutions to problems, act
Scriven and Paul is the mental active process and independently and with confidence, even under pres-
subtle perception, analysis, synthesis and evaluation sure, and demonstrate originality (4).
of information collected or derived from observation, The aim of the study is to present the basic skills of
experience, reflection, reasoning or the communica- critical thinking, to highlight critical thinking as a es-
tion leading to conviction for action (1). sential skill for nursing education and a fundamental
So, nurses must adopt positions that promote crit- skill for decision making in nursing practice. More-
ical thinking and refine skills of critical reasoning in over to indicate the positive effect and relation that
order a meaningful assessment of both the previous critical thinking has on professional outcomes.
and the new information and decisions taken daily
on hospitalization and use of limited resources, forces 2. CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
you to think and act in cases where there are neither Nurses in their efforts to implement critical
clear answers nor specific procedures and where op- thinking should develop some methods as well as
posing forces transform decision making in a complex cognitive skills required in analysis, problem solving
process (2). and decision making (5). These skills include critical
Critical thinking applies to nurses as they have di- analysis, introductory and concluding justification,
verse multifaceted knowledge to handle the various sit- valid conclusion, distinguishing facts and opinions to
uations encountered during their shifts still face con- assess the credibility of sources of information, clar-
stant changes in an environment with constant stress ification of concepts, and recognition conditions (6,
of changing conditions and make important decisions 7).
using critical thinking to collect and interpret informa- Critical analysis is applied to a set of questions that
tion that are necessary for making a decision (3). relate to the event or concept for the determination of
ACTA INFORM MED. 2014 AUG 22(4): 283-286 / PROFESSIONAL PAPER
