CHAPTER 04 - CRITICAL THINKING IN NURSING
PRACTICE QUESTIONSAND ANSWERS LATEST
VERSION VERIFIED RATIONALE GRADED A+
A new graduate nurse explains a new approach in the positioning of patients with chronic low back pain.
The nurse preceptor responds, "That is not the way we do it here." The preceptor's response illustrates
which error in critical thinking?
a. Lack of information
b. Erroneous assumptions
c. Illogical thinking
d. Bias - ansC
(Illogical thinking is often characterized by hasty generalizations and assumptions that do not consider
the evidence. Another trait associated with this type of thinking is related to following tradition and uses
the argument that "we have always done it this way." When illogical thinking is used, creativity in
thinking can be limited, and new ideas and approaches do not evolve. In nursing, illogical thinking can
occur if nurses do not stay current, and care can be compromised.)
During the assessment of a patient admitted for a total hip replacement, the nurse asks the patient to
explain prior hospital experiences and, more specifically, any operative experiences. These questions
reflect the nurse's use of which intellectual standard of critical thinking?
a. Clarity
b. Logic
c. Precision
d. Significance - ansA
(Patient information must first meet the intellectual standard of clarity before it is evaluated for
precision, logic, or significance.)
During the postoperative assessment on a patient, the nurse has a "hunch" that the patient has a
postoperative complication based upon
a. intuition.
b. interpretation.
c. information processing.
d. inference. - ansA
, CHAPTER 04 - CRITICAL THINKING IN NURSING
PRACTICE QUESTIONSAND ANSWERS LATEST
VERSION VERIFIED RATIONALE GRADED A+
(Knowing or feeling that you know something without specific evidence is one explanation of intuition.
Intuition is a valid characteristic of expert clinical judgment acquired through knowledge, practice, and
experience. It is described as how expert nurses use intuition to facilitate problem solving because this
"hunch" (most likely intuition) is based upon experiential knowledge.)
In approaching a new clinical situation, the nurse uses which question to facilitate precision in critical
thinking?
a. "What do I know about this situation?"
b. "What additional details do I need to gather?"
c. "Does the clinical presentation correlate with the diagnosis?"
d. "Are the treatments appropriate for the diagnosis?" - ansB
(Precision relates to providing sufficient detail to lead to an exact understanding of the situation. What
do I know about this situation? is focused on self-reflection about what is known about the situation.
Does the clinical presentation correlate with the diagnosis? relates to relevance. Are the treatments
appropriate for the diagnosis? relates to logic.)
In preparing for a certification examination, the nurse chooses to develop a concept map to help
understand the content. This strategy is based upon which characteristics of concept maps? (Select all
that apply.)
a. Facilitates note taking
b. Requires thinking aloud
c. Fosters making correlations between concepts
d. Validates content with an expert
e. Organizes visual data - ansA, C, E
(Concept maps are a method to organize and visualize data in order to identify relationships and solve
problems. Concept maps can be used for note taking, mapping nursing care plans, and preparing for
exams. Through visual representations, the student can make correlations between related concepts.)
In preparing to administer medications to a patient, the nurse notes a medication that she has never
administered. If the nurse administers the medication without researching the medication, this
represents which error in critical thinking?
PRACTICE QUESTIONSAND ANSWERS LATEST
VERSION VERIFIED RATIONALE GRADED A+
A new graduate nurse explains a new approach in the positioning of patients with chronic low back pain.
The nurse preceptor responds, "That is not the way we do it here." The preceptor's response illustrates
which error in critical thinking?
a. Lack of information
b. Erroneous assumptions
c. Illogical thinking
d. Bias - ansC
(Illogical thinking is often characterized by hasty generalizations and assumptions that do not consider
the evidence. Another trait associated with this type of thinking is related to following tradition and uses
the argument that "we have always done it this way." When illogical thinking is used, creativity in
thinking can be limited, and new ideas and approaches do not evolve. In nursing, illogical thinking can
occur if nurses do not stay current, and care can be compromised.)
During the assessment of a patient admitted for a total hip replacement, the nurse asks the patient to
explain prior hospital experiences and, more specifically, any operative experiences. These questions
reflect the nurse's use of which intellectual standard of critical thinking?
a. Clarity
b. Logic
c. Precision
d. Significance - ansA
(Patient information must first meet the intellectual standard of clarity before it is evaluated for
precision, logic, or significance.)
During the postoperative assessment on a patient, the nurse has a "hunch" that the patient has a
postoperative complication based upon
a. intuition.
b. interpretation.
c. information processing.
d. inference. - ansA
, CHAPTER 04 - CRITICAL THINKING IN NURSING
PRACTICE QUESTIONSAND ANSWERS LATEST
VERSION VERIFIED RATIONALE GRADED A+
(Knowing or feeling that you know something without specific evidence is one explanation of intuition.
Intuition is a valid characteristic of expert clinical judgment acquired through knowledge, practice, and
experience. It is described as how expert nurses use intuition to facilitate problem solving because this
"hunch" (most likely intuition) is based upon experiential knowledge.)
In approaching a new clinical situation, the nurse uses which question to facilitate precision in critical
thinking?
a. "What do I know about this situation?"
b. "What additional details do I need to gather?"
c. "Does the clinical presentation correlate with the diagnosis?"
d. "Are the treatments appropriate for the diagnosis?" - ansB
(Precision relates to providing sufficient detail to lead to an exact understanding of the situation. What
do I know about this situation? is focused on self-reflection about what is known about the situation.
Does the clinical presentation correlate with the diagnosis? relates to relevance. Are the treatments
appropriate for the diagnosis? relates to logic.)
In preparing for a certification examination, the nurse chooses to develop a concept map to help
understand the content. This strategy is based upon which characteristics of concept maps? (Select all
that apply.)
a. Facilitates note taking
b. Requires thinking aloud
c. Fosters making correlations between concepts
d. Validates content with an expert
e. Organizes visual data - ansA, C, E
(Concept maps are a method to organize and visualize data in order to identify relationships and solve
problems. Concept maps can be used for note taking, mapping nursing care plans, and preparing for
exams. Through visual representations, the student can make correlations between related concepts.)
In preparing to administer medications to a patient, the nurse notes a medication that she has never
administered. If the nurse administers the medication without researching the medication, this
represents which error in critical thinking?
