CRITICAL THINKING AND CLINICAL JUDGEMENT EXAM
QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
UPDATED 2025/2026 A COMPLETE SOLUTION BEST GRADED
A+ FOR SUCCESS
Which component can restrict the student nurse's ability to move from a basic level to a complex level
of critical thinking? Select all that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.
1. Inexperience
2. Inflexible attitude
3. Weak competency
4. Lack of specific knowledge base
5. Lack of policy related to procedures - CORRECT ANSWERS 1,2,3
Student nurses mostly apply the basic level of critical thinking in practice because they are still learning
and are task oriented. The student's inexperience from less exposure, inflexible attitude as a result of
less practice, and weak competency from less exposure can restrict the ability to move from a basic level
to a complex level of critical thinking in practice. Student nurses work in all domains and may believe
that experts have the right answer for every problem. Therefore they do not acquire a domain-specific
knowledge base. The student nurse uses a specific hospital procedure manual in practice, which is
developed with a good set of standards. Therefore lack of policy related to procedures will have no role
in the student nurse's advancement in critical thinking skills.
Which technique would the student nurse follow to develop critical thinking skills and bring theory into
practice?
1. Reflective journaling
2. Concept mapping
3. Meeting with colleagues
4. Meeting with patients - CORRECT ANSWERS 1
Reflective journaling involves recollecting daily incidents and writing them down for further reference.
This helps improve critical thinking skills and clarifies concepts for further reference. Concept mapping
helps nurses better understand the patient's problems and secondary disease conditions. Meeting with
colleagues and patients helps develop knowledge and expertise in clinical situations.
, CRITICAL THINKING AND CLINICAL JUDGEMENT EXAM
QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
UPDATED 2025/2026 A COMPLETE SOLUTION BEST GRADED
A+ FOR SUCCESS
The nurse finds that a surgical patient has incision pain, fever, and nausea. Based on the findings, the
nurse concludes that the patient has infection at the surgical site. Which critical thinking skill has the
nurse applied?
1. Analysis
2. Inference
3. Evaluation
4. Interpretation - CORRECT ANSWERS 1
Critical thinking skills are applied in nursing practice to make complex decisions. In the given scenario,
the nurse has drawn a conclusion from the data. This indicates the application of analysis in nursing
practice. Inference involves looking at the meaning and significance of the findings. When the nurse
looks at all patients' situations objectively, the nurse is using evaluation skills. Interpretation involves
finding patterns after organizing or collecting a patient's data during assessment.
A patient requires a Foley catheter to be inserted, so the nurse reads the procedure manual for the
institution to review how to insert it. Which level of critical thinking is the nurse using?
1. Commitment
2. Scientific method
3. Basic critical thinking
4. Complex critical thinking - CORRECT ANSWERS 3
This is an example of basic critical thinking, in which the nurse trusts that experts have the right answers
for how to insert the Foley catheter and thus goes to the procedure manual. Thinking is concrete and
based on a set of rules or principles. The nurse makes choices without assistance in commitment critical
thinking. The nurse uses reasoning to solve problems with the scientific method. The nurse relies less on
experts and trusts his or her own judgement with complex critical thinking.
Arrange the steps of the scientific method of critical thinking in the correct order.
1.Requesting diagnostic tests
QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
UPDATED 2025/2026 A COMPLETE SOLUTION BEST GRADED
A+ FOR SUCCESS
Which component can restrict the student nurse's ability to move from a basic level to a complex level
of critical thinking? Select all that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.
1. Inexperience
2. Inflexible attitude
3. Weak competency
4. Lack of specific knowledge base
5. Lack of policy related to procedures - CORRECT ANSWERS 1,2,3
Student nurses mostly apply the basic level of critical thinking in practice because they are still learning
and are task oriented. The student's inexperience from less exposure, inflexible attitude as a result of
less practice, and weak competency from less exposure can restrict the ability to move from a basic level
to a complex level of critical thinking in practice. Student nurses work in all domains and may believe
that experts have the right answer for every problem. Therefore they do not acquire a domain-specific
knowledge base. The student nurse uses a specific hospital procedure manual in practice, which is
developed with a good set of standards. Therefore lack of policy related to procedures will have no role
in the student nurse's advancement in critical thinking skills.
Which technique would the student nurse follow to develop critical thinking skills and bring theory into
practice?
1. Reflective journaling
2. Concept mapping
3. Meeting with colleagues
4. Meeting with patients - CORRECT ANSWERS 1
Reflective journaling involves recollecting daily incidents and writing them down for further reference.
This helps improve critical thinking skills and clarifies concepts for further reference. Concept mapping
helps nurses better understand the patient's problems and secondary disease conditions. Meeting with
colleagues and patients helps develop knowledge and expertise in clinical situations.
, CRITICAL THINKING AND CLINICAL JUDGEMENT EXAM
QUESTIONS AND 100% CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
UPDATED 2025/2026 A COMPLETE SOLUTION BEST GRADED
A+ FOR SUCCESS
The nurse finds that a surgical patient has incision pain, fever, and nausea. Based on the findings, the
nurse concludes that the patient has infection at the surgical site. Which critical thinking skill has the
nurse applied?
1. Analysis
2. Inference
3. Evaluation
4. Interpretation - CORRECT ANSWERS 1
Critical thinking skills are applied in nursing practice to make complex decisions. In the given scenario,
the nurse has drawn a conclusion from the data. This indicates the application of analysis in nursing
practice. Inference involves looking at the meaning and significance of the findings. When the nurse
looks at all patients' situations objectively, the nurse is using evaluation skills. Interpretation involves
finding patterns after organizing or collecting a patient's data during assessment.
A patient requires a Foley catheter to be inserted, so the nurse reads the procedure manual for the
institution to review how to insert it. Which level of critical thinking is the nurse using?
1. Commitment
2. Scientific method
3. Basic critical thinking
4. Complex critical thinking - CORRECT ANSWERS 3
This is an example of basic critical thinking, in which the nurse trusts that experts have the right answers
for how to insert the Foley catheter and thus goes to the procedure manual. Thinking is concrete and
based on a set of rules or principles. The nurse makes choices without assistance in commitment critical
thinking. The nurse uses reasoning to solve problems with the scientific method. The nurse relies less on
experts and trusts his or her own judgement with complex critical thinking.
Arrange the steps of the scientific method of critical thinking in the correct order.
1.Requesting diagnostic tests
