ATI Chapter 8 - Critical Thinking and
Clinical Judgement
Critical Thinking - ANS-An active, orderly, well thought out reasoning process that guides a
nurse in various approaches to making a nursing judgement by applying knowledge and
experience, problem solving, logic, reasoning, and decision making; requires life long learning
Components of Critical Thinking - ANS-Knowledge, experience, critical thinking competencies,
attitudes, and intellectual and professional standards
Reflection - ANS-Purposefully thinking back or recalling a situation to discover its meaning and
gain insight into the event
Language - ANS-Precise, clear language demonstrating focused thinking and communicating
unambiguous messages and expectations to clients and other health care team members
Intuition - ANS-An inner sensing that facts do not currently support something; should spark the
nurse to search the data to confirm or disprove the feeling
Basic Critical Thinking - ANS-Think concretely; limited nursing knowledge and experience
Complex Critical Thinking - ANS-Begins to express autonomy; increase in nursing knowledge,
experience, intuition, and more flexible attitudes
Commitment - ANS-The nurse expects to make choices without help from others and fully
assume the responsibility for those choices; results from an expert level of knowledge,
experience, developed intuition, and reflective, flexible attitudes
2 Components of Critical Thinking - ANS-1) Knowledge
2) Experience
Knowledge - ANS-Information that's specific to nursing and comes from basic nursing
education, use of evidence based practice, continuing education courses, and advanced
degrees and certifications
Experience - ANS-Decision-making ability derived from opportunities to observe, sense, and
interact with clients followed by active reflection
Competence (2) - ANS-Cognitive process a nurse uses to make nursing judgments
1) general critical thinking
2) specific critical thinking in nursing
Clinical Judgement
Critical Thinking - ANS-An active, orderly, well thought out reasoning process that guides a
nurse in various approaches to making a nursing judgement by applying knowledge and
experience, problem solving, logic, reasoning, and decision making; requires life long learning
Components of Critical Thinking - ANS-Knowledge, experience, critical thinking competencies,
attitudes, and intellectual and professional standards
Reflection - ANS-Purposefully thinking back or recalling a situation to discover its meaning and
gain insight into the event
Language - ANS-Precise, clear language demonstrating focused thinking and communicating
unambiguous messages and expectations to clients and other health care team members
Intuition - ANS-An inner sensing that facts do not currently support something; should spark the
nurse to search the data to confirm or disprove the feeling
Basic Critical Thinking - ANS-Think concretely; limited nursing knowledge and experience
Complex Critical Thinking - ANS-Begins to express autonomy; increase in nursing knowledge,
experience, intuition, and more flexible attitudes
Commitment - ANS-The nurse expects to make choices without help from others and fully
assume the responsibility for those choices; results from an expert level of knowledge,
experience, developed intuition, and reflective, flexible attitudes
2 Components of Critical Thinking - ANS-1) Knowledge
2) Experience
Knowledge - ANS-Information that's specific to nursing and comes from basic nursing
education, use of evidence based practice, continuing education courses, and advanced
degrees and certifications
Experience - ANS-Decision-making ability derived from opportunities to observe, sense, and
interact with clients followed by active reflection
Competence (2) - ANS-Cognitive process a nurse uses to make nursing judgments
1) general critical thinking
2) specific critical thinking in nursing
