Nursing is a profession in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. The most important
reason for the nurse to develop critical thinking and clinical reasoning is:
a. to be able to employ the nursing process in patient care.
b. that the licensing examination requires nurses to be adept at critical thinking.
c. because patients deserve experts who know how to care for them.
d. to provide quality care with nursing ability and knowledge. - Answers d. to provide quality care
with nursing ability and knowledge.
A home health nurse reviews the nursing care with the patient and family and then mutually
discusses the expected outcomes of the nursing care to be provided. Which step of the nursing
process is the nurse illustrating?
a. Diagnosing
b. Planning
c. Implementing
d. Evaluating - Answers b. Planning
The nurse maintains a journal in which to reflect on the nurse's clinical practice. Which entry is
an example of reflection for action?
a. "The client's son reported to me that the client needed medication for postoperative pain."
, b. "It has been over 4 hours since I have medicated the client for pain."
c. "I obtained the medication. When I got to the room, the client was sleeping. I refused to give
the medication."
d. "Next time I will assess the client before obtaining the medication." - Answers d. "Next time I
will assess the client before obtaining the medication."
On walking into the room of a client, an experienced nurse has a strong sense that something is
going wrong with the client. Which type of clinical decision making is the nurse demonstrating?
a. Trial-and-error problem solving
b. Intuitive thinking
c. Scientific problem solving
d. Methodical reasoning - Answers b. Intuitive thinking
What is the most important reason for the nurse to develop critical thinking and clinical
reasoning?
a. To be able to employ the nursing process in client care
b. To meet the requirements of the licensing examination
c. To become the experts in care whom clients deserve