How to assess critical thinking in clinical practice.

Abstract

Nursing leaders in critical care face new challenges in assessing their staff's critical thinking skills. Specific strategies--such as questioning, clinical scenarios, conferences, and context-dependent test items--are needed for this assessment. Critical care educators, managers, clinical nurse specialists, acute care nurse practitioners, case managers, and nurses in other roles who are responsible for orienting staff to critical care and for providing them with continued education and development can use these strategies.