Abstract:
Critical thinking is the process thought to be vital for the success of the professional nurses when making clinical judgments. Nurse educators are seeking information concerning innovative strategies for teaching critical thinking in clinical settings. The purpose of this descriptive study is to examine teaching strategies utilized in Baccalaureate nursing programs to teach critical thinking skills in the clinical setting and relate those strategies to specific outcomes of relating to theory, developing skills and knowledge, decision making, critical thinking and nursing judgment. Scheffer and Rubenfeld's (2000) definition of critical thinking is the organizing framework for this study. A sample of 50 nurse educators will be invited from the population of nurse educators who teach in baccalaureate nursing programs from the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Permission will be obtained from Ball State University and from each identified institution. The Critical Thinking Methods of Instruction Assay (Ryan, 2001) will be used to query faculty. The study is voluntary and data will remain anonymous. There are no identified risks to any individual or institution involved in the study. Findings will contribute to the current information about teaching critical thinking in clinical settings.