Graduate nurses: critical thinkers or better decision makers?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Cognitive Skills Assessment

Background:

• The transition of nursing education to higher education necessitates an evaluation of its impact on graduate practice.
• Empirical data is lacking in the UK to confirm differences in practice between graduate and non-graduate nurses.
• This study addresses the gap by comparing critical thinking and decision-making across various nursing academic and experience levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate critical thinking development in nurses at different academic stages.
• To assess nurses' perceptions of their decision-making ability in clinical practice.
• To explore the relationship between critical thinking skills and clinical decision-making.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, between-subjects design was employed with 82 nurses across four groups (pre-registration, mature graduates, experienced non-graduates).
• The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal assessed critical thinking skills.
• The Jenkins Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale evaluated decision-making ability in practice.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in critical thinking skills were found among the four nursing groups.
• Nurses with exposure to the academic process demonstrated significantly better clinical decision-making than their non-academic counterparts.
• No significant correlation was identified between critical thinking development and clinical decision-making ability.

Conclusions:

• While critical thinking skills may not significantly differ across academic levels, academic exposure enhances practical decision-making in nursing.
• Further investigation is required to understand the interplay between critical thinking, decision-making, and the measurement tools used in nursing practice.