Faculty perceptions of critical thinking in student clinical experiences

Critical thinking is an essential skill for nurses who practice in complex health care systems. This study explored nursing faculty members' perceptions of teaching critical thinking to baccalaureate student nurses in clinical settings. Six clinical faculty members were interviewed using an ethnographic approach. Findings focus on two domain analyses that describe the nature of critical thinking and strategies to effectively teach it. Faculty members conceptualized critical thinking as "putting it all together" through information seeking, reflecting, assigning meaning, problem solving, predicting, planning, and applying information. Faculty members perceived that they teach critical thinking through a number of approaches that include asking questions, reviewing written products, conducting clinical conferences, and evaluating student journals. The findings of this study have implications for faculty who seek a clearer definition of critical thinking in nursing and a rich description of strategies to teach this skill.