[Critical thinking during the clinical teaching at the beginning of nursing students' clinical education]

This article examines how critical thinking is seen in learning decision making during the clinical lessons in the beginning of nursing students' clinical education. The data has been collected by taping all the clinical lessons (11) of the students (32). The data was analyzed by using content analysis both quantitatively and qualitatively. The phases of the nursing process, in other words the phases of decision making appeared clearly in the discussions. A lot of assessment of the nursing needs of the patient appeared clearly. Physical needs were focused among the nursing problems. The objects of the nursing were defined nurse-centrically and generally. The discussion about the implementation and the evaluation of the nursing received insufficient attention. There were presented neither alternative solutions of the care nor any reasons for proposed solutions. Learning of the students represented mainly superficial, mechanical learning, lacking critical thinking.