Critical thinking of registered nurses in a fellowship program

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Professional Development
• Cognitive Skills

Background:

• Critical thinking is a fundamental skill for effective nursing practice.
• Assessing critical thinking dispositions in registered nurses (RNs) is crucial for professional development.
• This study investigated changes in critical thinking dispositions among RNs participating in a fellowship program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of a nursing fellowship program on the critical thinking dispositions of registered nurses (RNs).
• To compare critical thinking disposition scores between an experimental group receiving critical thinking education and a control group.
• To identify potential changes in critical thinking dispositions over time within a fellowship setting.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed with control and experimental groups of RNs.
• The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was administered at baseline, week 7, and month 5.
• The experimental group received critical thinking education via simulated scenarios and reflective journaling, while the control group did not.

Main Results:

• Analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences in CCTDI scores within or between groups over the study period.
• The experimental group exhibited slightly higher baseline CCTDI scores compared to the control group.
• Demographic variables showed no significant differences between the control and experimental groups.

Conclusions:

• Critical thinking dispositions are multifaceted, influenced by personality, attitudes, values, and life experiences.
• Quantitative methods may not fully capture the nuanced development of critical thinking dispositions in nurses.
• A qualitative analysis of reflective journal entries is ongoing to provide deeper insights into dispositional changes.