Objective measurement of critical-thinking ability in registered nurse applicants

This first part of a 2-phase study examined the relationship between general pediatric nursing knowledge, critical thinking (CT) ability of newly hired nurse, as determined by a custom Health Education System Inc exam and the length of orientation necessary to meet the required clinical competencies. A descriptive correlational study design was used to administer the customized computer-based examination to 98 nurses at the beginning of employment at a large pediatric healthcare organization. The examination results were statistically significant in the determination of CT ability and a correlation to the ability to provide clinically competent patient care. The custom examination provided an objective measurement of CT ability in the nurse's specific domain of knowledge.