Operationalizing the Concept of Critical Thinking for Student Learning Outcome Development

Creating a curriculum that can effectively develop critical thinking skills is an elusive outcome for undergraduate nursing programs. Despite the best efforts of faculty, employers continue to note an inability of new graduates to apply critical thinking concepts that improve patient outcomes. The lack of an operational definition of critical thinking appears to be a key contributor to this issue.

A concept analysis was developed to identify a definition of critical thinking that allows for clear, measurable learning outcomes.

Despite extensive discussion within the literature, a consistent definition of critical thinking is lacking; instead, a rather extensive list exists of the attributes and antecedents consistently found in individuals who think critically.

Curricular student learning outcomes framed around operational attributes can promote the development of critical thinking skills and improve patient outcomes. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(4):214-220.].