Health Scientists' Doctoral Journey: A Blueprint for Promoting Critical Thinking Skills

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences Education
• Doctoral Training
• Critical Thinking Assessment

Background:

• Advancing evidence-based, person-centered care requires health professionals to function as health scientists.
• Formal assessment of critical thinking development in doctoral health science (HS) programs is limited.
• Objective evaluation methods are needed to track critical thinking progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate critical thinking development in a health science doctoral program.
• To assess the utility of the Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) for measuring critical thinking skills.
• To inform the development of a blueprint for assessing critical thinking in doctoral education.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Doctoral students in a health science program anonymously completed the HSRT.
• Total HSRT scores were analyzed in relation to program competencies.

Main Results:

• The Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) can be administered to assess critical thinking skills at various stages of a doctoral program.
• Data indicated the feasibility of linking HSRT scores to specific program milestones.
• The study supports the use of the HSRT to evaluate the success of doctoral programs in fostering critical thinking.

Conclusions:

• Academic programs can effectively identify and assess critical thinking skills in health science doctoral students using the HSRT.
• The HSRT provides a valuable tool for monitoring student progress and program effectiveness.
• A proposed blueprint can guide health science doctoral education in measuring critical thinking development.