Revisiting Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment in Nursing Education

Although critical thinking remains foundational to clinical judgment, it is often treated as a capability students have rather than a cognitive process to be intentionally developed. As competency frameworks and assessment models emphasize observable performance, the thinking processes that support learning and judgment development may receive less attention in nursing curricula. The purpose of this article is to revisit and clarify the role of critical thinking in the development of clinical judgment within nursing education.

The distinctions among critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical decision-making, and clinical judgment are reviewed within the framework of educational strategies that may position critical thinking as implicit, despite its pivotal role in clinical judgment.

Literature suggests that critical thinking underlies clinical reasoning and clinical judgment, but may receive inadequate attention when educational frameworks prioritize observable performance outcomes and competency demonstration.

Clinical judgment cannot be developed or assessed without deliberate attention to the thinking processes that support it. Strengthening critical thinking requires intentional strategies that make thinking visible and integral to the application of learning in practice.