Use of the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory in Critical Care Orientation

• Published in: The Journal of continuing education in nursing Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 251 - 256
• Main Authors: Smith-Blair, Nan, Neighbors, Marianne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.11.2000
• Subjects: Acute Care; Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory; Clinical medicine; Cognitive ability; Cost estimates; Critical Care; Critical Thinking; Delphi Technique; Education, Nursing, Continuing - methods; Entry Workers; Experts; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Inservice Training - methods; Judgment; Knowledge; Male; Middle Aged; Nursing; Nursing Education; Nursing Education Research; Nursing Process; Nursing Research; Nursing Staff, Hospital - education; Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology; Orientation; Personality Inventory - standards; R&D; Research & development; Science; Skills; Thinking; Thinking Skills
• ISSN: 0022-0124; 1938-2472
• DOI: 10.3928/0022-0124-20001101-05

ABSTRACT In the current health care environment it is imperative that orientation programs be effective and efficient in the preparation of nurses entering critical care nursing. Institutions strive to develop orientation programs that use the least amount of resources necessary to achieve the desired outcome. The desired outcome of the critical care orientation process is for nurses to use critical thinking skills to make sound clinical judgments based on scientific knowledge of critical care nursing. Identifying areas of strengths and deficits in critical thinking could prove beneficial in assisting educators to individualize nursing orientation programs using critical thinking skills in practice. The purpose of this article is to describe a method used to measure nurses' dispositions toward critical thinking and the application of the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) in critical care orientation programs.