Critical thinking in Nursing

1. COMPETENCIES,ATTITUDES
FORCRITICALTHINKING
By-
DeveshwarP.D.

2. COMPETENCIES,ATTITUDES
FORCRITICALTHINKING
Criticalthinking includes attitudes as wellas
cognitive skills.Richard Paul(1990) referred
criticalthinkingattitudeas"Traitsofmind".They
motivate/encourage and justify the use of
cognitiveskills.Acriticalthinkermakestheuseof
effectiveattitudeswhilethinkingaboutwhatto
believeorhowtoperform.
Critical thinker must have following
interdependentattitudes:

3. 1.-IntellectualHumility:Itinvolves
knowingandadmittingthelimitsofown
knowledge.Criticalthinkerhasinsightof
herknowledge.Ifsheishaving lackof
knowledge,mayconsultmentoror,expert.
Example:-Nursewhoisacriticalthinker
does not know about ventilators of
RespiratoryIntensive Care unit.She will
consultanexpertnursebeforeperforming
anyprocedure.Humilitymeanssensitivity
tothebias.
2.-IntellectualCourage:Intellectual
couragemeansabilityandwillingnessto
listenandfairlyevaluatetheideas,view
pointsandbeliefsofotherseventhough
personnotagreeswiththeseideas/beliefs.
Criticalthinkerwillvoluntaryheartheview/
ideas of other nurses and willmake

4. judgmentbaseduponthislearningrather
thanpersonalfeelings.
Example:Letustakeexampleofemployer
ofanyinstitute,havinganegativeattitude
towardswesternculture.Whileframingthe
rulesandregulationsofcollegeasacritical
thinker,hewillevaluatetheoverallideas,
beliefsofteachersaswellstudentsand
administrativeauthoritieseventhoughhe
doesnotlikewesternstyleoflife.
3.-IntellectualEmpathy:Empathy
meansplacing ourselfin placeofother
persontounderstandfullybeimaging.e.g.
Whiledoingdeepwounddressing,clientis
crying.Howdoyoufeel?
4.- IntellectualIntegrity:Integrity
meansthequalityofbeinghonestandhaving
strongmoralprinciples.Itmeanscomparing
the positive and negative points of your

5. decisionwiththeviewofothernurse.Itmeans
judgingtheotherperson'sdecisionbasedon
one criterion with which you also judge
yourself.
5.-Intellectualperseverance:Nurse
is considered to have this skill.Inspite of
repeated frustrations and difficulties,she
strivefortruthorbetterunderstanding.She
strivesfortruthbyconsideringitsworthness
effectinthelongrun.
Forexample:OneVIPpatientisadmittedinthe
hospital,visitor'sentryisrestrictedasclientis
apostoperativecaseoftotalhipreplacement.
But client's visitors including hospital
administratorsarecomingfrequentlytomeet
the client.In such situation,criticalthinker
nurse get frustrated personally, but she
continuesherworki.e.restrictingthevisitors
entryinherward.
Having intellectualperseverance skill,nurse

6. knew thefuturebenefitofrestrictingclient's
entryi.e.protectionfrominfection.
6.-FaithinReason:Itmeansbelieving
in the rationale of every nursing activity.
Criticalthinkerbelievesthatallhumanbeings
canlearntothinkandreasoncritically.
Example:"Dailydiarywriting'demonstrates
thetraitoffaithinreason.Secondexampleis
"Reportwriting".
7.-IntellectualsenseofJustice:It
meansbeimpartialwhileassumingtheview
pointsforoneproblem,instrument,ignorethe
feelings/interestoffriends,give weightage
equallytoeveryone'sviews.