This document discusses critical thinking in nursing. It defines critical thinking as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment. Some key characteristics of critical thinking include being self-aware, an effective communicator, careful and prudent, and open-minded. Critical thinking skills that nurses need include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making. The document emphasizes that critical thinking is important for nurses as it allows them to creatively solve patient problems and make decisions to improve outcomes.