Implications for practice and research

Concepts such as ‘critical thinking and nursing competence’ are paramount to nursing practice. Chang et al, explore this relationship in practicing nurses. The importance of their work surrounds the positive correlation between critical thinking and nursing competence and the implications for nursing practice:

• ■ Engage a learner-centred approach;

• ■ Use the expertise of practicing nurses to guide thinking of novice nurses;

• ■ Develop nurses' reflective practice.

Context

The complexities of our healthcare environments call for ever increasing professional accountability and decision making of the practicing nurse. Patient outcomes and indicators of quality and safety clearly underscore the demand for high levels of critical thinking and nursing competence.2 Critical thinking is often used synonymously with clinical reasoning, …