Exploring critical thinking in critical care nursing education: a pilot study.
BACKGROUND
Critical care nurses process vast amounts of information and require well developed critical-thinking skills to make clinical decisions.


METHODS
Using a pretest posttest design, the critical-thinking skills of 31 postgraduate nurses were evaluated using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST).


RESULTS
For the total group, mean critical-thinking scores improved slightly over time. The CCTST revealed a mean pretest score of 18.5 and a mean posttest score of 19.7, both of which were higher than the established norms for the test. Overall, no significant difference was observed between pretest and posttest. However, statistical significance was observed posttest for nurses whose critical-thinking scores improved (p < .000).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the small sample, the majority of the postgraduate nurses improved their critical-thinking skills during the course of their study.
Rogal
Sonya M
SM
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Centre for Nursing Research, Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Young
Jeanne
J
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002568:Certification / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009736:Nursing Process / Q000458:organization & administration; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011340:Problem Solving; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013850:Thinking; D013997:Time Factors; D014904:Western Australia