title: Critical thinking in health professions education: summary and consensus statements of the Millennium Conference 2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Critical thinking is central to the function of health care professionals. However, this topic is not explicitly taught or assessed within current programs, yet the need is greater than ever, in an era of information explosion, spiraling health care costs, and increased understanding about metacognition. To address the importance of teaching critical thinking in health professions education, the Shapiro Institute for Education and Research and the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation jointly sponsored the Millennium Conference 2011 on Critical Thinking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teams of physician and nurse educators were selected through an application process. Attendees proposed strategies for integrating principles of critical thinking more explicitly into health professions curricula. Working in interprofessional, multi-institutional groups, participants tackled questions about teaching, assessment, and faculty development. Deliberations were summarized into consensus statements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational leaders participated in a structured dialogue about the enhancement of critical thinking in health professions education and recommend strategies to teach critical thinking.
authors.affiliation: a Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Grace C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lori R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schwartzstein
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D011340:Problem Solving; D013850:Thinking; D014481:United States