Objective measurement of critical-thinking ability in registered nurse applicants.
This first part of a 2-phase study examined the relationship between general pediatric nursing knowledge, critical thinking (CT) ability of newly hired nurse, as determined by a custom Health Education System Inc exam and the length of orientation necessary to meet the required clinical competencies. A descriptive correlational study design was used to administer the customized computer-based examination to 98 nurses at the beginning of employment at a large pediatric healthcare organization. The examination results were statistically significant in the determination of CT ability and a correlation to the ability to provide clinically competent patient care. The custom examination provided an objective measurement of CT ability in the nurse's specific domain of knowledge.
Author Affiliations: Nurse Researcher (Ms Ryan), Nurse Manager (Ms Tatum), Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia.
Christina
C
Ryan
Kathy
K
Tatum
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000592:standards; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D064701:Pediatric Nurse Practitioners / Q000592:standards*