Problem solving.
While assessing a patient, the nurse observes that the patient's intravenous (IV) line is not infusing at the ordered rate. The nurse assesses the patient for pain at the IV site, checks the flow regulator on the tubing, looks to see if the patient is lyi
diagnostic process.
The nurse sits down to talk with a patient who lost her sister 2 weeks ago. The patient reports she is unable to sleep, feels very fatigued during the day, and is having trouble at work. The nurse asks her to clarify the type of trouble. The patient expla
Conducting reflective practice.
A patient on a surgical unit develops sudden shortness of breath and a drop in blood pressure. The staff respond, but the patient dies 30 minutes later. The manager on the nursing unit calls the staff involved in the emergency response together. The staff
C) Analyticity
D) Self-confidence
A nurse has worked on an oncology unit for 3 years. One patient has become visibly weaker and states, "I feel funny." The nurse knows how patients often have behavior changes before developing sepsis when they have cancer. The nurse asks the patient quest
A) Consider how to involve patient A in deciding whether to involve the family caregiver in wound care instruction.
C) Decide which activities can be combined for patients B and C.
A nurse who is working on a surgical unit is caring for four different patients. Patient A will be discharged home and is in need of instruction about wound care. Patients B and C have returned from the operating room within an hour of each other, and bot
Consistent
The surgical unit has initiated the use of a pain-rating scale to assess patients' pain severity during their postoperative recovery. The registered nurse (RN) looks at the pain flow sheet to see the pain scores recorded for a patient over the last 24 hou
A) "I understand your reluctance, but the exercises are necessary for you to regain function in your shoulder. Let's go a bit more slowly and try to relax.
During a home health visit the nurse prepares to instruct a patient in how to perform range-of-motion (ROM) exercises for an injured shoulder. The nurse verifies that the patient took an analgesic 30 minutes before arrival at the patient's home. After dis
B) Description of the efforts to restore the child's blood pressure, what was used, and questions about the child's response
C) The meaning the experience had for the nurse with respect to her understanding of dealing with a patient's death
D) A descripti
The nurse cared for a 14-year-old with renal failure who died near the end of the work shift. The health care team tried for 45 minutes to resuscitate the child with no success. The family was devastated by the loss, and, when the nurse tried to talk with
C) Basic critical thinking.
A nurse has been working on a surgical unit for 3 weeks. A patient requires a Foley catheter to be inserted, so the nurse reads the procedure manual for the institution to review how to insert it. The level of critical thinking the nurse is using is:
B) Evaluation.
A patient had hip surgery 16 hours ago. During the previous shift the patient had 40 mL of drainage in the surgical drainage collection device for an 8-hour period. The nurse refers to the written plan of care, noting that the health care provider is to b
C) Knowledge application.
The nurse asks a patient how she feels about her impending surgery for breast cancer. Before the discussion the nurse reviewed the description of loss and grief and therapeutic communication principles in his textbook. The critical thinking component invo
A) A nurse explains to the NAP the approach to use in getting the patient up and why the patient has activity limitations.
C) The nurse sees the NAP preparing to help a patient out of bed, goes to assist, and thanks the NAP for her efforts to get the pati
A nurse is working with a nursing assistive personnel (NAP) on a busy oncology unit. The nurse has instructed the NAP on the tasks that need to be performed, including getting patient A out of bed, collecting a urine specimen from patient B, and checking
D) Anticipates when to make choices without others' assistance.
Which of the following is unique to the commitment level of critical thinking?
A) Weighs benefits and risks when making a decision.
B) Analyzes and examine choices more independently.
C) Concrete thinking.
D) Anticipates when to make choices without other
D) The nurse explains the procedure for giving a tube feeding to a second nurse who has floated to the unit to assist with care.
In which of the following examples is the nurse not applying critical thinking skills in practice?
A) The nurse considers personnel experience in performing intravenous (IV) line insertion and ways to improve performance.
B) The nurse uses a fall risk inv