Which of the following best reflects the philosophy of critical thinki

Which of the following best reflects the philosophy of critical thinking as taught by a nurse edu-cator to a nursing student?

1. “Think about several interventions that you could use with this client.”
2. “Don’t draw subjective inferences about your client—be more objective.”
3. “Please think harder—there is a single solution for which I am looking.”
4. “Trust your feelings—don’t be concerned about trying to find a rationale to sup-port your decision.”

ANSWER

ANS: 1
The nurse educator is asking the student to synthesize critical thinking skills by encouraging the student to examine alternatives to meet the client’s unique needs within the context of the nurs-ing process. Drawing inferences is a specific critical thinking competency used in diagnostic rea-soning. The educator who tells the student not to draw inferences is not allowing the student to practice competencies necessary for specific critical thinking in clinical situations. The critical thinker will look beyond a single solution to a problem. Intuition develops as one’s clinical expe-rience increases. The nursing student should examine
rationales in order to make good decisions.