An Evidence-Based Review of Educational Strategies to Facilitate the Development of Critical Thinking Skills in Graduate Nurses

Hooper, Barbara L.

Monday, 18 November 2013

Barbara L. Hooper, DNP, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to describe the different educational strategies used to facilitate the development of critical thinking skills.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to explain the limitations of this evidence-based review of the different educational strategies utilized to develop critical thinking skills.

Health care is complex and continually changing. As a result, the critical thinking required by nurses today is becoming even more sophisticated. A variety of educational strategies have been used to teach critical thinking. The purpose of this evidence based review was to synthesize and evaluate the different educational strategies that are utilized for developing critical thinking skills in new graduate nurses to determine if a specific educational strategy has been found through research to be more effective compared to the other approaches identified.

Approximately 223 articles were identified by different search strategies. A total of 71 research studies were included in the initial literature review and 35 studies being selected for the final literature review. A variety of educational strategies have been utilized to teach critical thinking including reflection, concept maps, case studies, problem-based learning, questioning, and simulation.

Despite the variety of educational strategies available, current research literature did not provide evidence of the effectiveness of one specific educational strategy over another for developing critical thinking skills. Nursing competency plays a significant role in promoting patient safety, and critical thinking is thought to be a vital component of nursing practice. Using multiple educational strategies is important when selecting approaches to facilitate the development of critical thinking. Consequently, current research needs to be continually reviewed to guide the development of evidence-based programs for orientation because educators have a professional responsibility to make sure new graduates receive the best possible start in their nursing careers.

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