Because of diverse healthcare needs, strong critical thinking skills have become essential in the healthcare setting. Ever changing healthcare needs, such as increased patient acuity, decreased patient hospital length of stay, increased care of patients in the community setting, and staffing shortages have necessitated nurses be prepared to handle complex situations in the clinical setting. This program focuses on different methods that nurses can incorporate to increase the use of critical thinking skills in the clinical setting.

After completing this activity, the participant should be able to:

• discuss the concept of critical thinking and how it occurs in the clinical setting.
• describe the different methods utilized to promote critical thinking.
• explain how critical thinking principles are utilized when preparing to call the physician.
• discuss the barriers to critical thinking.