Chapter 04: Critical Thinking in Nursing

Chapter 04: Critical Thinking in Nursing

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The patient is complaining of severe incisional pain 2 days after surgery.  The patient has Morphine ordered intravenously or by mouth.  The nurse chooses to give the medication orally. This is an example of:

ANS:  A

Decision making requires choosing a solution to a problem. Reasoning is the process by which a nurse determines a patient’s health status after gathering data and applying meaning to behaviors and physical signs and symptoms. A systematic approach in finding solutions is termed problem solving, and judgment is the process of forming an opinion by comparing solutions through reasoning.

DIF:    Remembering                                 REF:   p. 56               OBJ:   4.1

TOP:   Assessment

MSC:  NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control          NOT:           Concepts: Clinical Judgment

2. The nurse is reviewing the last 3 days of a patient’s pain history and notes that the pain level has remained constant. The nurse validates the pain level with the patient and decides to contact the physician for further orders. In this scenario the nurse is using the process of:

ANS:  D

Processes dependent on critical thinking include problem solving, decision making, reasoning, and judgment. Judgment is the process of forming an opinion by comparing solutions through reasoning. The nurse observes that the patient’s pain level is not decreasing and further assesses the pain level through discussions with the patient. The nurse concludes that the patient’s pain should be further addressed and contacts the physician. Decision making requires choosing a solution to a problem. The student is making a decision by reviewing two pertinent resources related to the removal of staples. Reasoning is the process by which a nurse determines a patient’s health status after gathering data and applying meaning to behaviors and physical signs and symptoms. A systematic approach in finding solutions is termed problem solving.

DIF:    Remembering                                 REF:   p. 56               OBJ:   4.1

TOP:   Assessment

MSC:  NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control          NOT:           Concepts: Clinical Judgment

3. The nurse has been hired for her first job and is nervous about making errors in clinical judgment. It is important for the nurse to realize that clinical reasoning and the ability to make decisions in a clinical setting:

ANS:  C

Clinical reasoning uses critical thinking, knowledge, and experience to develop solutions to problems and make decisions in a clinical setting. A nurse’s clinical-reasoning skills develop over time with increased knowledge and expertise.

DIF:    Understanding                                 REF:   p. 56               OBJ:   4.1

TOP:   Assessment

MSC:  NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control          NOT:           Concepts: Clinical Judgment

4. The nurse is taking an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) recertification class. As part of that class, the nurse, and other nurses in the group, rotates responsibilities during multiple mock code exercises simulating cardiac arrest scenarios.  The process of assigning nurses to different responsibilities is known as:

ANS:  C

A role-play strategy involves assigning learners to different roles based on expected outcomes in a particular setting. Other learners and facilitators observe the role playing, and then all are involved in the debriefing or discussion of the scenario. As with simulation, this approach allows learners to interact in a safe, controlled environment. The concept map is a way to organize and visualize data to identify relationships and solve problems. Simulated experiences enable the student to apply previously learned content in a safe and realistic environment that allows time for questioning, clarifying, and feedback. Students develop confidence in providing direct nursing care. Because critical thinking cannot occur about subjects that are unknown, a review of literature may foster this type of thinking by addressing knowledge deficits.

DIF:    Understanding                                 REF:   pp. 63-64        OBJ:   4.7

TOP:   Assessment

MSC:  NCLEX Client Needs Category: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care

NOT:   Concepts: Care Coordination