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Running Head: NURSING PROCESS VS. CRITICAL THINKING

Nursing Process vs. Critical Thinking: Which Is Best for Clinical Judgment?
Tonia Nielsen
Dixie State University













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NURSING PROCESS VS. CRITICAL THINKING
Nursing Process vs. Critical Thinking: Which Is Best for Clinical Judgment?
There have been studies done that say the nursing process forms clinical reasoning to
help judge what the clinical outcome for the patient will be. Studies have also been done on
critical thinking and if it is better to use for more excellent outcomes on clinical judgment.
The first part of this paper is to define what the nursing process consists of. Next, this
paper will explain critical thinking and how it differs from the nursing process. Last, this paper
will discuss the impact they both have on clinical judgment.
Nursing Process
The nursing process helps the nurse and patient to meet goals in the patients care. The
process is patient-centered and outcome-oriented and each step depends on the accuracy of the
previous step (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, & Lynn, 2011, p. 192). It consists of five steps:
assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating. When assessing the patient, the
nurse will want to get a thorough medical and medication history along with prior surgeries. The
nurse will do a thorough physical assessment and ask questions along the way. The assessment
will help the nurse move onto the next step of diagnosing possible health problems. The nurse
can then come up with a plan on how to care for the patient. The nurse will then implement the
plan of care with the patient. Last, the nurse will evaluate the results of the care and decide if the
plan was successful or if the plan of care should be revised.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is where a nurse will be able to notice problems with the patient and ask
questions to help find solutions. Once the nurse comes up with solutions, they need to weigh all
of the variables and prioritize goals because there isnt a single answer. The patients condition
is always changing so the nurse has to recognize, interpret, and integrate new information in
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NURSING PROCESS VS. CRITICAL THINKING
order to plan a course of action. It is also important to communicate with fellow co-workers to
help implement the solutions (Critical Thinking, 2011, para. 3 & 4). The nursing student
learns this through simulations and having a discussion afterwards where the instructor asks
open-ended questions to get the nursing students think and analyze the situation.
Difference
The nursing process forms the foundation for clinical reasoning. The difference between
the nursing process and critical thinking is that the nursing process is more like a routine. The
nurse does a physical assessment then bases the diagnosis and interventions off of the
assessment. The nurse uses knowledge from what they learned in class. Critical thinking is
more involved; the nurse is asking more questions, looking at multiple answers to the questions
and is able to recognize issues that need to be addressed. It also involves having an open mind
and be willing to look at new evidence and rethink solutions (Booth, 2011, p. 4).
Impact on Clinical Judgment
Both the nursing process and critical thinking have an impact on clinical judgment. With
the nursing process, the nurse is using the knowledge of their skills of what they have learned in
the classroom setting. Critical thinking is used by doing simulations and having discussions
afterwards to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the situation that was presented (Lasater, 2011, p.
89). You could say that the nursing process is simple, to the point where critical thinking is more
broad and open.




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NURSING PROCESS VS. CRITICAL THINKING
Conclusion
Both are equally important in order to have the best outcome for your patient. Nursing
students should be taught both the nursing process and critical thinking. Together these will help
the student to recognize issues and give the patient the quality care they need.


















References
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NURSING PROCESS VS. CRITICAL THINKING
Booth, B. E.,B.S.N.M.Sed. (2011). Beyond the nursing process. . Journal of Practical Nursing,
61(2), 3-5.Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/927668180?accountid=27045
Critical thinking can make or break a nursing career (2011, December 28). Retrieved from
http://www.americansentinel.edu/blog/2011/12/28/critical-thinking-can-make-or-break-a-
nursing-career/.
Lasater, K. (2011). Clinical judgment: The last frontier for evaluation. Nurse Education in
Practice, 11(2), 86-92. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2010.11.013.
Taylor, C., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., Lynn, P. (2011). Fundamentals of nursing: the art and
science of nursing care (7
th
Ed.). Philadelphia, PA Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott,
Williams & Wilkins.