Exam 4: Critical Thinking in Nursing

A patient has been instructed in self-administration of insulin injections. The nurse observes the patient attempting to recap the needle and realizes that further teaching is needed. The nurse is applying which critical-thinking skill of the nursing process?

The nurse completes the health interview and physical exam on a patient admitted with an infection of the gallbladder. The nurse reviews the medical record and compares the abnormal lab results to the normal standards. Which critical thinking skill is the nurse using in this part of the nursing process?

The nursing student is observing a staff nurse demonstrating a subcutaneous injection during a skills competency fair. The student tells the nurse that nursing textbooks indicate that aspirating for blood is not necessary. The nurse replies, "I prefer to check for blood, just in case. This is the way I learned to give shots and it works for me." The nurse's response is most likely related to:

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:

The nurse is preparing to restart a patient's intravenous line and discovers that the patient has no usable veins in either arm. To solve this problem, the nurse should:

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:

When a patient is initially interviewed and assessed, the nurse must: (Select all that apply.)

The nurse is planning care for a group of patients. Which of the following activities may be delegated to unlicensed assistive personnel?

The nurse observes that a patient who recently had an indwelling urinary catheter removed complains of burning on urination and that the urine is cloudy and foul smelling. On the basis of this assessment, the nurse may reason that the patient has a urinary tract infection (UTI). The nurse comes to this conclusion using:

The nurse is preparing to teach Foley insertion techniques to a group of graduate nurses. Which of the following teaching-learning strategies would the nurse find most useful in teaching this skill?

Professional nursing requires a commitment to lifelong learning because: (Select all that apply.)

The nurse is caring for a patient scheduled for a heart catheterization. During shift report, the nurse describes an overheard telephone conversation regarding the patient's HIV-positive son-in-law. This information should be evaluated for:

A patient arrives at the urgent care clinic and complains of vague pains in the legs. The nurse asks the patient to describe this pain. This type of question meets the intellectual standard of precision. As with any skill, critical thinking questions:

To develop critical thinking, the nurse needs to develop a critical-thinking character that includes:

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:

The nurse has received advanced orders for a patient that she is expecting to be admitted from the emergency room (ER). The patient's name is Mr. Herman Goldstein. Trying to get ahead on her task, the nurse changes the patient's diet from "Regular" to "Kosher." When the patient reaches the unit, the nurse discovers that the patient is Catholic even though his father is Jewish. The nurse is guilty of giving in to:

A patient, frequently admitted to the hospital for chronic back pain, asks the medication nurse for additional pain medication. The nurse has seen patients like this before, and "knows" that the only reason that these people come to the hospital is to get their pain medication. The nurse is demonstrating:

A patient is admitted to a skilled nursing facility with a closed head injury. The nurse believes that the patient has been pocketing food in his cheeks during the noon meal although she has not found any food pocketed. The nurse refers the patient to the speech therapist for a swallowing evaluation. The nurse is using which critical thinking component in making this decision?

The nurse has been practicing for several years and has become the unofficial leader, with newer nurses going to her for advice about patient care. They are amazed at how much the older nurse "thinks like a nurse." In order to "think like a nurse," the nurse must: (Select all that apply.)

The nursing student is admitting a patient with abdominal distention and severe nausea. The physician orders the insertion of a nasogastric tube. The student reviews the procedure, gathers the supplies, and tells the instructor, "I'm ready to begin." Which of the following critical thinking traits suggest that the student is prepared for the task?