Ask the expert: Assess nurses’ critical thinking skills during orientation
Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, August 7, 2009
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This week, Shelley Cohen, RN, BS, CEN, discusses how to help new hires recognize their critical thinking skills.
Q: How can we measure the critical thinking skills of new graduate nurses and other new hires?
A: Orientation is an ideal time to introduce your expectations regarding critical thinking abilities. Regardless of the years of experience of your new hires, conducting a self assessment is a valuable tool to measure their perception of their ability to perform critical thinking.
New hires should be asked to complete the same self-assessment tool when they conclude the orientation period or after about three months. Having new employees conduct a self-assessment at the beginning of orientation and again after they have been at your facility a few months helps by:
- Clarifying and defining their critical thinking abilities and identifying areas that require more attention during orientation
- Providing a documentation process that validates areas of strength and weakness
- Becoming a resource tool from which you and the nurse may develop goals
- Providing a record of the dates that orientees demonstrated their proficiencies
Have a question for our experts? E-mail your queries to Senior Managing Editor Rebecca Hendren at rhendren@hcpro.com. See your name in print and find answers to your questions.
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