Critical thinking skills in nursing students: Using human patient simulation

The problem investigated by the researcher relates to the development of critical thinking knowledge and skill in nursing students. Traditional approaches to educating nursing students have been used in the past to educate nursing students, but newly licensed registered nurses still have difficulty with critical thinking knowledge and skills. The principal investigator evaluated the use of an alternative method of teaching learning to foster and develop critical thinking knowledge and skills. One suggestion for teaching learning methods is the use of human patient simulation. A pretest/posttest experimental design was used to investigate critical thinking knowledge and skills after using human patient simulation in second semester nursing students. Nursing students from a northern California university were approached to participate in the study in the fall of 2011 and spring of 2012. The WGCTA Form D and the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric were used as a method to determine any changes in critical thinking knowledge and skills. No simulation. This study adds to the body of knowledge relating to the use of human patient simulation