Preceptors Guide to Fostering Critical Thinking

Developing critical-thinking skills is a lifelong effort for committed nurses. Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking based upon background information,practical experience, evidence, and reason. The preceptor can foster critical thinking be implementing a variety of techniques like storytelling, reflection, role-playing, and case studies to prompt a holistic approach by the preceptee in their patient care.

The nursing process guides nurses to critically think through each part of assessment,nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. 

Concept maps can help to stimulate more comprehensive thinking about a problem in a holistic manner. It promotes identification of potential problems that may develop over the course of the disease. 

Critical thinkers strive to reduce the tendencies of their egocentric and sociocentric tendencies.

Critical-thinking skills develop over time as a result of varied experiences until they become part of the individual. They are used in all aspects of life, not something saved just for clinical practice (Panettieri, 2015).