Kritiskt tänkande: Mål,medel och innehåll i sjuksköterskeutbildningen

In an academic education critical thinking skills is important. It creates a constant questioning of things thought and develops the students skills in problem-solving and decision making. This paper examine some definitions and 59 nurse teachers perceptions of critical thinking. The methods used were interviews and analyses of documents.

The result indicates that there are problems in defining critical thinking. It can be seen as the main goal, a way to reach the goal, as personal development or as a content in the nursing education. To develop the students ability in critical thinking teachers uses different strategies; reflection on problem solving in practise, a scientific way linked to research and a coherent model where some theories are seen as more excellent than others. How far the students develops abilities in critical thinking depends on the teachers personal criteria, definition of the concept and the tradition in the nursing education.