Critical-Thinking Ability in Respiratory Care Students and Its Correlation With Age, Educational Background, and Performance on National Board Examinations

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Critical thinking is an important characteristic to develop in respiratory care students. METHODS: We used the short-form Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal instrument to measure critical-thinking ability in 55 senior respiratory care students in a baccalaureate respiratory care program. We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the relationships between critical-thinking score, age, and student performance on the clinical-simulation component of the national respiratory care boards examination. We used chi-square analysis to assess the association between critical-thinking score and educational background. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship between critical-thinking score and age, or between criticalthinking score and student performance on the clinical-simulation component. There was a significant (P ‫؍‬ .04) positive association between a strong science-course background and criticalthinking score, which might be useful in predicting a student's ability to perform in areas where critical thinking is of paramount importance, such as clinical competencies, and to guide candidateselection for respiratory care programs.

Respiratory Care Year in Review 2011: Long-Term Oxygen Therapy, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Airway Management, Acute Lung Injury, Education, and Management

“…95 A group of educators from University of Texas Health Science Center examined the critical thinking ability of a group of respiratory care students in a baccalaureate program. 96 Results of the study indicated that critical thinking did not increase with age. Furthermore, while there was no correlation between critical-thinking score and performance on clinical simulation examinations, there was a significant positive association between strong science-course background and the critical-thinking score.…”

Critical Thinking in Respiratory Therapy

“…5 The study was well done and adds to the small body of literature on the factors that promote critical thinking in respiratory care students.…”

Assessment of critical thinking as a predictor of success in completion of an associate degree respiratory care program

“…Yet much of the literature conducted within the profession of respiratory care has focused on baccalaureate degree programs or higher. Additionally, participants of such studies may have had already studied in the health sciences or have developed a certain level of critical thinking in the duration of their educational career (Wettstein, Wilkins, Gardner, & Restrepo, 2011). Scoring validated by studies may not be applicable as admission criteria for associate degree programs because incoming students have not had exposure to the skill and critical thinking development required to function effectively in the health sciences (Huhn et al, 2011).…”

“…The students who enter the baccalaureate programs do so with a greater number of prerequisite science courses. According to Wettstein et al (2011), graduates with extensive science coursework have a higher level of critical-thinking ability. In general, the associate degree programs in the area have one to two science courses as program prerequisites and thus might have lower critical-thinking ability within respiratory care.…”

“…The practice of respiratory care requires that practitioners possess not only technical skills and knowledge, but also the ability to critically assess a patient situation and make competent decisions in patient care (Mishoe, 2003;Wettstein et al, 2011). Employer expectations are that entry-level practitioners either possess, or at minimum, have the potential to build and refine characteristics of critical-thinking ability upon entering the workforce (Barnes, Gale, Kacmarek, & Kageler, 2010;Mishoe, 2003;Rye, 201;Tyreman, 2000).…”