ASSESS THE CRITICAL THINKING DISPOSITIONS LEVELS AMONG BSN STUDENTS OF GULF MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, UAE.

Abstract

Background: Critical thinking is considered one of the prominent proficient attributes of graduate nurses helping them to make efficient judgement in the present dynamic clinical situations. The concept of critical differs among disciplines. In health care field, it is viewed as the capability to analyze, observe, order and evaluate facts to practice decisive clinical judgement related to patient care. It allows nursing students to think in an organized systematic manner and supports them in conversion to clinical practice. So, higher education institutions are responsible for developing critical thinking dispositions of nursing students across learning programs to produce graduates who are capable of making important clinical decisions.

Aim: The study aims at exploring the critical thinking disposition among all levels of BSN students.

Materials and Methods: A quantitative research approach with a descriptive cross-sectional survey design will be used to assess the critical thinking disposition in all levels of BSN students. The study population will include all the students enrolled in Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE in the academic year 2024 -25.

Findings and Conclusion:

The majority of participants in the study (39.13%) were aged between 18 and 19 years. Most respondents were female (91.30%), consistent with the gender distribution commonly observed in the nursing profession. Regarding academic level, 32.92% were second-year students, followed by 30.43% first-year, 19.25% third-year, and 17.40% fourth-year students. A substantial proportion (81.36%) of the BSN students reported a CGPA between 3.0 and 3.9. A statistically significant positive association was found between critical thinking disposition and selected demographic characteristics (p < 0.05).