Acknowledgments Many people at F. A. Davis were essential to the production of this book. We want to thank Jacalyn Sharp, Acquisitions Editor, whose expertise in publishing was instrumental to the production of this edition. We especially thank Julia Curcio, Senior Content Project Manager, who always was available, answered every question, and supported and encouraged us throughout this project. We salute Mauri Loemker, Senior Project Manager, who managed every detail proficiently, kept us on track, and was never ruffled. Trumpets for Carolyn O’Brien, Design and Illustrations Manager, who skillfully implemented our line drawings and managed our illustrations with finesse. We would like to acknowledge the efforts of Will Welsh, Development Manager, for his expert review of the diversity and spirituality content, and to Linda Conheady, copy editor, who was phenomenal with the details of grammar and content. In addition, we want to thank Bob Butler, Production Manager, who ensured that this project progressed from a manuscript to a book and Sandra A. Glennie, Electronic Project Editor, for her efforts on our behalf. We want to express our appreciation to Lera Salmon, Marketing Coordinator, and the F. A. Davis sales consultants, who have done a spectacular job of highlighting the strengths of our texts to nursing faculty. Special recognition goes to all the nursing students and faculty who participated in field-testing sessions and focus groups for their commitment to excellence and generosity in sharing their time, energy, and intellect. This input helped us to fine-tune the content and its presentation. Finally, and most importantly, we thank our husbands, Joseph and Neil, for their love and support, which were essential to the revision of this book. They are loved and appreciated by us. Nurses are required to use critical thinking in every domain of nursing practice. • Accrediting bodies of educational programs have increased the emphasis on maximizing the cognitive abilities of learners. • Licensing examinations are designed to evaluate the test taker’s ability to engage in clinical reasoning. • Agency accrediting bodies have developed standards that require creative, evidencebased practice. • Health care, health-care environments, and technology have increased in complexity, requiring sophisticated health-care practitioners. The premise of this book is based on the beliefs that: • People use critical thinking all the time in their daily lives. • People can enhance their critical-thinking skills. • Students can use critical-thinking skills when taking a nursing examination. • Nurses continue to use critical thinking in their professional lives. How can nursing educators help students think critically? • Help students develop their critical-thinking abilities through the information contained in Chapter 1. • Help students identify and develop their cognitive and personal competencies by exploring the Helix of Critical Thinking. • Support students who are maximizing their critical-thinking abilities by their being positive, reflective, inquisitive, and creative. • Help students use the RACE Model, a formula for applying critical thinking, when answering nursing questions. • Encourage students to practice test taking by answering the questions and reviewing the answers and their rationales in Chapters 2 through 5 to: • Reinforce what they know. • Learn new information. • Identify what still needs to be learned. • Set priorities for future learning. • Have students practice answering alternate-format questions (e.g., exhibit, multipleresponse, drag and drop [ordered response], hot-spot, fill-in-the-blank, and items using a chart, table, or graphic image) presented in Chapter 6. This practice allows test takers to develop critical-thinking skills in relation to questions that authentically evaluate unique nursing interventions (e.g., calculations, setting priorities, and analyzing data from multiple sources). • Have students practice taking a comprehensive examination with integrated fundamental content gleaned from subunits of nursing information. Chapter 7, Comprehensive Final Book Exam, has a 100-item integrated examination. The RACE Model is applied to every question on this 100-item examination. This approach role-models the clinical reasoning that can be employed when one is