What's behind every healed patient? Critical thinking! Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning, and Clinical Judgment: A Practical Approach, 5th Edition, provides the tools you need to become a safe, competent nurse. Using an inspiring, insightful, "how-to" approach, this book helps you develop critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and test-taking skills in preparation for the NCLEX® Examination and, even more importantly, apply critical thinking and clinical reasoning to nursing practice. Critical thinking and clinical reasoning strategies come to life through the use of real-life scenarios and decision-making tools, all supported with evidence for why the strategies work. Expert author Rosalinda Alfaro-LeFevre makes the concepts of critical thinking and clinical reasoning come alive, so you can start thinking like a nurse and learn essential critical thinking and clinical judgment reasoning skills for nursing practice. A simple approach and motivational writing style includes vivid examples, memorable anecdotes, and realistic case scenarios to make content come alive. Practical strategies promote critical thinking and critical reasoning with supporting evidence for why the strategies work. A focus on the "how to" (application) and supporting rationale (theory) makes difficult concepts easy to learn. Coverage of timely topics includes problem-focused versus outcome-focused thinking, prioritizing decision-making, applying delegation principles, improving communication skills to prevent errors, and working smarter (not harder), with strategies to deal with workplace challenges such as managing time, managing conflict, and giving bad news. An emphasis on ethics- and standards-based professional practice helps you prepare for practice in a world of increasing accountability. Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning exercises help you understand the material and apply it to clinical practice. Scenarios apply concepts to real-life situations. Critical Moments offer simple strategies, self-care tips, and words of wisdom that can go a long way in improving clinical results. Highlighted rules and clever mnemonics help you learn and remember important concepts. UNIQUE! H.M.O. (Help Me Out) cartoons use humor to help you learn and apply important nursing concepts. 25 NCLEX® Examination-style questions help you prepare for the NCLEX Examination. A companion Evolve website enhances learning with chapter worksheets, printable study tools, and links to additional resources. NEW and expanded content on clinical reasoning includes rapid response teams, safety issues, skilled communication, hand-off tools, informatics, preceptor use, empowering patients, applying the nursing process, and more. A focus on current trends relates critical thinking and clinical reasoning to today's nursing practice by matching content to Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies, and National Patient Safety Goals. Maps and decision-making tools help you to "think things through" and make sound decisions about issues such as scope of practice and delegating safely and effectively. Think, Pair, Share exercises promote in-depth learning through collaboration with peers and experts.