Relationship between critical thinking and interpersonal communication skills in nursing students of Azad University Tehran medical Branch

Critical thinking is an essential part of nursing education. Having Interpersonal communication skills is a vital characteristic of nurses with critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between critical thinking and interpersonal communication in nursing students of Azad University Tehran medical Branch in 2013. This was a descriptive correlational study. 300 nursing students of Azad University Tehran medical Branch took part in the study. Data collection tools include demographic specifications and standard questionnaires “California critical thinking and inter-personal communicative skills”. For statistical analysis، descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used after entering data into SPSS v. 17. Most of the students (%71) had a great tendency to unstable critical thinking with very weak inter-personal communications skills (%52). There was a significant relationship between critical thinking and interpersonal communications skills. (r=0. 62، P=0. 0001) University students with good inter-personal communication skills had better critical thinking. Those with negative inter-personal communication skills had weaker inter-personal communication skills. Therefore، in theory and practice، nursing educators and managers are recommended to have more focus on the inter-personal communication skills of nursing students.