1. Background
Nurses should possess the skills of critical thinking and emotional intelligence, in order to be able to make accurate decisions about how to deliver high quality patient care, while also considering the thoughts and feelings of patients and their families (Kaya and Yalnız, 2012; Heffernan et al., 2010; Öztürk and Ulusoy, 2008). Learning to think critically and acquiring emotional intelligence can be described as ongoing cumulative processes. Elder (1997) states that critical thinking provides a vital link between intelligence and the emotions, and seeks to determine the quality of emotional intelligence. Goleman (1998) emphasizes that emotions and thoughts should not be considered as different concepts, as they are indispensable to each other, and because emotions form the basis of thoughts. An individual with advanced critical thinking abilities is also likely to have high emotional intelligence (Dutoğlu and Tuncel, 2008). Nursing can be seen as a strenuous job which takes place in a stressful work environment. These settings require nurses to think critically in order to be able to: provide high quality patient care, be aware of the patient’s and their own feelings, and to understand and regulate these emotions (Barkhordari and Rostambeygi, 2013). In this context, emotional intelligence and critical thinking are basic elements of nursing practice and are important features that influence nurses' clinical decision-making, use of evidence and information in practice, and the quality of safe and effective care (Collins and Andrejco, 2015; Çıtak and Uysal, 2011; Zaybak and Khorshıd, 2006; Kawashima and Petrini, 2004; Profetto-McGrath, 2003; Oerman, 1998). As stated by Rubenfield and Schefer (1999), critical thinking is the key element in professional and responsible nursing practice.
