Critical thinking, meaningful learning, and concept synthesis are key phrases pervading nursing literature as educators strive to promote optimal learning and improve clinical instruction and problem solving across levels of nursing education. Concept mapping offers a state-of-the-art metacognitive approach to achievement of these important goals. The author explores concept mapping from the perspective of cognitive theory, analyzes its strengths and drawbacks, presents examples of various concept maps and graphic organizers, and suggests pragmatic applications to nursing clinical, classroom, curriculum, and research situations.