Critical thinking (CT) is an essential tool for rehabilitation professionals in the 21st century. Well developed CT skills are indicated for rehabilitation professionals in the new century to promote continuous quality improvement of the service delivery system. Such improvement will occur as rehabilitation professionals learn to routinely anticipate change, transform rehabilitation agencies into learning organizations, plan change in a comprehensive and sustained manner, and utilize data driven decision-making. CT is a precursor skill that makes acquisition of these competencies more probable. It is also a base competency for rehabilitation professionals to engage with the complexities of today's system in a contemplative, analytical, and discerning manner, ultimately toward promotion of what is best for the system and its customers. A CT skills framework is presented as well as the benefits of and strategies for exposing CT skills to graduate students and practicing rehabilitation professionals.