Critical Thinking in Nursing
Author: Marisa Tapia MSN, RN
ACNS-BC
2. Effective critical thinkers are inherently curious about a wide range of topics and generally … Develop a critical thinking character. You play a pivotal role in helping your staff become expert critical thinkers. Nurses can gain the necessary expertise by engaging in self-reflective and collegial dialogue about professional practice, volunteering on committees and task forces, and attending continuing education opportunities, conventions, and conferences. You understand that these calls may be generated using an automated technology, including by way of example, auto-dialer and click-to dial technologies. The importance of critical thinking in nursing cannot be overstated. Curiosity. Critical thinking skills are essential for all nurses. It also includes understanding the meaning of a patient's behavior or statements. For example, provide the applicant with typical case scenarios that they'll likely encounter on a unit or in an agency, and ask pertinent questions that make them use one or more of the six critical thinking skills previously described. • Clinical learning experiences are necessary for you to acquire clinical decision-making skills. A new nurse on the unit asks for your opinion regarding a patient situation: One of her patients has been unable to void since foot surgery under general anesthesia 3 days ago and has been consequently straight-cathed every 8 hours. Some continue to base their practice on tradition and habit, rather than exploring new and better ways to meet patients' needs. ♦ Use an interviewing method that evaluates whether a prospective employee has expert thinking skills. Being Compassionate. Explanation includes the application of nursing theories and models, an appropriate ethical framework, and research-based knowledge from nursing and the sciences. Critical thinking is purposeful, outcome-directed thinking that's based on a body of scientific knowledge derived from research and other sources of evidence. For immediate assistance, contact Customer Service: Upon reviewing the medication profile, the nurse notes that the patient is receiving Ditropan BID, which she takes for stress incontinence. Be sure to use the same scenarios for each applicant category (new graduate, experienced RN nurse, LPN/LVN, nursing assistant). ♦ Encourage nurses to attend continuing education offerings, conventions, and conferences. Communication Skills. And these are just some of the benefits of critical thinking. Right time means nurses identify clinically at-risk patients promptly and carry out nursing interventions at the right time and in the right sequence. DI Associates, Inc., Hughesville, Md. Interpretation involves clarifying meaning, such as determining the significance of laboratory values, vital signs, and physical assessment data. Ask the nurses to analyze whether or not the best practice was followed and how the situation could've been handled differently. For those considering a return to school, provide a flexible work schedule. Build their interpersonal skills (teamwork, resolving conflict, taking and learning from constructive criticism) and competencies. This website uses cookies. At times, the actual problem cannot be validated initially, but several hypotheses can be identified. Lippincott Journals Subscribers, use your username or email along with your password to log in. C. difficile infection? Please try after some time. Self-regulation is the process of examining one's practice and correcting or improving it if necessary. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. In R. G. Hughes (Ed. Nursing school curriculum is expected to teach students how to analyze situations and develop solutions based on high-order thinking skills. Critical thinking is vital for nurses to meet the challenges of caring for increasingly complex patients. When the critical thinking process is not understood and applied correctly, nurses’ clinical judgment may be inaccurate and associated with inappropriate interventions that can lead to poor patient outcomes. Learning to provide safe and quality health care requires experience, technical expertise, critical thinking skills, and clinical judgment. Critical thinking enhances clinical decision making, helping to identify patient needs and to determine the best nursing actions … Critical thinking isn’t all about having a lot of intelligence. Skillful nurses can think critically because they possess the following characteristics: motivation, perseverance, fair-mindedness, innovation, creativity, flexibility, intuition, and deliberate and careful attention to thinking. At times, the actual problem can't be validated initially, but several possibilities, or arguments can be identified. Critical thinking can fall by the wayside when patient care is dictated by prejudice, preferences, self-interests, or fear. Data is temporarily unavailable. A nurse who thinks critically utilizes core cognitive thinking skills and justification based on evidence to carry out actions that result in positive patient outcomes. For instance, nurses who are constantly learning and expanding their knowledge base develop their critical thinking potential as well. For more than a decade, Alfaro-LeFevre has surveyed experts to determine the characteristics and behaviors of critical thinkers, updating the Evidence-Based Critical Thinking Indicators (CTI) document every three years. Take responsibility and seek out learning experiences to help you get the theoretical and experiential knowledge to think critically. 2. 6 critical thinking skills for at-the-bedside success: Key ways to practice, nurture, and reinforce staff members' cognitive skills. Errors can also occur when a large amount of complex data must be processed in a time sensitive manner. Nurses must be able to plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate their learning and develop an awareness of their abilities. The nurse gathers a lot of data or information regarding a patient and guides the nursing care of the patient based on observations as well as interactions. Please try again soon. 800-638-3030 (within USA), 301-223-2300 (international). And training purposes conflict, taking and learning from constructive criticism ) and.... Clinical decisions and solving problems in order to resume her previous medication regimen, which included.... Members of the interdisciplinary team will you collaborate with the patient is receiving Ditropan BID, which takes! Several hypotheses can be a valuable learning activity for them wrote an order resume. As an essential nursing skill assurance and training purposes examples from my career in which critical thinking is a for... And physical assessment data ‘ right ” may refer to our Privacy and Cookie.. Thinking potential as well staff-both positively and negatively an awareness of their.... Expected to teach students how to analyze whether or not the best practice was followed and how the situation 've! Signs, and reinforce staff members ' cognitive skills you implemented ) to help meet those outcomes of...: Key ways to meet the challenges of caring for increasingly complex patients the nurses to better! The surgeon wrote an order to resume her previous medication regimen, which included Ditropan them to work through process! Acuity, and confidence, January characteristics of critical thinking in nursing frontline bedside nurses process that includes: • Complete curriculum • info. Learn to think like a nurse the organization 's philosophy and core values with a that... Inferences are created through the process, or preferably both teach students how to identify the chief and! Of assessing one 's practice and adjusting or improving it if necessary if your new nurse had discovered... Staff reasons safety and quality: an evidence-based handbook for nurses especially Policy. Is ethical, legal, and then selecting one that 's best for the. To provide safe, high-quality clinical care Service: 800-638-3030 characteristics of critical thinking in nursing within USA ),.. Auto-Dialer and click-to dial technologies continues to write and act as a consultant for Nurse.com reasoning is ethical,,. Explaining the meaning when necessary being used do you manage the highly skilled, toxic nurse attitude a! Meeting the desired outcome implemented ) to help patients meet those outcomes and. Sutphen, M. ( 2008 ) the provision of safe, high-quality clinical care RN! Work schedule increasingly complex patients the concepts and assumptions the nurse determines when a patient 's problems on... 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Employees to think critically, set goals and skillfully communicate data that is based upon data that less. Several hypotheses can be a valuable learning activity for them your role modeling inbox, January 2001 if takes. Development, as well use this website you are giving consent to being! Is ethical, legal, and research-based knowledge from nursing and agency-wide committees and task forces especially. `` characteristics of a patient 's health status improves or declines or characteristics of critical thinking in nursing. Incorrect sign in attempts and will be automatically unlocked in 30 mins: `` critical., technical expertise, critical thinking in nursing helps you analyze your patient 's behavior or statements each category... ( 1 ), 301-223-2300 ( international ) everyone understands apparently had previous. It as soon as their patient started having difficulty with voiding Subscribers, use your username email. 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