Critical thinking is an essential skill for nurses to develop. This video aims to define
critical thinking. We will review how it connects to the nursing process, benefits of critical
thinking and levels of critical thinking. Then in part 2 of this video the components
of critical thinking and ways to develop it will be suggested.
There are many definitions of critical thinking in the literature. It is a complex process
involving the purposeful use of logic, reasoning, and reflection as well as cognitive skills
and affective dispositions that will be explored later in this video.
As Potter and Perry (2014) indicate "Critical thinking is more than just problem solving;
it is an attempt to continually improve how you apply knowledge when faced with problems
in patient care." It is the active, organized, cognitive process used to carefully examine
one's thinking and the thinking of others. Critical thinking draws upon skills used in
other ways of thinking, but is viewed as a broader concept that is differentiated by
it's holistic, purposeful, reflective and goal directed nature.
Critical thinking is central to quality nursing practice.
Decision-making in nursing must not be hasty or ill thought out. Critical thinking is a
standard for competent nursing practice. Nurses use critical thinking to anticipate client
needs, incorporate knowledge from other disciplines, work in complex environments, and deal with
change in stressful environments all while making important clinical decisions and judgments
about client care. Nurses use critical thinking in every step
of the nursing process to analyze patient data within unique contexts, recognize patterns,
form diagnoses, then plan, implement and evaluate client care. It is important that nurses purposefully
use and develop their critical thinking ability in order to deliver safe and effective client
care. One model of critical thinking that is taught
in many nursing schools separates it into three main levels: Basic, Complex and commitment.
As a novice student you start at a basic level. As your critical thinking components develop,
your level of critical thinking will move from basic to complex and commitment. Let's
take a look at each level. A t a BASIC level you trust that experts have
the right answers for every problem. Your thinking is more black and white as you think
there is a right way and a wrong way to approach each situation. Thinking is based on sets
of rules or principles that you follow. This level kind of reminds me of the elementary
school child who is convinced that their teacher knows everything even if their mother and
Google disagree. As a nursing student you will likely follow
hospital procedures step by step without adjusting for unique client needs the first time you
do a procedure like a dressing change. You will want to do everything by the book or
exactly as your instructor tells you. As you gain knowledge and experience your thinking
will become more complex. With more nursing experience you will start
to think for yourself and analyze situations on your own. This separation from experts
comes with a recognition that there may be more than one way to solve a problem, which
is what differentiates it from a basic level of critical thinking. The book may tell you
to position a client one way, but you are now able to analyze the situation, take into
account client preferences and be more creative in the way you approach the situation. You
still follow routine procedures but in complex situations you consider other options and
discuss them with others. At a commitment level, you do more than just
consider alternate options. This level is all about action and accountability, which
is what differentiates it from complex critical thinking. You are able to independently anticipate
the need to make decisions. You are making your own decisions informed by your knowledge
and experience and you stand by them. Since you are accountable and responsible for your
decision you pay more attention to evaluating the outcome to inform future practice.
For example, when I decided to offer a Facebook group for interaction with students despite
objections of more senior faculty that demonstrated a commitment to my decision making that I
believe supports students and educational pedagogy. To evaluate this action a survey,
video interviews and publication were produced. This evaluation was prompted by my commitment
to this decision. Pause this video for a minute and try to label
each nurse according to the level of critical thinking they are using.
Welcome back. Here are the answers: Sarah is questioning current standards. According
to our model this nurse is a complex critical thinker since there is no indication that
the nurse has taken any action or assumed responsibility for her decision.
Jeff is trusting experts, which is characteristic of a basic level of critical thinking.
Kyle is making and taking responsibility for his own choices, which makes him a commitment
level critical thinker. Julie is following a step by step process
without adjusting to client needs, which is characteristic of a basic level of critical
thinking. If you disagree with any of these please review
the levels of critical thinking again and post a comment so we can talk about it. It
is good to start questioning what you are told! It means your critical thinking is becoming
more complex. For more you can subscribe, visit my website
and click on videos of interest on this slide. Click on Part 2 of this video to find out
more about the components of critical thinking and how to develop it. Thank you for watching.