Critical Thinking
Introduction
As learnt through the course, critical thinking is at the core of nurse process. Critical thinking enables the nursing process meet various core competencies, most chiefly ensuring that the delivery of health care is patient centered. Additionally, critical thinking augments the ability of the nursing process to utilize evidence based practices in the delivery of health care services. While this highlights some of the influences of critical thinking in the nursing process, it also poses challenges to the nursing institution to eliminate some of the impediments to service delivery. For instance, critical thinking as it is used in the nursing context challenges certain patterns of thinking, condemning them as impediments to the nursing process.
This necessitates change in these thinking patterns, and the adoption of other patterns that embody the changing contexts in which the nursing institution operates. This paper highlights changes in thinking that relate most to my personal intelligence types. The paper will also relate this to personal definition of critical thinking, intelligence types that are relevant to my thinking process and information processing and also offer examples from nursing practice. The paper will also highlight my need for changing this thinking pattern, the rationale for the change and the strategies through which the thinking pattern will be changed.
Critical thinking has been defined differently by different scholars as it is used in different contexts. however, the use of critical thinking in nursing entails the rational and conscious examination of inferences, ideas, assumptions, arguments, statements, principles of care, beliefs, conclusions and actions in order to determine the approach that best produces the best patient outcomes as supported by literature and evidence from clinical practice. By examining these elements, a nurse, through critical thinking is able to analyze, discriminate information and make conclusions that are informed by literature and evidence.
Pattern of Change in Thinking
As highlighted earlier, various patterns of change with regard to thinking in the nursing process. These patterns of change are informed by critical thinking, and the need to reform old approaches to thinking. Rubenfeld & Scheffer (2010) argue that old approaches to thinking are governed by habit, the result of which is a re-creation of nursing institutions as they have previously been, irrespective of the disharmony that the intuitions of the past face in the contemporary world. The pattern of change with regards to thinking that is most fitting to my intelligence type is the change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a team, a multidisciplinary team (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2010). This kind of change highlights the need for teamwork, not only with members of the nursing staff, but also with other members in the health care delivery team (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2010).
Intelligence Types
Various intelligence types have been proposed by Gardner in his model of multiple intelligences as highlighted by Rubenfeld & Scheffer (2010). Of these intelligences, the interpersonal intelligence is the most relevant to how I think and process information. As highlighted by Rubenfeld & Scheffer (2010), the interpersonal intelligence entails the ability in an individual to understand what motivates people, their intentions and their desires. This intelligence allows me the increase ability to work effectively with other people within the multidisciplinary team. As a worker in the community, this intelligence allows me to collaborate effectively with other members if the community. This is in with argument by Rubenfeld & Scheffer (2010) that the ability of nurse to work optimally with other members in the community is important in the delivery of care.
Examples from Nursing Profession
The best example of instances where the use of the interpersonal intelligence type and the change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a team, a multidisciplinary team can be seen in the story of Marcia Hegstad’s story as reported in Rubenfeld & Scheffer (2010) underscores the importance of the change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a team, a multidisciplinary team, particularly in affecting patient outcomes. The actions of Marcia Hegstad entail the use of evidence based, critical thinking skills such as discriminating information, analysis of information in order to find solutions to the infections on the post-operative patients.
I have also drawn examples from my nursing profession that support the need for the use of the interpersonal intelligence type and the change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a multidisciplinary team. A while back when I was a volunteer at a community center taking care of elderly people, the resident nurse at the community center requested me to help in assessing patient who reported persistent pain. I remembered an article that recommended using algorithms in assessing patients. These algorithms were developed using evidenced based practice (Jablonski, DuPen & Ersek, 2011).
The Desire for Change in Thinking Patterns
As highlighted earlier, the need for change is prompted by the need to create harmony in the delivery of care. I opine that the patient outcomes are a good indicator of the success of the nursing care process. However, the change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a multidisciplinary team promises to improve patient outcomes. the biggest inspiration for my desire to change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a multidisciplinary team is the effective collaboration between the members as narrated in the story of Marcia Hegstad’s story as highlighted in Rubenfeld & Scheffer (2010). It is my desire to leave a legacy similar to Marcia Hegstad’s through the use of the critical thinking platform.
Specific Steps towards the Change in Thinking
The change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a multidisciplinary team entails embracing the concepts of critical thinking (Fulton, Lyon & Goudreau, 2010). While the definition of critical thinking embraces a broad perspective, specific steps are required in ensuring the change in thinking is effected and sustained. The following specific steps are necessary to this effect:
- Seeking out the truth through the search of evidence in literature and clinical practice (Ainsley & Brown, 2009).
- Engaging in intellectual curiosity and reporting findings of evidence based practice to the team.
- Demonstrating team thinking by way of seeking mentorship of nursing staff with more experience.
Conclusion
The concepts highlighted throughout the course indicate the importance of critical thinking for the nursing institution. This concept not only promises reforms in the delivery of care, but also in the nursing institution. It requires the conscious consideration and examination of information before actions are taken. In this regard, certain changes in the patterns of thinking are required. In my context, the change from thinking and doing individually towards thinking and doing within the contexts of a multidisciplinary team is very relevant to my intellectual type; interpersonal intelligence.
References
Ainsley, B., & Brown, A. (2009). The impact of informatics on nursing education: A review of the literature. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing 40(5) 228-32.
Fulton, J. S., Lyon, B. L., & Goudreau, K. A. (2010). Foundations of clinical nurse specialist practice. New York: Springer.
Rubenfeld, M. G., & Scheffer, B.K. (2010). Critical thinking TACTICS for nurses: Achieving the IOM competencies (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Jablonski, A., DuPen, A. & Ersek, M. (2011). The use of algorithms in assessing and managing persistent pain in older adults. American Journal of Nursing, 111(6): 34-43.
