Critical ThinkingModule 1

• Pre-Module– Session Prep Worksheet– Forum discussion

• Module– 1-hour 15-minute live presentation– Sometimes: 2-3 Practice NCLEX questions

• Post-Module– Video recording (can take time to load!)– Downloadable slides– Supplemental worksheets– Forum discussion– Referrals to other helpful resources

• Module 1– Introduction– Critical Thinking

• Module 2– Balance– Goals– Time Management

• Module 3-6– Test Anxiety– Study Techniques

• Module 7– Nursing Process– Care Plans

• Module 8– Demonstration of how to apply Critical Thinking to specific topic– Wrap-up

• How to chat• How to answer multiple choice questions• Drawing on whiteboard

• “The development of general ability for independent thinking and judgment should always be placed foremost, not the acquisition of special knowledge. If a person masters the fundamentals of his subject and has learned to think and work independently, he will surely find his way and besides will better be able to adapt himself to progress and changes than the person whose training principally consists in the acquiring of detailed knowledge.”– Albert Einstein (Ideas and Opinions, p. 62)

• “If you want something you have never had, be prepared to do something you have never done.”– Author Unknown

• “If you want something you have never had, be prepared to do something you have never done.”– Author Unknown

• So when you’re presented with a new way of doing something:

Don’t use your brain to make excuses, use your brain to find solutions!

It’s easy to teach what to think (facts).

---------------------------------It’s hard to teach

how to think (process).

It’s easy to LEARNwhat to think (facts).

---------------------------------It’s hard to LEARN

how to think (process).

It’s easy to LEARNwhat to think (facts).

---------------------------------It’s hard to LEARN

how to think (process).

BUT ONLY IN THE

SHORT TERM!

STUDY ----> PRACTICE!

STUDY ----> PRACTICE!

***TIME***

• “Thinking is skilled work. It is not true that we are naturally endowed with the ability to think clearly and logically – without learning how, or without practicing…. People with untrained minds should no more expect to think clearly and logically than people who have never learned and never practiced can expect to find themselves good carpenters, golfers, bridge-players, or pianists.– Alfred Mander (Logic for the Millions, 1947)

• When you study, what has been your goal so far?– A. Learn WHAT to think– B. Learn HOW to think

• A nurse:– Does what the Doctor tells her to do

• A Nurse:– Evaluates what the Doctor tells her to do, then

decides if it is appropriate

• A nurse:– Follows protocol exactly

• A Nurse:– Varies from protocol when patient condition

indicates

• A nurse:– Complains when having to learn new

technology, or a new way to do something

• A Nurse:– Applies a new technology or way of doing

something to better accomplish the primary goal (great patient care!)

• A nurse:– Does things a certain way because “that’s the

way they’ve always been done”

• A Nurse:– Does things a certain way because she

understands why that’s a good way to do it

• A nurse:– Will not do something if it’s not in her job

description

• A Nurse:– Will do more than her expected job duties

when it helps the patient

• A nurse:– Has a paycheck (for a little while…)

• A Nurse:– Has a purpose and a calling

• Part of Critical Thinking is:– Taking Responsibility for learning

• Not complaining about bad teacher– Asking Questions

• Not blindly accepting/memorizing information spoon-fed to you

• Not expecting the teacher to cover everything– Tolerating ambiguity

• Not expecting to have all the info to make a concrete, “forever” decision

• Not needing all the info to make a confident guess on multiple choice

– Being able to apply a method or fact to solve multiple problems• Not memorizing the answer to a single problem

“Street-smart”• Knows the basics• Can apply the

basics in new and different ways

“Book-smart”• Knows the detailed

facts• Can only apply them

in the context it was learned

“Street-smart”• Active Learning– Deep Studying– Thinking beyond the

material

“Book-smart”• Passive Learning• Shallow Studying• Memorizing the

material

• Listening to Lecture• “Reading” textbook• Highlighting• Flashcards• Memorizing vocabulary, lab values

• Vocabulary (medical terms, roots)– What other words have I seen/heard that use that

root?• Anatomy & Physiology– What are the parts/organs that make up the body?– How does each part of the body work?– How does one part interact/effect other parts?

• Lab Values– What is that value measuring?– What does it mean when that value is too

high/low? What has gone wrong? – What organ functions does this value represent?

• Fundamental Nursing Care– How do we make the patient more comfortable? – What can we do to help promote basic needs

(respiration, skin integrity, etc)? – WHY do these actions help?

• Entry-level skills– NG Tube, Sterile Technique, Dressing Changes,

Foley Catheter, Injections– In what situations would we do these skills?– WHY do we do them a certain way?

• As you read, highlight, listen to lecture, study flashcards:– Ask yourself questions– Take it a step further– Review what you know– Think about what you don’t know– Imagine how a patient would look in that

situation

• Draw pictures• Write your own case studies• Concept or Mind-mapping• Quiz classmates (and let them quiz you)• Guess what will be on the exam– Write your own study guide, then check it after

the test!

• Outline chapters• Write songs, poems, mneumonics