NRS 430 Topic 2 DQ 1 Define critical thinking and evidence-based practice
NRS 430 Topic 2 DQ 1 Define critical thinking and evidence-based practice
Topic 2 DQ 1
Apr 11-13, 2022
Define critical thinking and evidence-based practice. Discuss what critical thinking in nursing practice entails and explain why it is important. Discuss the role of critical thinking and evidence-based practice as they relate to patient outcomes.
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Billie Gabbard
Posted Date
Apr 12, 2022, 3:50 AM
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CAT: Critical Thinking about Critical Thinking
Nurses must be able to think critically to provide effective care and to problem solve. In your opinion, is one born with critical thinking or develop these skills overtime?
Billie
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Chioma Nwachukwu
replied toBillie Gabbard
Apr 12, 2022, 6:45 PM
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Hello Billie,
In my opinion, critical thinking is developed over time . It takes knowledge, constant practice and experience to develop critical thinking skills. Everyone is born with a thinking ability and capable of logical reasoning. However, critical thinkers learn the ability to judge and solve issues as the need arises.
It could be a skill learnt after several and repeated practice or years of experience.
For instance, a new RN working in a psychiatric unit the first time might get frightened when the patient becomes disruptive or aggressive. It might be tough to deal with such a situation the first time. However, with constant practice in the unit, the nurse would learn and understand the proper way to deescalate while keeping self and others safe.
Therefore, I believe critical thinking skills offer the judgement and reasoning required to act in any given situation. It goes beyond the four walls of the classroom.
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Billie Gabbard
replied toChioma Nwachukwu
Apr 13, 2022, 3:56 AM
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Replies to Chioma Nwachukwu
Thank you, Chioma. You provided a great example of how first exposure to an experience may result in uncertainty but has knowledge, skill, and experience are gained, one thinking about a situation change.
Billie
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Carly Wallmeyer
replied toChioma Nwachukwu
Apr 14, 2022, 12:54 PM
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I agree with you Chioma. I think critical thinking is skill that takes time to learn and apply. Knowledge and experience play huge role in critical thinking. Something as simple as starting and IV requires some level of critical thinking. We all learned in nursing school the steps to starting an IV, but until we were able to actually touch the patient and see the vein then we could critically think through the process. Why wasn’t there a flash? Am I in the vein? Advance? Make minor adjustments? Learning through practice and knowledge, we can think through and apply that knowledge and experience to the situation at hand.
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Pepper Wooters
replied toBillie Gabbard
Apr 13, 2022, 5:49 AM
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Billie,
I feel it is a skill that one develops over time. It is also greatly dependent on your environment whether you learn it soon rather than later. We all grow up in different cultures, economic statuses, and lifestyles, which could affect when you start to grasp advanced thinking beyond the rudimentary level later in life.
I feel some people have an inherent trait or are more talented in critical thinking. When Im moving around the hospital on IV team, I witnessed many new grad nurses going through the motions and being task-oriented/task-driven. We have all been victims of this at one point. But as mentioned before, when one obtains knowledge through experience, one starts to bring more overall care to the table, which has better outcomes for the patient.
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Billie Gabbard
replied toPepper Wooters
Apr 14, 2022, 4:24 AM
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Hi Pepper,
Great point that we all have innate individual thinking abilities, but we know that we can build our thinking (unless there is a cognitive or other defect) through education, experience, and desire to seek solutions.
Billie
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Rose Francis
replied toBillie Gabbard
Apr 13, 2022, 11:10 AM
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Hi Billie,
I think that most people are born with a certain level of critical thinking. But, with experience, knowledge and creativity, most people are able to improve their critical thinking skills. Handling stressful situations and independent problem-solving can aid in improving critical decision-making skills. Critical thinking can be enhanced by independent thought, personal and social factors, spirituality and curiosity among others (Papathanasiou et al, 2014).
Papathanasiou, I. V., Kleisiaris, C. F., Fradelos, E. C., Kakou, K., & Kourkouta, L. (2014). Critical thinking: the development of an essential skill for nursing students. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 22(4), 283–286.
Rose
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Billie Gabbard
replied toRose Francis
Apr 14, 2022, 4:26 AM
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Rose,
Well-stated. Although we do not like to be in stressful situations, your point is well taken. We explore how to avoid or minimize stress in future situations.
Billie
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Stephanie Jackson
replied toBillie Gabbard
Apr 13, 2022, 1:42 PM
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Billie, in my opinion, critical thinking is a skill that must be practiced and developed. But in the same token, I truly believe that some people are just inherently better at it! I guess I’m trying to say that some people have the natural ability to critically think and just have to practice it to become better but anyone can be taught…to a degree.
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Billie Gabbard
replied toStephanie Jackson
Apr 14, 2022, 4:28 AM
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Thank you, Stephanie. Your post made me think of a time a few students approached me after they overheard their classmates discussing how they had critical thinking skills. The student who approached me were so upset that they did not believe they had been taught these skills. That was quite the conversation to be had. Critical thinking does develop at different levels and at a different pace for each individual.
Billie
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Cassidy Wright
replied toBillie Gabbard
Apr 17, 2022, 6:22 PM
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Hi Billie,
In my opinion I believe that critical thinking is instilled in childhood and early years and is a learned aspect of ones personality. I think that critical thinking is something that is taught and can be worked on in different ways throughout ones education. Critical thinking entails many different levels of thinking making it something that is learned, in my opinion. A person can be born with character traits such as resiliency or determined that can assist in better critical thinking but overall I would say that critical thinking is a learned aspect of who someone is.
-Cassidy
CW
Carly Wallmeyer
Posted Date
Apr 13, 2022, 10:15 PM
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Replies to Billie Gabbard
According to The Foundation for Critical Thinking (2019), “Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.” I think of critical thinking as all inclusive. One must incorporate knowledge/research, skills, attitude and experience. Putting the puzzle pieces together to come to a conclusion. One should be able to perform an assessment, interpret those findings and apply them to the situation at hand. Critical thinking enables someone to combine all off the “tools in their tool shed” and think outside of the box to come up with a solution. I feel that in my department, labor and delivery, this applies in many aspects. Critically thinking is important by adding up all the signs and symptoms and knowing when to speak to a physician. Knowing how to properly care for not only mom, but an unborn human who you cannot physically see or touch, requires evidence based knowledge, critical thinking and experience. Critical thinking is important in order keep or patients safe and alive. “Evidence-based practice (EBP), is a process used to review, analyze, and translate the latest scientific evidence”. (2022). I think that critical thinking and EBP give us the fundamental skills for the nursing process and practice which directly impacts patient care. The nursing process includes assessment, diagnosis, outcomes/planning, implementation and evaluation (American Nurses Association 2022). I think nurses go through this process multiple times a day, continuously evaluating and reevaluating. We use our knowledge of EBP and combine that with our critical thinking skills, effective communication and problem-solving skills to formulate the best plan of care for our patients for optimal health. I think by having good critical thinking skills and foundation for EBP allows the nurse to detect and act early; which then, improves patient outcomes.

American Nurses Association. (2022). The Nursing Process. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/the-nursing-process/
John Hopkins Medicine (2022). Evidence-Based Practice. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/nursing/center-nursing-inquiry/nursing-inquiry/evidence-based-practice.html
The Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2019). Defining Critical Thinking. https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766
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