Critical Thinking: A Key for Nurses

Critical thinking is a nursing process that includes reflective practice, problem solving and decision making which are connected to one another. The definition of critical thinking is transferring and applying knowledge and skills in a new situation. The critical thinking is needed in a lot of aspects of the nurses’ job such as when the nurses need to provide the precise identification in the specific problems had by the patients. They need to be in detail and also critical to themselves in every time in order to be able to provide identification precisely. When you have the profession in nursing, it is important to be critical thinker. The nurses have the high responsibilities and their responsibilities are increasing from time to time. The increase of the responsibilities affects the additional educational prerequisites and also the core requisites those must be achieved in order to get the degree of nursing. The standard has been set and the critical thinking in the nursing process become two things that will be supporting each other in the nursing standard and nurses will need to become the critical thinkers.

Nurses will learn about the critical thinking through the application and also experience because experience is always the best teacher in any professions. But first, the nurses will need to know the correct decision and the correct decision must be ensured to be taught in the institutions. In this requirement, the new nurses will take time of orientation that will allow them to learn more about the procedures, documentation and also the policies of the institution they will be working for. These new nurses will have the mentor who are highly experienced and will evaluate the details of the work of the new nurses. Howev...

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... patient to the x-ray department. X-ray revealed patient developed internal bleeding. They immediately decided for an operation to at least control the bleeding. By the end of the surgery, patient was transferred to ICU. After one month post-surgery, patient was discharged from the hospital but cannot walk. Increased intra-cranial pressure and poor communication and critical thinking lead the patient to this unfortunate situation.

Most of the time, life threatening decision lies on the hands of the nurses. Much is asked from us. We always have to act and think fast because every single minute counts. Every decision we will take may either save or waste a life. So, we have to stay focused and commit ourselves to our patients. Passionately care for them not only because we are committed to our profession, but most importantly, we have the heart of a Nurse.