A Nursing Process Approach to Malignant Melanoma

How is critical thinking used today? This is a typical question that a student in a non-nursing major may ask, but here at the Christ College, we would be happy to answer that for you. As a student nurse, I use and witness critical thinking and clinical reasoning in the clinical field every day. To better understand this topic, I found two articles to read and review. The first article I found is based on education and the second shows the view of a well-practiced nurse.

Underlying both the clinical decision-making process and the nursing process is the skill of critical thinking. Critical thinking has been described as the ability to gather and process data in such a way as to arrive at the best conclusion using the filters of prior knowledge, experience and external resources to overcome personal emotions, biases, and assumptions. (This description was developed during NUR/300 class, University of Phoenix, S. Colorado, March 16, 2006) Note that critical thinking is described as a

There has been a lot of talk about critical thinking during my four years of nursing school, with an array of different meaning and explanation; some was even unfathomable and baffling. Not so long ago, during my early years as a novice nurse, I didn’t pay much attention to the word, critical thinking. From where I used to work, decision making skills of nurses do not have a strong foundation. Every time there was a problem regarding patient care, it was immediately referred to the attending physician and then I would just carry out orders without sometimes thinking it through. I was a task-worker who simply carried out doctors’ orders and followed a fixed set of rules. That is how I practiced before, reckless and impulsive. I never rethink and reconsider decisions made by doctors. I never admit to a lack of knowledge. I was too proud of myself .Luckily, it didn’t cost any patient lives but it could have. I wasn’t thinking and acting like a professional nurse. To think like a nurse requires that to learn the content of nursing; the ideas, concepts and theories of nursing and develop intellectual capacities and skills so that we become disciplined, self-directed, critical thinkers (Heaslip, 1993) ¬ a realization that I just have found out recently. My perspective about critical thinking change immensely while taking this course. Not only because it covered different aspects of critical thinking but also

As a professional in the healthcare environment, I use my critical thinking for decision-making and problem solving everyday with every task and grievance I resolve. Critical thinking is very important in risk management, patient safety and quality in healthcare. I utilize my years of experience as a nurse, confidence of knowledge, ability to recognize and adhere to hospital procedures, instinct, professionalism, and understanding of appropriate workflow to assist in my decision-making and

I remember when I first became a Licensed Practical Nurse. As I watched the experienced nurses care for their patients, I wanted to think like them. Thinking like a nurse is considered critical thinking. It is perhaps one of the most important qualities that nurses possess. Simply put, critical thinking is actively using knowledge and experience to make a decision (Reilly, 2017). Critical thinking is an important skill because the lives that nurses touch daily depend on his/her ability to use it. Being able to critically think, will allow for early and appropriate intervention in patient’s conditions which can be increasingly complex. Early and appropriate interventions improve patient outcomes (Black, 2017).

The ability to think critically is vital to a nurse 's role as nurses are faced with constant decision-making in which the answers are often not completely clear or definitive but the consequences of which affect human lives. Critical thinking involves the use of a specific thought process to guide complex clinical decision-making (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). According to Arnold and Boggs (2011), to apply critical thinking, one must: clarify concepts, identify his or her own values, integrate data and identify missing data, obtain new data, identify the significant problem, examine skeptically, apply criteria, generate options and look at alternatives, consider whether factors change if the context changes, make the final decision. Barriers include attitudes, habits, cognitive dissonance, and clashing of personal and professional values. Some important characteristics to a nurse being able to think critically are: the ability to reflect on

Critical thinking under the limelight when considering accuracy of diagnosis related to nurse’s decision which involves seven cognitive abilities and ten phases of mind. (Lunney & Margaret, 2003). However, when all these factors are established, critical thinking would then setup gaols and derive a plan to identifying, interacting thoughts and interconnecting numerous elements. These all would in return help implantation and evaluation and leading to strong decision making. Moreover, critical thinking is very crucial and important for clinical nursing and its shuffling and implementation further promotes development and decision making criteria (Videbeck, Jan 1997).

Critical thinking in nursing is a process of inquiry in which I try to gain a better understanding of the patient symptoms, and illness. I would describe the way I inquire information and base it on the standard set of rules known as the scientific method. The scientific method is important because it provides a regulated process for conducting research:

However, it would be unfair not to mention a positive role of nursing educators who are the primary and initial force in the development of critical thinking skills pertinent to exceptional nursing practice. It is them the teachers who as Colln-Appling and Giuliano (2016) state " are responsible for ensuring that the necessary skills for critical thinking among students are developed and maintained" (p.106). Additionally, since the world is facing a nursing shortage, it would be paramount to equip new nurse with the ability to independently, analytically and reflectively think leading to life-saving decisions.

An original research study conducted by nursing professors Kathleen Lechasseur, Ginette Lazure, and Louise Guilbert of the Université Laval in Québec, titled “Knowledge mobilized by a critical thinking process deployed by nursing students in practical care situations: a qualitative study”, aimed to analyze the capability of undergraduate nurses to combine skills from various aspects of their life in practical care scenarios. In this report, various types of knowledge were considered in regards to determining the students’ abilities to think critically at a higher level, and a qualitative study by way of interviews over the span of 5 months

Clearly developing critical thinking skills is truly important; however, balancing content and reflective analysis could be challenging. I believe it is worthwhile to teach nurses to "think outside the box". Educators should encourage learners to always ask questions to validate one's judgement and be open minded to suggestions as well as teach students to strive to learn and self-correct themselves in order to deliver safe, effective, quality care.

Thinking is the process of applying a reasoning process or analyzing of something. Everyone has the faculty to think which is a natural occurrence, and it is our nature to do so. Although the process of thinking can be happened by nature, the critical thinking, however, is different. As for a definition, no word concept has a fix definition. The definition that can develop to define the critical thinking is a skill and/or the ability to react to make an important and a quick decision. Critical thinking can’t be taught or learned. It can only develop progressively with experience. Within the nursing field, critical thinking is an imperative to all nurses for patient care

To build the skill, the nurse develops an attitude of not been judgmental, which reveal open-mindedness and tolerance for other cultures. Critical thinking also involves viewing the patient as a person and this means considering the patient own culture and goals, not just the goals of the healthcare organization Critical thinking skills apply not only to think but also to analysis, writing, dialog and paying attention. Learn to seek out the truth by exploring a problem or situation and ask questions and never be scared to disclose to a lack of knowledge.

The major movements in healthcare have created a change in the clinical experiences. Because of these changes, the Instituted of Medicine’s report stated that the educational process of nursing has created medical personnel with deficiencies in their critical thinking skills. The report also states that because of this lack of critical thinking, new graduate nurses fail to recognize the deterioration of a patient, which results in poor patient outcomes (Robert, Tilley, & Peterson, 2014).

Critical thinking is defined as a disciplined, self directed thinking that meets appropriate intellectual standards within a particular mode or domain of thinking (Paul and Elder, 2014). In Nursing, the possession of this important skill helps a nurse to assess a given situation, identify the main problem, determine a perfect solution and implement an effective method of dealing with the problem.