Essay on Value of Critical Thinking in the Nursing Profession

Introduction

There are many definitions of critical thinking, most of which infer to it as the mechanism of observing, gathering, analyzing and interpretation of information from different sources. According to Zori, 2016, critical thinking infers to skilled thinking; whereby it is not correct to state that individuals are naturally endowed with the capacity to think logically or clearly without practicing or learning. This paper seeks to give more in-depth insights into the concept of critical thinking in the nursing profession as a way of enhancing the nurses' practice.

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The main issues that are presented in this paper include the ways through which critical thinking improves the professional work of a registered nurse , the various scope of critical thinking, critical thinking as a problem- solving mechanism, critical thinking as a way of decision- making, as well as the attitudes and practices that nurses are supposed to portray to be regarded as critical thinkers. Typically, this paper aims at giving extensive insights into the concept of critical thinking in the nursing profession.

Critical thinking is the intellectual, disciplined process of implementing skillful reasoning as a way of governing actions and beliefs (Adib-Hajbaghery & Sharifi, 2017). In the nursing profession, critical thinking is used in clinical decision- making as it allows the nurses to think in a logical and systematic manner with the openness to learning to ensure quality care and practical nursing practice. When critical thinking is developed by a nursing practitioner, they have to ensure that their thinking aligns to the proficiency, intellectual standards and a commitment to maintain and develop traits that will ensure they have high capabilities of making sound decisions and appropriate clinical judgments.

Levels of Critical Thinking in Nursing

The nursing profession entails three contrasting levels of critical thinking. Firstly, there is the basic level of thinking which is the point where a beginner will directly think that the learning experiences in the nursing course will give them the right answers for every challenge (Carter, Creedy & Sidebotham, 2016). Nurses at this stage, mainly refer to the knowledge that they acquired from school to solve the problems that are presented to them. They are mostly rigid to exploring outside options and mainly consider sticking to the guidelines provided to them in the course. Generally, nurses at this level entail newly registered nurses or those that are still practicing and follow the decisions of professionals that are more experienced.

The complex stage is the next level of critical thinking in the field of nursing. At this stage, the critical thinker will portray more independence when making decisions. At this level, individuals portray a detachment from the experienced professionals (Carvalho, Azevedo, Cruz, Mafra, Rego, Vitor & Junior, 2017). Most nurses at this level have been in the profession for a substantial period and have learned from experiences both ins and out of the profession. They are open to changing their decisions contingent on the available situation and are more willing to learn from the others.

The final level is the commitment level whereby people showcase the capacity and confidence that they can make decisions on their own and take tasks without directions from the authorities. They are self-driven and have extensive knowledge of some of the tasks that they undertake. Most individuals at the commitment level are able to offer appropriate solutions to challenges presented to them, regardless of the degree of complexity. They offer new solutions and ideas that will improve the nursing profession, and they are committed to ensuring that they thrive in their work,

The levels as mentioned above, are necessary to this topic as they are essential and have an impact on the nurses' ability to perform, and eventually improve their professional work. At the basic stage, a nurse usually has a limited way of thinking and are usually not open to new choices. A newly registered nurse believes that professional with more experience is in a better position to work and solve any challenges (Kaya, Senyuva & Bodur, 2017). This is mainly because they are in the early stages of the development of critical thinking. The nurse will most likely gain the confidence to complete tasks and make their decisions without influence from outside sources. In the final stage of critical thinking, the nurse will be entirely confident to make decisions and do their tasks without being controlled. The levels, as mentioned above show the development and transition of nurses and ways in which they grow to become dedicated critical thinkers.

An appropriate workplace should include performance management and performance expectations, like making values that can be easily understood by everyone available in that particular work setting. This can positively impact the healthcare workplaces, and thus nurses will be in a position to make their own choices and performing their tasks in their specific way. It is essential to ensure a professional behavior at the workplace as it ensures that nurses are able to think critically about the mechanism, they are to use to approach the various tasks and issues that are presented during their work; in both, their patients care and practice.

To engage in proper decision making; the nurses ought to practice appropriate critical thinking so that they can deal with the challenges and some complex tasks. The nurses will then to make choices that ensure an appropriate course of action. It is indicated that in clinical decision making, both criteria's and strategies used by clinical nurses. A nurse is also entitled to make decisions that will ensure positive outcomes from the therapeutic interventions on the patients. Zuriguel, 2015, indicates that it is appropriate for nurses to make sound decisions and judgments founded on both their experience and knowledge and incorporating their critical thinking expertise to give more insights into decision making.

Effective critical thinking in nursing has been defined as an efficient problem-solving aspect. In the critical thinking cycle, nurses should go through a thorough examination of the patient to evaluate and comprehend the patient's needs (LoBiondo-Wood, Haber, Cameron & Singh, 2017). After applying critical thinking, the nurse should then implement the problem-solving skills; by applying evidence-based practice and ensuring direct intervention to ensure effective healthcare. A nurse who has efficient problem-solving skills will apply critical thinking and able to perform all kinds of tasks both in the present and future.

New insights and expertise presented to a nurse equip them with the skills to be able to think critically about the principle or the aim of problem-solving as it is essential in the professional nursing practice. as in some settings, patients may fail to show outright symptoms and other indicators that showcase the requirements of the patient. Therefore, the nursing profession considers critical thinking as an essential component of providing diverse options and solutions that would solve complex problems and allow the nurses to effectively complete their tasks.

Critical thinking typically approaches towards appropriate decision-making challenge solving. These approaches are essential while keeping in mind that the challenges exist; hence it is suitable to find solutions. The essentiality of this approach is that the nurses are aware of the challenges that may occur at the workplace and hence will easily solve them when they occur. All approaches of critical thinking can be incorporated in the nursing profession.

Conclusion

Reasoning in the nursing profession has various components of applying critical thinking. It involves multiple ways of figuring out why the problem is presented, the views of other people and the concept or theory behind it. For nurses to be excellent critical thinkers, they need to consider the thoughts of others and align them with those on theory-based learning and understanding (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2017). Great critical thinkers always consider the weaknesses and strengths of their reasoning and the effects that would result from their thinking. Nurses should be able to apply their evidenced-based practice and balance it with their personal knowledge.

Nurses should be able to think critically in their evaluation and making of judgments in their daily professional practice. The essence of this paper was to analyze and present the various ways through which critical thinking can enhance the professional practice of a registered nurse. To sum up, critical thinking is crucial in nursing as it aids in appropriate decision making and problem-solving. It helps in establishing the right attitudes of applying critical thinking in available tasks and developing on the various phases of critical thinking as a person.

References

Adib-Hajbaghery, M., & Sharifi, N. (2017). Effect of simulation training on the development of nurses and nursing students' critical thinking: A systematic literature review. Nurse education today, 50, 17-24.

Carter, A. G., Creedy, D. K., & Sidebotham, M. (2016). Efficacy of teaching methods used to develop critical thinking in nursing and midwifery undergraduate students: A systematic review of the literature. Nurse education today, 40, 209-218.

Carvalho, D. P., Azevedo, I. C., Cruz, G. K., Mafra, G. A., Rego, A. L., Vitor, A. F., ... & Junior, M. A. F. (2017). Strategies used for the promotion of critical thinking in nursing undergraduate education: a systematic review. Nurse education today, 57, 103-107.

Kaya, H., Senyuva, E., & Bodur, G. (2017). Developing critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence of nursing students: longitudinal research. Nurse education today, 48, 72-77.

LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Cameron, C., & Singh, M. (2017). Nursing Research in Canada-E-Book: Methods, Critical Appraisal, and Utilization. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Mackey, A., & Bassendowski, S. (2017). The history of evidence-based practice in nursing education and practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 33(1), 51-55.

Zori, S. (2016). Teaching critical thinking using reflective journaling in a nursing fellowship program. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 47(7), 321-329.

Zuriguel, P. (2015). "Critical thinking in nursing: Scoping review of the literature." International journal of nursing practice 21.6 (2015): 820-830.