Critical thinking is very essential in nursing and other health-related professions, because it guides the process of prioritizing care and the skill of making decisions. This paper looks at the importance and application of critical thinking, and the types of intelligence that are most relevant in thinking and information processing, in the context of a nurse. The paper draws from nursing examples in a bid to explain critical thinking and intelligence. Lastly, the paper looks at why one may need to change their way of thinking and the steps that one can employ to change their way of thinking.

Critical Thinking:

in decision-making and solving problems in the profession of nursing (Ozkahraman&Yildirim, 2011 p. 190).  From the definition, to think critically entails being clear, concise, accurate, logical, fair and complete while speaking, listening, acting and making decisions. Scenic and McGrath (2011, p. 45) argue that the skill of critical thinking is very essential for nurses in eliminating inconsistent, illogical and irrelevant thoughts and decisions when delivering nursing care. As such, nurses should apply critical thinking so thatthey re not trivial and irrelevant in their dealings. For effective implementation of the nursing process, one needs to develop the skills that are essential for effective critical thinking (Rubenfield&Scheffer, 2010). The skill of critical interpretation concerns an understanding and explanation of a phenomenon or information. Critical analysis involves the use of objective and subjective data to investigate the course of action. Critical evaluation involves determining whether the information obtained is valuable. With critical reasoning skills, decision-making in nursing becomes easier. Also, nurses stand a better position in prioritizing care if they apply critical reasoning in their care plans.

There are many scenarios where critical thinking can be applied in nursing. In essence, nurses should apply critical thinking skills in almost every activity they do (Ozkahraman&Yildirim, 2011). An example of a scenario for applying critical thinking would be in the nursing process, where the nurse needs to plan care for a patient with multiple needs. For example, a casualty from a road traffic accident may arrive at the hospital on a stretcher, having secured multiple wounds, lost a colleague (close relative), and with multi-system injuries. The nurse will need to apply critical thinking skills in order to make appropriate decisions and prioritize care for such a patient. The nurse will apply critical thinking to offer holistic care to this patient, while, at the same time, giving priority to the most critical areas.

Types of Intelligence most relevant to a Nurse:

As a nurse, the process of thinking and processing information involves the application of intelligence in a manner that considers a desirable outcome. Considering the working environment of a nurse, it is pivotal that a nurse possesses the skill of utilizing such intelligence in critical decision-making. Considering the types of intelligence, intra-personal and interpersonal intelligence are very essential in the field of nursing. Since nurses work in an environment where they need to interact with colleagues, patient’s relatives, patients and other health staff, interpersonal intelligence can be very essential to them (Miele&Molden, 2010). The interpersonal intelligence helps nurses mind others and be empathetic while making decisions regarding patients. Additionally, interpersonal intelligence involves excellence in verbal and non-verbal communication, skills that are very essential in the nursing profession. The interpersonal intelligence also involves the consideration of the moods and temperaments of other people. Such is, very essential to a nurse, since they need to interact with the other team members effectively. Intra-personal intelligence is the other type of intelligence that is very relevant to a nurse. Considering the nature and the pressures of a nurse’s job, it is reasonable hat nurses appreciate themselves before they consider others. This will contribute towards improving their self-esteem, leading to desirable results.

Just like critical thinking, interpersonal and intra-personal intelligence can be applied in the nursing process, alongside other processes in nursing. Good application also promotes inter-professional collaboration (Rubenfield&Scheffer, 2010). For example, in the scenario of the road traffic accident, the nurse has to collaborate with different members of the health care team in order to provide holistic care to the patient. The nurse will need to collaborate with the paramedics that brought the patient to the hospital, the doctors, the physiotherapists, the counselor and nursing assistants. The nurse will, thus apply interpersonal knowledge to handle the other members of the team. Similarly, the nurse will apply intra-personal knowledge to appreciate him/herself, and to handle the pressure of such a difficult task.

Steps to Maintaining the Current Style of Thinking:

The style of critical thinking with the application of both intra-personal and interpersonal intelligence is very effective in discharging duties of a nurse. Such a style may not need to be changed. However, there is a need to keep on reviewing its effective application in order to maintain a continued trend of desirable results. The following steps would be taken to maintain the current style of thinking and processing information:

• Firstly, one needs to reflect on the decisions and results to ensure theyare effective (Miele&Molden, 2010). One can do this by reviewing their recent decisions in the work and whether the results were desirable.
• Secondly, a mistake in decision-making, prioritizing and nursing process would be corrected with immediate effect in order to prevent a crisis.
• Thirdly, the nurse will need to share with issues concerning effective critical thinking and clinical reasoning with colleagues in order to appreciate new knowledge and rectify on personal weaknesses.
• Lastly, the nurse will need to keep up-to-date with nursing literature that concerns decision-making, critical thinking and the nursing process in order to incorporate new research in clinical decision-making.

Conclusion:

Critical thinking and application of intelligence are very effective decision-making in  nursing. Proper application of critical thinking skills, intra-personal and interpersonal intelligence leads to desirable nursing outcomes and effective implementation of the nursing process. A nurse who employs such skills ought to review them frequently in order to maintain a standardized way of thinking and decision-making.

References

Miele, D. B.,&Molden, C. D. (2010). Naïve theories of intelligence and the role of processing fluency in perceived comprehension.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 139 (3), 535-557.

Ozkahraman, S., &Yildirim, B.(2011).An overview of critical thinking in nursing and education.American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 1(2), 190-196.

Rubenfeld, M. G., &Scheffer, B. K. (2010).Critical thinking tactics for nurses: Achieving the IOM competencies. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett

Seniuk, R. P., & McGrath, P. J. (2011). Can one learn to think critically? A philosophical exploration.The Open Nursing Journal, 5, 45-51.

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