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Best Practices Newsletter
Critical Thinking: An Acquired Taste for Many Nurses
January 5, 2007 | by supportfornurses | Permalink
I recently spoke to a recruiter of international nurses
regarding the obstacles that that foreign-born nurses
encounter when adapting to an American hospital environment;
his response, adapting to the use of critical thinking skills.
Now, we know that the consistent application of critical
thinking skills is a must for all nurses; it is a vital
component to a nurse‚s decision-making process when
treating patients. And we know that critical thinking
requires asking questions and challenging assumptions˜it
is not about blindly following an MD’s order or following
a specific protocol, if there is concern on the part of the
nurse that either can result in harm to the patient.
Yet many international nurses come to America from authoritarian
cultures, where questioning a doctor is frowned upon and
considered a sign of disrespect; it is simply not the norm.
Therefore, one of the biggest challenges for international
nurses is adapting to the use of critical thinking skills
on a regular basis, since it feels rude and uncomfortable
questioning a doctor or a protocol. While it is important
to acknowledge that the application of critical thinking may
initially be a great challenge—an acquired taste, it is a
skill that nurses need to gradually adapt in order to be
successful. If you are a nurse who is struggling to adapt
critical thinking skills, it is important to implement
these skills gradually. First, observe your colleagues
and watch how they apply critical thinking skills: the type
of questions they ask doctors and other colleagues as well
as the questions they ask patients. Observations of your
colleagues along with mentoring will help you become more
familiar with the process of questioning; it is an important
step in the implementation of this new skill. And,
if you are an American born nurse who is comfortable with
using critical thinking skills, lend a hand to your international
colleague: encourage observation; in your conversations, model
the process of asking questions, and exercise patience.
New skills are usually not acquired overnight, particularly,
when the skills are linked with crude behavior in one’s
culture of origin; with practice and patience, all nurses
can become effective critical thinkers.
