Twist your brain

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Utilization Review.

How does a new nursing student twist their brain into critical thinking mode in order to answer well on tests? How do we find that bridge between knowledge and application? Does anyone know of any nursing student ebooks sites? :cry:

Specializes in Burn, Ortho, Trauma.

My college has ebooks available through their library website. I also recommend just doing lots and lots of questions. I prefer doing them online. There is a link to the brunner & suddarth's online questions on this site.

Specializes in critical care, PACU.

It just takes time. I got a C on my first nursing test, and on every test thereafter got progressively better. I dont think there is any trick except practice. You can get a NCLEX review book, like Saunders, and do a whole bunch to practice critical thinking.

To be honest, I think critical thinking is a bs word. You have it all along, it doesnt need a special name to psych you out.

Also look at each question and see what portion of the material it is asking you about. For example, a question about a pregnant teen and what is the most important nursing intervention for this patient at this time in her life is going to have an answer that includes her developemental task of identity and indepence, not the answer that is going to make you most comfortable about the welfare of her and the child. Saunders Q&A book does a good job at breaking the questions down this way and giving you a strategy to approach them. Our school recommmends Test Success. The questions are easy but it goes step by step through how to apprach each style of question so that you can correctly answer some questions with a basic knowledge without even having learned the specific material.

I bought this *great* book called Med-Surg Success. The author's last name is Colgrove. Might be the same series as the previous poster listed? Anyway, it's awesome for practice questions for med-surg and they have other versions for peds, psych, etc. And yes an NCLEX review book is great to have.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

see the information and weblinks an this sticky thread in this forum:

Specializes in corrections.

I always think of critical thinking like a common sense. I don't know, some answers just look more right than the others. I never really knew how to explain the critical thinking but maybe try doing the rationales to questions- they help you understand why the answer is right. I agree with previous poster, the Med Surg Success is a great book, I used it a lot and ended up with a B so not bad I think ;)

I've just noticed that people think of critical thinking as a mental acrobatic. I don't, I think it is more like following through with your thoughts. It is like trying to see more angles to a problem that may not be apparent at first glance, it is using your knowledge base, it is curiousity. It can be exhausting especially if you have to do it, but if you make it a habit, it'll get easier. I don' always do it but it doesn't give me the hives. It takes focus and attention to detail.

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