Anyone have any resources on how to develop "critical thinking"?

[AZO49008]

I'm midway through the 1st semester of an ADN nursing program and doing pretty well. So far I'm in a holding pattern somewhere between a 3.0 and a 3.5.

Our test questions are written like the NCLEX questions, and one must use that good old critical thinking. I'm doing pretty well at it, actually, but I have several classmates struggling. They know the content of what we've been learning...they are just having a horrible time applying it when it comes to answering test questions.

Anyone have any resources I can pass on to them??

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

critical thinking is about how you think things through. the basic strategy for answering critical thinking (application type) questions is as follows, you must:

• know and consider the normal anatomy and physiology
  
• know and consider abnormal anatomy for the disease in question
  
• know and consider the resulting signs and symptoms when the disease occurs and how they proceed from mild to fatal - each sign and symptom can be related back to the pathophysiology of the disease
  
• know and consider how the doctor diagnoses and treats the disease in question
  
• know nursing interventions for the signs and symptoms you are being asked about
  
• know the steps of the nursing process and what goes on in each of the steps and consider how they are affecting the question you are being asked
  
• know and consider the principles behind the actions being done - there are many kinds of principles: principles of nursing, principles of biology, principles of chemistry, principles of physics, etc.
  
• read the stem of the question carefully and answer that because the test makers try to trip you up by distracting you with conflicting information they give you in the answer choices that sounds good but has no relationship to what the question is asking for
  
• ask yourself "why" a patient is experiencing some sign or symptoms to get at the underlying problem. nursing like other disciplines treats the problem/signs and symptoms.

also see the information and weblinks on this sticky thread:

• https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/looking-test-taking-stratagies-224581.html - looking for test taking strategies
  

[lainith]

I really credit my using NCLEX review books for sharpening my critical thinking skills for school. I read a couple of them a night every night and I like that it explains the rationale of every answer, which helps me figure out the right path. I use the ones in my Nursing Fundamentals book, which are at the end of the chapters, all the time. There are also critical thinking questions to help with that in each chapter. Give your books a try.

[ICUgeek]

I'm in my last semester of an ADN program and unfortunately I have been struggling with the same type of testing style. Any given question can have up to 3 right answers. The trick is to find the BEST right answer. I have found that most of the time the right answer is the one that responds to the priority issue (what needs to be done first) as well as least invasive but most effective. Studying nclex books is also helpful to learn the style of question and answering since most schools use a similar testing method. Hope this helps.

[cursedandblessed]

I know how the OP feels, I've always been an A student, now I'm pulling a mid-B. I'm grateful though. Our tests seem to have 2 totally wrong answers, one that's close to right and one that's right.

I'm using the test success books fundamentals and beginning nursing students, along with the study guide for the textbook. We lost quite a few students this week after our second test. We'll know how many today. Wed. was withdrawal date without either a pass or fail on your transcript.