discouraged with my critcal thinking

you don't know much yet, so it's hard to put the puzzle pieces together. identify what works best for you-- if straight memorization isn't making it, then perhaps a more systems-oriented approach would make better sense. take a look at the anatomy coloring book and the physiology coloring book (these are not jokes, but extremely useful study aids), maybe peruse something like "laboratory and diagnostic tests with nursing implications," some of the "nursing made incredibly easy" books. subscribe to nursing and rn if you don't already. read more about how nurses work and how they think about what they do.

what you are striving for is learning to think like a nurse. it's far more than memorization and tasks, it's being able to look at a situation, make an educated guess as to what's going on, check it out to validate your initial guess, flesh it out with more information, and decide on a course of action based on what you know and have experienced. you are at the very beginning of the curve on this one.

You're only in fundamentals. Don't be so hard on yourself. Even when you graduate, you'll still have a ways to go before those critical thinking skills become top notch. I like to think of critical thinking skills as a life-long process--something a few short years in nursing simply isn't going to provide.

Years of successful problem solving under a large variety of situations and conditions will enhance those critical thinking skills.

I am very discouraged with myself. I am currently passing fundamentals but by the skin of my teeth. I don't know what else to do to make myself think critical. I have bought books, stayed for tutorials, read every chapter, studied powerpoints, I even wake up in the middle of the night thinking and reviewing in my head........any suggestions how to change my way of thinking from memorization to thinking critical?

:crying2:thank you.....

First of all don't stress out yourself as what you said you are in funda of nursing. Fundamentals = basic, you don't need to be very good in thinking critically in this area. All you have to do is familiarize as you can.

What the others said :)

You're SO new with all of this. If the instructors aren't pulling you aside, or your grades slipping, don't get too hard on yourself. You won't feel fully "critically thinking" for several years....it's a process, not an event :)

What the others said :)

You're SO new with all of this. If the instructors aren't pulling you aside, or your grades slipping, don't get too hard on yourself. You won't feel fully "critically thinking" for several years....it's a process, not an event :)

you swept all other comments.. It's a process that you must met the lower portion like the maslow hierarchy needs

you swept all other comments.. It's a process that you must met the lower portion like the maslow hierarchy needs

What are you talking about?

What are you talking about?

I just said that your comment is the one that directly answers the first post :)

I just said that your comment is the one that directly answers the first post :)

I think the others had valid points as well. GrnTea always has thought-provoking posts and great information. Neither of us are students or new nurses... :)

You can't develop the ability to see the big picture until you know what all the little pieces are and how to put them together. You're only just learning about those little pieces. Sure, you can take a guess at things the way you would if you were putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle--this looks like sky and these pieces over here are part of the trees--but you won't start seeing patterns and parallels until you have more to work with.

Critical thinking is not some big, mysterious bugaboo meant to scare newbies. It's nothing more (or less) than asking yourself what something might or might not mean. It's looking past bits of information to find out why and how they might be significant. And how some bits connect with other bits to give you the answers you're looking for.

Right now, you're so swamped with details that it's a challenge to find connections. That's the progression. Details. Connections. Meanings. Answers. These lead you to a course of action that you will eventually evaluate by seeking more details. And so it goes.

Definitely learn what's put in front of you, but take a step back now and then to see if you can make out a bigger picture. In time, you'll be thinking like this with much less effort and you'll be amazed at how puzzled you once were.

Use the Davis's success series nursing books - they're great with helping with critical thinking and rationals. Use the "Fundamentals Success", or Med-Surg Success, etc. They have a whole like of nursing books for your partiicular study subject. I too had problems wiith critical thinking. These books were my lifesaver.

Thank you everyone for your post! I do feel better after reading the encouraging posts! Its just the instructors are so rigid and discouraging! The subjects are so broad! My clinical instructor is wonderful but the lecture is just overwhelming to say the least! I will definitly purchase the David's success book and ask myself why and how for each exam question!

Aaargh, website just deleted everything!

The way I study is I think of the scenario in my head and act it out. Of course I need to memorize definitions and the step by step procedures for everything (like proper technique, priority assessment, etc) but actually going through the motions can help (whether in your head or watching videos, even drawing it!)

For tests, I bring a highlighter and a pen.. i highlight and circle/underline all the important words in the question. I also write the rationale next to each answer as to why its wrong (or why it is right).

You could also try taking a test online to see which is your best learning style. This can vastly improve your study technique.. I suggest taking all the advice you get on testing, try each one out, and see what works best for you.

You WILL get it!!