Need Help with Critical Thinking Skills

[mchsmith]

Wow, I am in my 1st semester of nursing, thus far things are great. I joined because I was looking for resources to help build my critical thinking skills. Do you have any suggestions. I know I will enjoy this site. Emma

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

hi, mchsmith, and welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

your post was moved to the nursing student assistance forum. you should check out this sticky thread on the general nursing student discussion forum for information on nursing tests.

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

you will find a great deal of information posted on the sticky threads (the first threads listed on each forum) of the nursing student forums of allnurses. the information is there specifically to help nursing students. you get a listing of them by clicking on the tab "students" at the top of any page on allnurses.

critical thinking in nursing involves the problem solving process. 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.