Do you find yourself questioning and re-questioning rationales related to "critical thinking" questions? Yeah we all do..... I just felt like posting about this elusive "great white buffalo". I have researched, between study sessions, about critical thinking in academia.... I found a quote from an online forum hosted by a professor I really felt had some decent insight. "using specific content to teach critical thinking skills presents inherent dangers".
I find this to be true. The critical thinking skills I have developed, I have done so through EXPERIENCE!!! And... that's how YOU will develop them as well. Once you have become an RN and are practicing, you will be able to delineate alternative solutions and think beyond the right here and now. For most of us the fundamental aspects of what nursing is, should be the focus of our education. I feel that actually these ridiculous "critical thinking" demands are prematurely being put on students. Critical thinking is a part of the NCLEX exam, which comes at the end of the program after one has a solid basis of BASIC nursing knowledge and exposure (some experience).
It seems schools are so NCLEX PASS RATE happy, that some would haphazardly introduce such dangerous requirements so early on.... Experience is the real teacher for critical thinking... NOT THEORY!!!!!