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Main Post
Throughout my years as an ICU nurse, critical thinking has become a skill that I utilize on a daily basis in my clinical practice. Not only are critical thinking skills a part of my daily practice, but I also observe my colleagues putting their critical thinking skills to use in their every day clinical practice. One example of critical thinking skills being used in ICU clinical practice is when multiple drips are being titrated on a patient that is extremely ill. As an ICU nurse, it is essential and vital that you utilize critical thinking skills when choosing which drip to titrate up or down or which drip to start or stop. Another instance where I have observed critical thinking skills being used in the ICU is when I would attend a rapid response on one of the medical floors. As the critical care nurse, I must use my critical thinking skills to choose the right lab tests to run, determine what might be going on with the patient that is in distress, and choose the right treatment pathway.
I try to improve my clinical competence in every way I can, especially by employing my critical thinking strategies. Some of the strategies I use most often include listening, continuing to learn every chance I get, and explaining to my colleagues why I came to a specific conclusion. I use the strategy of listening to improve my clinical competence because it helps me find new solutions to everyday problems that I might face in the ICU. Learning helps improve my clinical competence because it makes me a better ICU nurse. The more I learn, the more proficient I can become. I like to explain my rationale for the conclusion I came to because another colleague might have something important to add that would aid in solving the problem at hand.
Clinical scholarship is defined as an approach that enables evidence-based nursing and the development of best practices to meet the needs of clients efficiently and effectively (Stanley et al., 1999).
Critical thinking is defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment (Benner, Hughes, & Stuphen, 2008, p. [Page 120]).
Clinical practice is defined as either the field of principal professional clinical activity (Wilkes, Mannix, & Jackson, 2013).
After reviewing the definitions of clinical scholarship, critical thinking, and clinical practice I was able to see how each term is interconnected. In order to have a clinical scholarship like approach in clinical practice, it is essential that critical thinking tools be utilized. The development of the best practices in clinical nursing practice will not occur if there is no critical thinking involved in the process (Wilkes, Mannix, & Jackson, 2013).
These three terms should be looked at as a single unit; one cannot exist without the other.
Benner, P., Hughes, R. G., & Stuphen, M. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality: An
Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses.Rockville, MD.
Stanley, J., PhD, Keating, S. B., EdD, Edwardson, S., PhD, Easley, C. E., PhD, Alichnie,
C., PhD, & Edwards, J., PhD. (1999, March 15). Defining Scholarship for the
Discipline of Nursing. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from
https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-
Papers/Defining-Scholarship
Wilkes, L., Mannix, J., & Jackson, D. (2013). Practicing nurses perspectives of clinical
scholarship: a qualitative study. BMC nursing, 12(1), 21. doi:10.1186/1472-6955-
