Tips for Student and New Nurses: Developing your critical thinking skills

I am smart – I mean “book” smart. From my first nursing degree in an associate program to end of my doctoral program – I’ve never gotten a B in any class. However, when I was in my undergraduate program, I was so overcome with fear that I wouldn’t be a good nurse. 

Why? 

Because although I’m book smart, I have no common sense! Heck, even my Dad still calls me an airhead!

You see, to be a good nurse, you need both – smarts AND a dose of common sense. This common sense I talk about can be considered “critical thinking skills” and I had to work to develop mine.

SUCCESS TIP FOR NEW GRADS: LAYER YOUR LEARNING

When new nurses start their first jobs, they quickly realize that they only learned a fraction of what they really need to know to effectively care for patients. You see…nursing school teaches you the basics of patient care. The NCLEX is designed to make sure nurses are “safe” to practice – that’s it. Just because you graduated from nursing school and passed NCLEX doesn’t mean you know everything there is to know about taking care of patients.

NEW NURSE TIP: THE MAGIC OF TRENDING

Caring for patients is getting more complex. One reason is that only the really sick are actually admitted to a hospital – everyone else is being treated as an outpatient. Years ago on a medsurg unit with a 6:1 assignment, you would have one or two really sick patients; the rest were “walkie talkies.”  Now you have the same number of patients but they’re all really sick!

To effectively care for patients requires you to anticipate problems early and intervene quickly. One of the best ways to do this is by understanding the importance of trending.

SUCCESS TIPS FOR STUDENT NURSES: CONNECTING THE DOTS

By the time nursing students are seniors, they should know how to do the tasks of being a nurse - assessments, medication administration, wound and trach care, etc. However, successful nurses know that to be a good nurse, you must also know how to connect the dots.

Connecting the dots involves completing the tasks while finding the time to check labs, round with physicians, consider discharge plans and actually educate patients to ensure they leave the hospital with more knowledge than they did when they arrived.  It’s about time management and prioritization. It’s about considering the needs of the patient beyond the shift.

Student nurses who focus on acquiring these skills succeed.