Critical thinking is very important steps for those students who work
Critical thinking is very important for those students who work in intensive care units and deals with saving the patients life. As an instructor working for 42 years with critical patients I feel successful if my students reach to critical thinking and step by step solving the problem and save that patient.
Wendy,
You comments made me smile because the students often don't realize that they have come far since the first day of classes. From day one until program completion the learning curve has been steep but they are more focused on the day to day of being students. At the end of the program they have developed their critical thinking skills in a way that enables them to interact with patients and problem solve as a part of their regular professional duties. Producing students like this is a complement to you and your efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Absolutely!! Critical thinking is extremely important in any and all aspects of patient care. It definitely takes a large amount of practice. I begin this process in their first quarter. By the time they have completed the program, the students are applying critical thinking skills with ease.
Zekrayat,
You have a good combination going through your use of content and case studies. You are building a solid technical foundation in your students while expanding their critical thinking skills. This is the combination that will be needed once they enter the field and something they need to realize and strive to perfect.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching Cardiovascular sonography I spend most of my class time using critical thinking, because the students will be working in the medical field. During lecture I use different clinical case studies and have the students tell me what view they see, if there is an abnormal anatomical structure, diagnose, how would they evaluate it, what steps, measurements or calculations they would use, etc.. Its a great tool as I use the clinical case studies during open class discussion. I also always ask the famous question, Why?. If the students can explain why they are assessing the abnormality and what calculations they are using it is a confirmation for me to know they are going in the right direction.
Abdul.gardezy,
Yes, that is the important measure - a successful solution. As they gain experience, students are often able to move through some of the steps (in their minds) more quickly and with less effort. This is sometimes mistaken as 'skipping' the step to get it done faster, but the good critical thinker doesn't skip steps, he/she just becomes more efficient in carrying out all of the required steps. Thank you for sharing your expertise. Good post.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
