Critical thinking and reflective practise in nursing

Running header: CRITICAL THINKING AND REFLECTIVE PRACTISE IN NURSING 1
Critical thinking and reflective practise in nursing
Student’s name
Institutional

Introduction
Critical thinking is best described as the ability to consider in details, facts, generate and
organize ideas, draw inferences, make comparisons, draw opinions, evaluate arguments and
solve problems (Fascione 2013, pp 70-76). Critical thinking goes hand in hand with reflective
practice which is best defined as the power to analyze one's action and experience with the result
of enhancing clinical knowledge and developing their practice. So as to qualify or be accepted as
a professional nurse requires that you develop critical thinking skills. The main thing that makes
nurses different from other health practitioners, is how we look at the client and handle the
problems. Critical thinking demands that we gain knowledge on the content of nursing; theories
of nursing, ideas, and concepts and also grow our intellectual capacities and skills so that we
develop to be self-disciplined, self-directed and critical thinkers. The main objectives in this
essay include the importance of critical thinking and reflective practice in nursing and the
challenges that nurses face such as communicating bad news, working in teams, managing
conflict, and satisfying patient’s needs.
Critical thinking and reflective practice in advanced nursing practice
a. Critical thinking
The most important function of a nurse is to assist an individual, ill or well, in performing
function that will contribute to their health or recovery that he or she would perform unaided if
he had the necessary strength, knowledge, and to do this in a way as to help him or her gain
independence as rapidly as possible. To help a patient maintain, regain or improve their health
one must think critically to problem solve and find a solution for patient’s health problem
(Fascione 2013, pp 70-76).

A nurse would require critical thinking in the following areas; during the performance of nursing
assessment, when coming with nursing diagnosis, when planning a nursing intervention, when
executing nursing specialties like infection control and case management and lastly during the
encounter of a problem that appears not to have no straightforward answer.
b. Aspect of critical thinking
So as to advance into a critical thinker the nurse needs to apply reflection, and language.
i. Reflection
Reflection is recalling a situation to discover its purpose or meaning. Looking back and
reflecting on a patient situation assists the nurse in charge to have a clear or deep perception of a
situation. It also helps a nurse to realize the relationship between the concepts learned in class
and real-life clinical situations. Reflection allows the nurse to view the condition ethically and do
some evaluation of the situation example, what was mentioned and how did I answer, how did
the client react when I did the teaching and lastly how did the family react?
ii. Language
An individual’s ability to use language to express himself is a reflection on the ability to think
meaningful. Nurses must be able to use language precisely and clearly and when language is not
clearly spoken it is a sign of a sloppy thinking.
How nursing concepts such as critical thinking support nurses decision
I. Helps in identifying crisis
For a hospital to run smoothly, health care workers have a responsibility to different aspects of
clients care. In a day, a client may encounter various workers in the hospital, a phlebotomist,

dietician, doctor, and physiotherapist. In some hospital, the facility requires that all the health
care workers ware identifying scrubs or uniforms by color while for the students to wear name
tags making it harder for the client to recognise them. This may lead to anxiety and stress since
the patients may not know their treating physician. This can be achieved by introducing yourself
to the patient, explain to the patient who you are and what your role in the hospital is (Rees 2013,
pp 1-5). The act of connecting with the patient makes him or she feel more secure in a strange
environment. Communication between the client and nurse also helps to collect information and
develop a caring and supportive relationship.
II. Helps to explain the medical condition to the client
Most people believe that there is a high chance of dying in a hospital than dying from an
airplane crash due to an increased rate of medical errors. Clients who are not informed, included
or updated about general knowledge concerning their health, procedures, and process is
understandably lost and confused at the hospital (Nortson and Talerico 2013, pp 6-13).
Before entering a patient’s room, nurses use critical thinking by ensuring that they collect as
much information about the client’s status and what is happening. If the nurse wants to perform a
prep test, he explains the procedure to the client, if the nurse is giving medication, the nurse
explains the type of medication that is being administered and the side effects of the drug. If a
client asks a question and the nurse ends up not knowing the answer, he uses his critical thinking
skills by explaining to the client that you will come to answer his question after the round, so as
to avoid any mistrust from the client.