How To Critically Think In Nursing School | Nursing School FAQ Series

In this video, I am walking you through how to critically think in nursing school. We're going to break it down step by step. If you've been in nursing school for more than five minutes or a day, you will hear all about critical thinking. When you get to nursing school. Everyone throws around this phrase, critical thinking, right? And they all expect you to know how to do it and then on top of that, how to study that way. But the problem is no one tells you what critical thinking even means. So I'm going to walk you through how to critically think in nursing school step by step, so that you can finally understand it, what it is and start doing it while you are studying. So hit that subscribe button and click the notification bell and let's do this. So I have some good news to start. When it comes to critical thinking in nursing school, there are really only two main parts to it that you need to know about. Planning ahead and then connecting the dots between all of the things that you are learning. That's really it. So doesn't sound that bad, right? Sounds like something you can do and it is. Now here's the problem. Actually being able to plan ahead and connect the dots now that's where things get sticky. That's where nursing students get stuck. It is not an easy task to do. So thankfully I have a step by step process that I am going to walk you through here in this video to show you exactly how to connect all the dots between what everything you're learning and critically think in nursing school. You know me and you know that I wouldn't leave you hanging to figure it all out by yourself. So I have a free cheat sheet just for you that walks you through how to critically think. Now the link is going to be in the description down below this video. So be sure to get that after watching this video because it will really, really, really help you as you study for your classes. All right, let's start out with what it actually means to plan ahead and connect the dots. And then we will dive into the really the nitty gritty of how to do it all. So planning ahead means pretty much like it sounds, that you are always planning the next thing that you are going to do. You're always thinking about your next move as a nurse. So if you are going into a patient's room, for example, what are you going to do with when you are in that room? Do they need water or do they need an extra gown? Is their meal tray ready? Should you bring it to them? What supplies do you need to Bring into that room. What are you going to do when you're in your patient's room? Are you going to maybe do an assessment on them or maybe give medications, maybe flush their iv, check their drains, things like that? So before you walk into your patient's room, you really should always have your game plan laid out and know exactly what you need to do and what you will do in that room. So being one step ahead of it, this is crucial. All right, really quick story. I had an instructor in nursing school who was the best. She was absolutely brilliant, totally loved her. She was amazing. So she had this rule that all nursing students, all of us, had to follow. So you had to do at least three things every time you walked into a patient's room. So you had to batch your tasks together and have your plan down be before you went in. And so throughout the clinical day, really badging our tasks in this way really added up a lot of time saved. So instead of going back and forth and in and out of the room to grab random supplies here and there or random things, we always had a game plan going into that patient's room. And we knew exactly what tasks that we were going to do when we were in that room. And it had to be at least three. Three. And trust me, she would catch us and she would ask us right before we walked into our patient's room. So we always had to be prepared. It was a really great exercise and I recommend you try it too. So that is planning ahead. You always need to be one step ahead and know what you are going to do next. Thankfully, that part of critical thinking is pretty easy and straightforward. Now, the second part of critical thinking can get a little bit more in depth, a little bit sticky. So let's start going through it. Connecting the dots in nursing school means that you are comparing and contrasting all of the topics and the concepts that you were learning about in nursing school. You're putting all of the puzzle pieces together both during lecture and then during skills lab and then during clinical. So let's see how this starts to get interesting here. So you understand the disease process of your patient, and then you will understand how that disease process is caus causing the signs and symptoms that your patient is showing when you're at clinical. You know what to assess for and then you know what nursing interventions and skills that you need to do to help your patient. So connecting all of those dots, putting it all together in that way, that's what we mean by connecting the dots in critical thinking. Now, critical thinking means that you are able to compare and contrast it with other disorders and put two and two together. Now, to make critical thinking a whole lot easier for you, I created a critical thinking model that really walks you through how to critically think step by step. Now using this critical thinking model is going to be the difference between getting an A on an exam and getting a C. You absolutely must know how to critically think to be successful in nursing school and pass your exams and stand out at clinical and then become the best nurse that you can be. It's all about critical thinking. So let's walk through it and I'll show you exactly how to do it. Now remember the letters D, R, C. The first step is the D which stands for definition or description. Now this is very, very high level. This is simplistic part of this. But we have to start here before we can really move on to the other steps, the more in depth parts. So because if you don't understand the basics of what you're learning, you won't be able to then understand the deeper level stuff. So this means that you'll write out what it is, what you need to know about it, or really what the description is of it, whatever you are studying. So stay with me. I'm going to put all of this into an example here in a minute. So don't worry if it's not totally coming together. It will all come together for you with that example. So the first step is the D which is definition or description of the topic that you're learning about. Now the next step is the R which stands for reason or rationale. Now this is the why behind the topic that you're learning. You'll write out why it happens and why it matters. Now this is really that reasoning behind it. And most often this step will be related to the pathophysiology of what you are learning. Now remember, the pathophysiology is the foundation of critical thinking. So if you are self studying a particular disorder in nursing school and med surg and you're writing out why it happens, this is where you will dive into that patho, the pathophysiology of what is happening with that disorder in the body. Now the next step is the C which stands for connection. Now this is really where your critical thinking skills will shine and stand out. You will connect the topic to everything else that you're learning about in nursing school. Now this is the how. How does this top connect to everything else that you're learning now? This is where it really all starts to come together for You. Okay, so now that we've gone over what that looks like, let's put an example to it. So let's take an example that you will probably learn about early on in your nursing program, like the respiratory system. And I will show you how this DRC critical thinking model works. So the first step, like we said, is the D definition or description. So the description or definition of the respiratory system is gas exchange to rid the body of CO2 and provide oxygen to the blood. Really? Simply put, that is what the respiratory system does. So let's move on to the deeper level, the R reason or rationale. So this the R stands for reasoning or rationale. So why does this matter? Why is the respiratory system important? So what is the point of it? So here we could write out what its purpose is and what it does. So why does it matter? Well, here we could write something like the lungs take that deoxygenated blood from the blood pumped out of the right side of the heart and then it exchanges that blood for exchanges the CO2 for oxygen and pumps that blood back into the left side of the heart to be pumped out to the body. Now, the blood in the cardiac system is rich with nutrients and oxygen, which are two things that the organs obviously need to function, right? Without oxygen, the organs would totally fail. So that is the R part of the DRC critical thinking model for the respiratory system. So the respiratory system, it exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen and it oxygenates the blood. Now let's move on to the really good part, that C part of the DRC critical thinking model connection. Now, how does the respiratory system connect with everything else that you're learning about in nursing school? So here's where the fun really begins. The respiratory system really affects the entire body, right? It does so much for the body. So let's walk through this. So the respiratory system really is responsible for providing oxygen to the blood. The blood then circulates and distributes that oxygen to all of the vital organs throughout the body. Without that oxygen, the organs would start to shut down. So literally everything is related back to that respiratory system. Okay, so if the lungs are not functioning properly, the body will not receive the proper oxygen that it needs. Right? So think about that. What will you see with patients with this? If they have any issues with the respiratory system, how will their coloring look? How will their work of breathing look? The body is deprived of oxygen, so it's trying to work hard to get more oxygen, so the work of breathing would increase. What about their heart? How about their heart rate? Now the heart knows that there isn't enough oxygen in the body so it will try to pump harder and try to pump faster to circulate more blood through the body and hopefully get more of that oxygen to the organs. So you see how all of these things kind of connect together. Now this is exactly what you will walk through through during step number three of the DRC Critical thinking model. You need to really dive deep and connect the dots with everything else that you are learning. So really challenge yourself here. I don't want you to stay high level and just call it good. No, I really want you to dig deep and really try to put the concepts together and piece things together as you learn it. So challenge yourself. You are so, so, so capable of doing this. I know you can do it. Now if you're a Nursing SOS member, be sure to log into your dashboard and of course find the course. Of course find the course that goes along with what you are studying in your lecture class or in nursing school and watch those videos if you need help with it, things like the respiratory system or cardiac system disorders or anything that you're learning about because we'll walk you through the critical thinking for all of it. So it really makes this process a whole lot easier for you. Now of course there are three ways that I can help you more through nursing school. Number one, be sure to download the free critical thinking cheat sheet that we have for you that will really walk you through this process on how to critically think in nursing school step by step. Now number two, be sure to check out our nursing school boxes that are packed with resources to help you pass nursing school and really succeed and become the amazing nurse that I know you can be. And of course if you want me to hold your hand throughout your nursing school journey, you know that I am 100% here for that. Don't miss out on joining the Nursing SOS Membership community. It is filled with step by step nursing lectures to help you really understand everything faster for nursing school so that you can be more prepared for your exams. Of course. And the more prepared as a nurse. Now the links to all of those things are in the description box box below and if you like this video, be sure to hit that like button. Leave a comment below of course to let me know that you loved it. And of course share it with one of your nursing school friends if they are struggling with critical thinking as well. And hit that subscribe button and click the notification bell so you never miss a video and click on one of these videos right over here. So you can keep rocking nursing school. And as always, my friend, go become the nurse that God created only you to be. And I'll catch you next time on the nursing school show. Take care. Bye. Bye.