Critical thinking exercises for nurses

Every profession employs a level of thinking that uses the theoretical foundations learned in the classroom.  Whilst traditional learning offers the student  a way to absorb things, practice enables him/her to let it out.  Critical thinking is essential in every profession, especially to one devoted to preserving life: nursing.  The goal may be to save lives but there are critical situations that call for unconventional thinking.  That is why before immersion to the field, nursing students are being prepared to face the challenges of life-threatening situations.  One of the preparations employed are critical thinking exercises for nurses.  These are activities that may be facilitated in the classroom, in health institutions, or even outside of these settings.  The list below is only a few of the critical thinking exercises for nurses.

Elder-life.  A game invented by Kathleen Walsh Free, a lecturer, this played an essential key in the development of critical thinking exercises for nurses.   The goal of the game is to think of unconventional ways of responding to an elderly care situation by playing five different roles in different scenarios.  The scenarios are written on cards where the roles played by those involves have to respond to the situation accordingly.  In view of prospering critical thinking exercises for nurses has proven to be useful in the empathic understanding of the patient and those taking care of him/her.

Thinking Nurse.  This is a board game invented which does not only list itself as one of the critical thinking exercises for nurses but a reviewer as well.  The game involves sets of cards containing scenarios that employ concepts on intervention, diagnosis, and goal setting.

Case Analysis.  This is a practical application falling under the critical thinking exercises for nurses category.  Actual cases can be used as well as hypothetical situations where certain situations can be analyzed in the perspective of nurses.  While the procedures are laid out for them, nurses may analyze a patient’s case differently.

Socratic Exercises.  This is a logical challenge that evolved with a goal of arriving at critical thinking exercises for nurses.  Similar to case studies, debating on a proposition involves taking sides.  In this game, people who are against a proposition may be assigned to defend it and vice versa.  It permits for logical thinking to be customized for the profession.

Synthesize Exercises.  this critical thinking exercises for nurses play a role in actual practice.  Insights are shared, methods discussed, accomplishments celebrated, and challenges are talked about.  It may sound like case analysis but it is on a more personal level of interaction because it involves practitioners talking amongst themselves without the worry of being evaluated.

In considering resources that provide details on critical thinking exercises for nurses, one may find quite a few.  This may be because people also tend to deviate from their daily nursing activities by playing other games