Critical thinking strategies

What is the question asking?

Most, First, best and initially= establish priorities
Further teaching is necessary= answer will contain incorrect
information, you are looking for negative information
Most appropriately tells you that you need to elect best answer.
Three strategies to help establish priorities:
Maslow Physiological need before psychosocial
Recognize that answers are both physical and psychosocial
Eliminate psychosocial answers
Does this make sense Apply ABScs
Use ABCs to establish priorities but make sure that the answer is
appropriate to the situation
Nursing Process
Recognize both assess and implement answers
Read stem to decide whether to assess or implement
Select best assessment or implementation
Safety strategies
What will cause the patient least amount of pain?
The Rules of Management
Do not delegate assessment, teaching or evaluation
Delegate care for stable patients with expected outcomes
(If the client is unstable , or the outcome of an activity not assured (or
unpredictable) , it should not be delegated)
Delegate tasks that involve standard, unchanging procedures
(Activities that frequently reoccur in daily client care can be delegate.
Bathing, feeding, dressing, and transferring clients are examples.
Activities that are complex or complicated should not be delegated.
Stable vs . unstable

Strategies for positioning questions

Strategies for communication questions

Ok for those of you who did not take Kaplan, this is their infamous Decision
Tree
(Can't say I use it a lot, but some swear by it)
1. Can you identify the Topic?
Yes= proceed to step 2
No= read answers for clues, read stem, re word question
identify and proceed to step 2
2. Are all answers Assessments or Implementations?
Yes= proceed to step 3
No= determine from stem if assessment needed, validation needed; if so
assess
*if no assess in stem then you need to assess
*if assess in stem, do you need validation?
*if assess or validation required and there are no right assess answers, then
implement
3. Does Maslows fit?
Yes= Do they make sense? Apply ABC's.
*eliminate psychosocial/pain (consider pain psychosocial for nclex)
*don't always pick airway
No= are all physical? yes..then proceed to step 4
are all psychosocial? yes..then proceed to step 5
4. Are all answers physical?
Yes= apply ABC's
No= proceed to step 5
5. What is outcome of each?
do they make sense?
why?

and yes folks then you should have your answer!!!!

Dos and Donts
Dont
Dont
Dont
Dont

pass buck
provide false Reassurance
ask why
treat psychosocial first

Do ask patient to express themselves, their concerns