Critical Thinking vs. Common Sense
Hello Everyone:
My name is Hudson and I'm an instructor in a VN program. I have taught both clinical and didactic, but currently I'm only in the clinical setting.
One of the challenges I encounter in clinical is getting some students to use common sense. I believe there must be a foundation of common sense before one can develop critical thinking.
For example, a former student was walking down the hallway of our clinical site. I was following behind her, but she didn't know I was there. She was carrying a cup of coffee to a patient's room (not her assigned patient). As she passed her assigned patient's room, I could hear the patient yelling "Help! Help!"
The student didn't stop. She kept going down the hallway and delivered the cup of coffee.
Once I checked on the patient and made sure she was okay, I took the student aside and asked her if she had heard her patient calling for help. She said yes, and I asked her why she didn't stop to check on her patient. She gave me a confused look and said, "So, I shouldn't deliver the coffee?"
We then had a conversation about appropriate priorities of care and which task would be more important.
I wasn't sure what else to say to the student. I felt the correct choice was obvious, but maybe I'm missing something.
Hudson, thank you for sharing this story. We can't assume that learners know what a priority is at first(or anything else). Some do and some don't. Keep at it!
Michele Deck
I believe they must have basic common sense. Critical thinking can be taught, but must have a basic common sense to build on. Then yes, we need to make sure students understand the fundamentals of making a decision. What's safe, what's not. The person calling for help may not have needed anything big, you could ask from the doorway. if it wasn't really 'help' worthy, you could tell them you'll be right back. If it was actually 'help' worthy abandon the coffee run, & try it again after the issue was addressed.
Joanne, I used to assume everyone had basic knowledge about everything. I have learned that is not the case. Now I don't assume, I teach it all.
Michele Deck
As adult learners I assumed they arrived with a certain amount of basic knowledge. At least that was my life experience prior to this job. Recently I've discovered you are correct. they don't always. Teaching that basic knowledge is challenging. They aren't in the for profit programs that long. It can be difficult to get them to the level they need to, to be successful.
