Access the following information. You may read the PDF online or download it.

American Nurses Association. (2014). Fast facts: The nursing workforce 2014: Growth, salaries, education, demographics & trends. ANA. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/workforce/fastfacts_nsgjobgrowth-salaries_updated8-25-15.pdf 

 (Links to an external site.)

Review the data presented in the ANA Fast Facts and describe some of the key attributes/characteristics of this sample of the nursing workforce.

Discuss some of the data that you found interesting; include what you believe the purpose (intent) of ANA sharing these results.

The instruments and tools that we use to collect data need to be reliable and valid. Define these terms and explain the importance of each. Share one way that can be used to collect data that you were not aware of or familiar with.

                       Respond to this post with a positive response :

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Use  references

                                Critical Thinking in the Workplace

While there is no clear definition of critical thinking, it can often be associated with the terms “evaluation”, “analysis”, and “higher-thinking” (Horvath & Forte, 2011, pg. 1). Critical thinking can be described as the process in which one uses logic and reason to determine a solution to a problem. As nurses, we develop critical thinking skills through our practices and expansion of knowledge. To critically think one must assess the problem, determine solutions, and apply them to the current situation. Critical thinking is a sought out skill that improves one’s ability to make reasonable decisions in and out of the workplace.

Critical thinking is an essential part in the delivery of high-quality patient care.  In the Emergency Department (ED) for example, patients are triaged and treated based on their level of acuity.  Let’s say that two patients present to the ED. The first patient is a 58 year old female who presents with chest pain and productive cough that started three days ago. The second patient is a 69 year old male who presents with sudden 10/10 “tearing” pain in his upper abdomen and chest. Based on signs and symptoms the nurse would use critical thinking to prioritize and determine which patient needs immediate treatment. In this circumstance, patient number two would be evaluated first; this is due to the high possibility of aortic dissection.  Prioritization and critical thinking are not only used in the ED but as well as other healthcare settings.  Critical thinking skills are essential in the nursing field because they allow nurses to prioritize and make key decisions that can save lives (Nurse Journal, 2005-2018, para. 1). 

                                 Strategies to Critical Thinking

In recent years there has been emphasis placed on the quality of care provided by nurses. To ensure the delivery of high quality patient care, it is essential that nurses maintain a high level of competence to respond effectively to complex clinical situations (Carvalho et al., 2017, pg. 103-107).   Two strategies that are often used to encourage the development of critical thinking include problem-based learning (PBL) and simulations.

PBL is a student-centered learning method that focuses on applying theory to real life situations. The use of open-ended questions in PBL allows students to think critically and provide feedback. Simulation labs are mock scenarios that allow health care professionals to practice in a controlled environment. Simulation labs are found to be highly effective as they allow students to critique their skills until competent. While there are several strategies used to develop critical thinking, it is essential to determine which strategies works best for each individual to promote adequate learning.

                           Critical Thinking, Nursing Practice, and Scholarship

            Critical thinking is an essential part of one’s nursing practice as it helps to build confidence and competency in the delivery of patient-directed care. With continued education and practical application nurses can develop skills needed to practice at a scholarly level. To continue to advance in one’s nursing practice nurses must evaluate strategies essential for the development of critical thinking skills. 

       

                                                  Resources

Carvalho, D. P., Azevedo, I. C., Cruz, G. K., Mafra, G. A., Rego, A. L, Vitor, A. F., . . .Junior, M. A. (2017). Strategies Used for the Promotion of Critical Thinking in Nursing Undergraduate Education: A Systematic Review. Nurse Education Today, 57, 103-107. Doi10.1016/j.nedt.2017.07.010

Horvath, C. P., & Forte, J.M. (2011). Education in a Competitive and Globalizing World: Critical Thinking: Retrieved December, 31, 2018, from https://ebook.central.proquest.com/lib/waldenu/reader.action?docID=3021945&ppg=155.

Nurse Journal. (2005-2018). The Value of Critical Thinking in Nursing & Examples. Retrieved from https://nursejournal.org/community/the-value-of-critical-thinking-in-nursing/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].

For your final case study, download and read the attached case study.  Once completed, answer the three questions at the end of the case.

Your paper should be in APA 6th edition format and should answer all three questions completely with rationale and literature support.  Each new heading will depict the question being answered.  Your paper should be within 4-6 pages, not including your cover page and references page.  You will  be required to provide and use a minimum of 3 peer reviewed references, with the oldest being from 2015. 

This is an individual assignment.

  

Week 8: The Evidence-Nursing Practice Connection

Textbook:

Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Reading, using, and creating evidence (4 th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Reading:

Chapter 1: The Importance of Research as Evidence in Nursing

Chapter 16: Translating Research into Practice

Assignment:

Improving patient care and outcomes is paramount to the practice of nursing. As we conclude our learning journey through our world of research and evidence-based practice, it is important to reflect upon your time spent in the course:

1)Think about nursing practice and describe one barrier that you feel prohibits nurses from engaging in EBP; share one strategy you could use to facilitate the use of evidence to help improve nursing care for patients.

2)Reflect back over your time in the course and describe how your thinking has changed about nursing research and evidence-based practice; describe one new learning during this course that you believe was the most helpful.

Please use APA format, citations and references. Cite 1 scholarly resource and cite textbook to earn full credit.

 

A good writer is one you can read without breaking a sweat. If you want a workout, you don’t lift a book—you lift weights. Yet we’re brainwashed to believe that the more brilliant the writer, the tougher the going.

The truth is that the reader is always right. Chances are, if something you’re reading doesn’t make sense, it’s not your fault—it’s the writer’s. And if something you write doesn’t get your point across, it’s probably not the reader’s fault—it’s yours. Too many readers are intimidated and humbled by what they can’t understand, and in some cases that’s precisely the effect the writer is after. But confusion is not complexity; it’s just confusion. A venerable tradition, dating back to the ancient Greek orators, teaches that if you don’t know what you’re talking about, just ratchet up the level of difficulty and no one will ever know.

Don’t confuse simplicity, though, with simplemindedness. A good writer can express an extremely complicated idea clearly and make the job look effortless. But such simplicity is a difficult thing to achieve because to be clear in your writing you have to be clear in your thinking. This is why the simplest and clearest writing has the greatest power to delight, surprise, inform, and move the reader. You can’t have this kind of shared understanding if writer and reader are in an adversary relationship. (pp. 195–196)

Source: O’Conner, P. (2003). Woe is I: The grammarphobe’s guide to better English in plain English. New York: Riverhead Books.

• Paraphrase this passage from O’Conner using no more than 75–100 words. Remember that paraphrasing means summarizing the essence of the original text. It does not mean creating a thesaurus-based revision of the author’s original words or copying the piece, or any part of it, word for word. For this activity, do not use any direct quotes.
• Turn your paraphrase into Grammarly and SafeAssign.
• Review your reports.
• Review the other tools, resources, and services available to you through the Walden Writing Center that support your growth as a scholarly writer.
• Consider which of these resources you find to be most useful.
• Review learning resources on APA formatting rules and information within the Walden Writing Center on APA