The Critical Thinker and Culture

The Critical Thinker and last R. Steve Terry American Sentinel University BSN 43611-A May 30, 2011 Margaret Lowenthal Abstract use the textbook Rubenfeld, M. G. & Scheffer, B. K. (2010). Critical Thinking Tactics for Nurses Achieving the IOM Competencies, 2nd Ed. Boston J ones and Bartlett Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7637-6584 Using the checklist in Box 3-2, reflect on your goal and how it might postulate your critical opinion habits of the mind. Then intend of someone you work with who comes from a culture distinguishable from yours. Think of a patient from a different culture.How do you think those persons would answer the questions? Introduction Taken directly from my original paper, . Thinking as a Critical Thinker Critical persuasion is something we do every day in our nursing jobs, and yet we dont ensnare names to the parts and pieces of just what it is we are doing while making those decisions. reading the first two chapters of our text book has opened my eyes, not bar ely to what I do on a daily basis, but has tending(p) me insight on how to breakdown the process of critical thinking into teachable parts, with definitions for each phase.This breakdown of the process will not only facilitate me in my day-to-day duties but will also help me go the process more easily to my peers. Now what would happen to the critical psyche when you add his or her cultural aspects to the way they put together and conk out their information gathered as that critical thinker? Do you think the influences of ones upbringing whitethorn enhance or vitiate critical thinking in the nursing field? Lets start out by investigating my culture of youth where I was born into the Appalachian area of westmost Virginian.Appalachian Culture Appalachian is a land of high mountains and green forests, abundant springs and rivers, varied plants, savage and bird life. Its Cumberland range is big coal mining country. Its farms are traditionally small operations. The area to which you will be traveling is one of cryptical history and tradition (Commission on Religion of Appalachia, 1992). Being brought up in West Virginia, I have m some(prenominal) memories of a style of nutriment that my grandparents and their parents taught me astir(predicate).One of the funniest traditions we have is a distrust of doctors. Where Im from in South Central, West Virginia, people only go to the hospital to die. Its my belief that this came about because most people from the hills only made it to the hospital at the last stages of disease so it was felt it was the last transport to go before one dies. And this is not just in West Virginia its in all the Appalachian area. The geographic boundaries of Appalachia include portions of 13 states, reaching from southern juvenile York to northern Mississippi.It contains 398 counties in the following states Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. West Virginia is the only state that the section completely covers. The region is rural and urban, rich and poor (Frank S. Riddel, ed, 1984). Process of tuition Trust If you had asked me what critical thinking was before today, I would have probably explained in terms that resembled the nursing process, because that is what I have been educated about for eighteen years but, dont think its been effortless for me.On the contrary, because of my cultural upbringing and the distrust in medicine that has keen-sighted plagued not only Appalachia but my family as well, it was very difficult in the beginning of my nursing career to learn the subtle truths about creating a trust atmosphere between myself and members of my cultural community. According to Rubenfield and Sheffer, critical thinking is the metaphorical bridge between information and action (Rubenfield & Scheffer, 2010).Thats scarce what it has been for me, a bridge to bring trust to members of m y community. One of the biggest areas of difference in Appalachia and most other cultural areas is the distrust of anything that is outside of the community (Frank S. Riddel, ed, 1984). I believe as a critical thinker that knowing this has helped me infer how to communicate trust to this community and by knowing first the culture of my community it has helped me discern areas that I can restraint and areas that I cannot.I know to use the habits of confidence and exertion to recollect with my community to build trust, because these are areas that my culture sees as important, although they live in present tense at most times, I feel that I can help them envision, the tomorrow, if not getting treatment today type of concept. Conclusion Culture is just one of many aspects one must consider before jumping to any conclusions about communication. This is also true about critical thinking. This is wherefore flexibility, open-mindedness and perseverance are such import parts of the C ritical Thinking habits of the mind.Without them we may decide to just give up because we dont understand why someone may not understand our end goals and why we want to help them. References Commission on Religion in Appalachia, economic transformation The Appalachian Challenge(Knoxville, TN C. O. R. A. , 1992). Frank S. Riddel, ed. , Appalachia Its People, Heritage and Problems (Dubuque, IA Kendall/Hunt make Company, 1984), xi. Rubenfeld, M. G. & Scheffer, B. K. (2010). Critical Thinking Tactics for Nurses Achieving the IOM Competencies, 2nd Ed. Boston Jones and Bartlett Publishers.