Knowledge mobilized by a critical thinking process deployed by nursing students in practical care situations: a qualitative study

Abstract

Knowledge mobilized by a critical thinking process deployed by nursing students in practical care situations: a qualitative study. AbstractAim. This paper is a report of a qualitative study of mobilization of knowledge within the critical thinking process deployed by female undergraduate nursing students in practical care situations. Background. Holistic practice is based on variety of knowledge mobilized by a critical thinking process. Novices and, more specifically, students experience many difficulties in this regard. Therefore, a better understanding of the knowledge they mobilize in their practice is important for nurse educators. Design. A qualitative study, guided by grounded theory, was carried out. Sixteen nursing students, registered in an undergraduate programme in an Eastern Canadian university, were recruited. Descriptions of practical care situations were obtained through explicitation interviews in 2007. A sociodemographic questionnaire, semistructured interviews and field notes were also used. Data were analysed using an approach based on grounded theory. An additional stage of analysis involved data condensation. Findings. Various types of knowledge guide nursing students' practice. These include intrapersonal, interpersonal, perceptual, moral/ethical, experiential, practical, scientific and contextual knowledge. The mobilization of these types of knowledge is only possible when the process of critical thinking has attained a higher level, giving rise to a new knowledge that we have termed combinational constructive knowledge rather than aesthetic knowledge. Conclusion. Clarification of the types of knowledge guiding the practice of student nurses and of the role of critical thinking in their mobilization could lead to innovative educational strategies. The findings provide guidance for the revision and development of both academic and clinical training programmes.

Korean nursing students’ experiences of their first clinical practice

“…The body of evidence on clinical practice of nursing students talks about anxiety [5,6] , learning process [4] , critical thinking process [7] , models of supervision on student [8] , cancer patient nursing [9] . These studies, however, were limited to reveal a holistic understanding of the experience with culture-specific dimension because they focused on specific topics or a part of their clinical experience.…”

Contribuição do curso especialização, modalidade de residência para o saber profissional

“…In professional activities, the productive activity depends on knowledge and on the ability to think critically, reflexively, (15,16) creatively and on acting and adapting to the rapid changes in society, in which employability is associated with technical competencies, decision-making ability, oral and written communication and teamwork. In addition, mainly the skill to establish relations and assume leaderships is valued.…”

Exploration des facteurs influençant la mobilisation des savoirs par une pensée critique chez des étudiantes infirmières bachelières lors de stages cliniques

“…Les résultats portant sur les savoirs ont été publiés précédemment (Lechasseur, Lazure & Guilbert, 2011).…”