Critical thinking skills and their importance

¶ … assist you in one or more of the following areas of your current (or past) job?

Technical skills

Respiratory care is a highly technical profession, so critical thinking skills are very useful in being able to troubleshoot equipment, locate and correct technical problems (Mishoe, 2003). Critical thinking is very useful to the respiratory therapy profession because the position requires the evaluation of information for problem solving which is crucial to operating complex equipment and diagnosing unknown problems in patients who often require immediate care to breathe and survive.

Communication

Critical thinking in communication is crucial for the respiratory therapist to gather and provide information through verbal and nonverbal communication with nurses, physicians, patients, patients' families, other respiratory therapists, and other clinicians (Mishoe, 2003). Gathering appropriate and sufficient information to analyze, evaluate, and make judgments in clinical practice depends on effective communication (Mishoe, 2003). There is a tremendous amount of skill involved in knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it in each specific situation (Mishoe, 2003).

Critical thinking skills can assist respiratory therapists in communicating with doctors, learning their communication preferences and being able to switch gears and communicate with different doctors in different settings in the most effective manner. Communicating with nurses and other medical professionals is assisted by using critical thinking to learn the status of a patient and gather the information needed in diagnosing conditions and developing treatment plans.

Dealing with families and patients can also be helpful when applying critical thinking skills because the respiratory therapist needs to be able to translate the technical aspect of the conditions and therapies being provided as completely and clearly as possible, but also in way that patients and families can understand, without excessive medical jargon.

IV. Detail skills

The use of critical thinking in the detail skills involved in respiratory therapy is very helpful. Performing diagnostic tests and physical evaluations is greatly enhanced by using critical thinking to assess the condition of the patient, consider all of the options for treatment, and evaluate risks and to take the right action for the specific medical issue. Therapists perform regular assessments of patients and equipment and if a patient appears to be having difficulty breathing or if the oxygen, carbon dioxide, or pH level of the blood is abnormal, therapists change the ventilator setting according to the doctor's orders or check the equipment for mechanical problems (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2009). Performing this detailed work requires paying close attention to data and equipment and evaluating large amounts of information. Critical thinking skills can greatly improve the ability of the respiratory therapist to perform these functions quickly and accurately.