Module Four Blog

How did the readings influence your perception of your own clinical decision-making
Following contemplation of the assigned reading for Unit 4 I had the opportunity to review the discussion postings of my peers. For me, a concept has much more influence and weight when discussed and pondered. I have often regarded myself as a “critical thinker”, a person with the ability to examine situations for the unseen, and devise solutions that might in turn prevent further complications. Throughout my professional life, I have never given much thought to the idea of bias, personal opinion, or how the two might impact my clinical decision making. The material covered in Unit 4 alerted me to the reality that we are not always aware that biases are influencing our actions. There was a peer of mine who discussed the concept of biases and implied that knowing your biases was a good place start dealing with them. I realize that as a human being, I have certain biases resulting from my cultural surroundings, education, religion, ethnicity, and country of origin that I might not even be cognitively aware of. Identification of such problematic thought processes would potentially lead to a more objective practice setting for my professional growth.

Trial and Error, another concept discussed within the context of this unit. It’s hard for me to imagine the world without trial and error. For every great discovery or scientific advancement a certain level of reckless abandon is required. In the health care field, it’s quite dangerous for a provider to make decisions based upon assumptions, intuition, or experimentation. Evidenced based methodology and practices are revolutionizing the trial and error process. Sophisticated statistical revision and selection of data is essential for nursing research. It ensures the safety of study participants, and promotes the continuity of scientific research. As we have evolved as human beings, we have adapted our inquisitive minds to preserve trial and error in such a way that now more than ever it yields the most worthwhile and meaningful information. I realize that my role as a Nurse Practitioner is to understand and promote evidenced based practices for the facilitation and development of emerging research.