Jarrod Shapiro, DPM Practice Perfect Editor Assistant Professor Dept. of Podiatric Medicine Surgery & Biomechanics College of Podiatric Medicine Western University of Health Sciences St. Pomona, CA

Why? How? Part 2

Last week, we spoke of the necessity of asking the "why" question and introduced the PICO method, part of the contemporary evidence-based practice method to construct a clinical question and find the answer to our queries when encountering challenging clinical presentations. This week, I'd like to look quickly at critical thinking in general.

As an educator at one of the podiatric medical colleges and someone responsible for residents, I feel my one most significant responsibility is to teach my trainees how to think critically. You might think we wouldn't need to do this in a professional program, but unfortunately, many of our students are simply not exposed to this during their undergraduate schooling. Many science programs teach basic knowledge, filling our minds with data, but may not always force us to critically examine the world around us.

I observed this during some of our small group discussion sessions at Western University. Some students will take the initiative and find answers on their own (this is the basis for problem-based learning, considered by many to be a highly effective adult learning method). However, other students prefer to be fed whatever information is necessary for the next exam. As I mentioned previously, I urge everyone to stay away from this mindset and critically examine everything they learn with a jaundiced eye.

For those of you who prefer to be fed, STOP HERE.

For those who prefer to question their world, to understand the "why", not just the "what", READ ON!

		Tonight's Premier Lecture is The Next Generation of Wound Care: Understanding Placental Membranes Lawrence Lavery, DPM, MPH

Critical thinking is actually very simple and we all go through an evolution as we grow regarding it. We start out early in life looking at the world around us, curious and questioning, but as we get older, we learn to do as others say and conform to society. We defer to perceived authority. We fall in line. Let's fall out of line for a moment, return to what we did so naturally as children, and consider some critical thinking habits.

The core critical thinking skills are as follows:

In a more simplistic form you can see RED

Regardless of the paradigm one uses to examine critical thinking, we must first recognize when there's something to question, understand that thing, evaluate its legitimacy or illegitimacy, and then draw your own conclusions and make your own judgment.

If you don't like the idea of paradigms and lists of skills, consider critical thinking as a habit of questioning. Whenever exposed to a previously unexamined situation, ask yourself any of the following questions:

Start with these questions, applying them to what you see and experience, and you'll find things are more often than not what it seems.

"Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work." 
— Adrienne Rich

Best wishes,

Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT Practice Perfect Editor
[email protected]

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