Critical thinking steps for MSPs

There are numerous skills that an MSP must possess in order to be successful, and perhaps the most important one is critical thinking. According to Faith Rhoades, MMHC, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP, director of medical staff services for the Huntsville Hospital System in Huntsville, Alabama, there are five steps in the critical thinking process. 

First, when approaching a situation that will require critical thinking, MSPs should pause and reflect on what it means to think critically. Rhoades emphasizes that critical thinking “is not criticizing, and it is not passive thinking. It is also not antagonistic, and it certainly is not cold, calculated, or unfeeling.”

Critical thinking cannot be combined with passive thinking because critical thinking requires a confident assertion of opinion based on a solid collection of facts. It is not antagonistic because it does not involve inciting an argument for argument’s sake; instead, critical thinking seeks to unearth the truth in the most direct way possible. Therefore, it is also not cold or unfeeling, as the intent is never to hurt someone but only to know the truth.

Additionally, Rhoades explains, “Thinking critically gives us the power to make up our own minds, and thinking critically about the way we express ourselves gives us the power to persuade, thus affecting the world around us.”

Source: News and Analysis