title: Enhancing critical thinking in paramedic continuing education.
abstract: Critical thinking has become a buzzword, especially in medical education. The challenge is first to determine what skills compose critical thinking and what teaching techniques promote critical-thinking skills, and then to determine how to apply these techniques effectively and efficiently to a given population in the classroom. This article begins with a working definition of critical thinking and explores the parameters and skills implied or stated in the definition. Then a teaching environment constructed around a model of critical thinking and characteristics of the audience is described. A specific teaching method, suggested by research and designed to exercise critical-thinking skills, is then applied to a specific patient problem in a continuing education class. Preliminary outcomes are presented. The purpose of this article is to propose a productive and efficient educational method for promoting and enhancing critical-thinking skills appropriate for paramedic-level continuing education.
authors.affiliation: Prehospital Education Program, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Dalton
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004496:Education, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D017145:Models, Educational; D010551:Personality; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods