Flashing Red Lights Essay, Research Paper

FLASHING RED LIGHTS

?Help, help!? cried the little girl, ? my mommy is on the floor and she?s not breathing.? The 911 dispatcher tried to calm the little girl. She told her that everything is going to be ok and that the paramedics were on their way. As soon as the paramedics arrived they quickly took control of the situation without a moment to spare. In no time little Jessica?s mommy was breathing again. Critical thinking is a tool that is used in everyday life. Critical thinking doesn?t always happen when you?re reading, it happens everyday on the job. A critical thinker is defined as someone who is a self-motivated leader who is inquisitive and eager to learn more by being open-minded. Elements put to use when critical thinking are interpretation, analysis, and evaluation. A critical thinker is someone who evaluates rather than assumes. Critical thinking is a process that requires time, patience, and diligence. One person that I believe displays all of these techniques when saving people?s lives is Adam Hect an EMT (emergency medical technician). The four characteristics that Adam displays in order to be classified as a critical thinker are knowledge, analysis, evaluation, and application.

Knowledge is the first important step when critical thinking. Knowledge is the identification and recall of information. It is the who, what, when, where, and how. Knowledge is important to Adam and his job because knowledge is what he bases his decisions on. When Jessica?s mommy was on the ground and not breathing Adam knew to give her CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). Without Adam?s knowledge he would have had no idea of how to get Jessica?s mom to breathe again. Not only is knowledge an important skill in everyday life but an important skill when critical thinking on the job. Knowledge leads to many other qualities that are needed for critical thinking such as analysis.

Analysis is an examination of a complex, its elements and their relations. So in Adam?s situation of rescuing Jessica?s mom, he had to look at the situation. Based on his knowledge he had to form an analysis of the procedure he should use to make her breathe again. Analysis is a crucial part to critical thinking because without being able to analyze the situation, the critical thinker can not figure out what the solution to the problem is. If Adam wouldn?t have analyzed the situation he would?ve not known what to do and Jessica?s mom would?ve died. That is why analysis is such an important step in the critical thinking process, especially in the field of doctors and emergency medical technicians.

Another important part of the process is application and evaluation. Application is the actual process that you use after applying your knowledge and analysis to the situation. In Adam?s case the actual process of the CPR would be considered the application. Anytime he gets a call to an accident scene or to a house, the procedure that he decides to use is considered the application process. Next comes the evaluation. After all of these elements have been completed, the critical thinker needs to sit back and evaluate their actions. When Adam evaluates the situation, he looks at the outcome, what he did to make the outcome (application), and his analysis. Did he make the right decision based on his knowledge or would there have been a better solution? In Adams case, Critical thinking is a quick process that needs immediate action taken. He doesn?t have the chance to sit back and closely analyze the situation and choose an option. He has to go with his instinct and use patience at the same time.

As you can see critical thinking is not a simple process. There are many elements that go into the thinking process and many factors that determine the outcome. In Adam?s job he uses critical thinking constantly. He has to be able to use his knowledge in order to save people?s lives. When using his knowledge the other elements of critical thinking follow, such as, evaluation, analysis, and application. Adam has to keep an open mind when analyzing the situation, because each and every situation is different and requires a different application process. When he gets a call to go to an accident he has to prepare himself for the worst but he is not able to prejudge the situation until he actually gets to the scene and is able to look at all of the elements. That is when he is able to make his analysis. So as you can see critical thinking is something used in everyday life and is helpful when you are making a decision between life and death.