The following is quoted from the book:
"Professionalism in Healthcare" by Sherry Makely {Pg.30 Chapter 2}
"One of the challenges of working in a busy environment is avoiding distractions and paying attention to what's going on around you. This requires a certain degree of self-awareness-understanding where you are, what you're doing and why you're doing it. This involves the concept of being "present" in the moment." When you are present in the moment you can filter out distractions and concentrate on what's in front of you at any given time. This ability to focus is absolutely critical in avoiding mistakes and errors. It's important to stop and think before you act. Everything that you say and do should be intentional. This means thinking things through and doing and saying things on purpose rather than just quickly reacting to whatever situation occurs.
When you are at work you need to filter out distractions from your personal life, which is easier said than done. Family conflicts, an arguments from your personal life, which is easier said than done. Family conflicts, an argument with your spouse, bill collectors finding you at work, children left unsupervised, legal issues, and court dates, and your own medical concerns are just a few examples of situations in your personal life that can cause distractions at work. Let's face it-you're just one person and it's not easy to keep everything in balance. Concentrating on the task at hand when there's so mcuh else going on around you can be quite a challenge, but it's something you must hard to achieve.
One of the best ways to reduce distraction at work is to avoid becoming a distraction yourself. You aren't there to sell things, convince coworkers to adopt your political or religious beliefs, plan social gatherings, spread gossip, text friends, visit social networking sites (Internet places for people to publish and share personal information, shop online, wager bets, or collect donations for your favorite charity. You are there to work, not to advance your personal agenda. Save distracting activities for after work hours.
Working in health care is stressful. Each day you come to work you'll be faced with a variety of decisions to make and problems to solve. The facts and data that you you've learned at school will certainly help but making good decisions and finding workable solutions requires the ability to fully understand, explore, question and apply the information you've learned in the the past. When it comes to patient care, there isn't always just one right way to do things. You have to think through each situation, decide on a strategy, test it, observe the results, and adjust accordingly. This is where critical thinking becomes a valuable skill."