The stories of Faye Abdellah, Chiara Lubich and Oprah Winfrey strive to show the readers the importance of critical thinking. While there are many lessons one can draw from these profiles, this discussion post will highlight only two lessons about critical thinking.
The first lesson revolves around the idea of being honest with yourself. For instance, by being honest, Oprah Winfrey managed to overcome hardship and suffering to become successful. The second lesson from the profiles is being purposeful and focused. Abdellah and Lubich’s main purpose was to be helpful to others and make a positive change in society. The two were inspired by the events that happened to them. For instance, The Hindenburg disaster of 1937 saw Faye Abdellah shift her focus to become a nurse. This act of critical thinking has enabled her raise standards in nursing homes and put patients at the center of her concern in the medical community.
The above lessons are critical to my career as a dental hygienist. First, the idea of being honest will allow me to have a positive mindset even when faced with a difficult situation. An example here is handling patients that have anxiety or more severe fear that makes them difficult to treat. In such a situation, my focus will be to make them feel safe and comfortable. How the patients feel will determine whether they return to the facility or find another dental hygienist.
Secondly, being focused and purposeful, as a lesson, will help ensure I remain true to my main reason of becoming a dental hygienist. Just like Faye Abdellah, my main purpose of becoming a dental hygienist is to transform the lives of my patients. Abdellah’s profile has inspired me to consider becoming a dentist. To achieve this, I will apply for a doctoral program to pursue a Doctor of Dental Surgery.