Critical Thinking Gce Al

7) Credibility of PA

Neutrality: The PA may have no reason to distort the situation, as they are an “independent charity” working with many agencies without any ties to them.

Expertise: The PA might have the expertise to provide accurate information about the situation, because they have direct contact with the relevant agencies, “We work with the people that affect care directly.”

8) Inconsistency

Source: The University Dean

Claim: “This will increase the proportion of women and black and minority ethnic groups in (higher education and) the health service.”

Source: Unison Head of Nursing

Claim: “(the move to degree only entry) would lead to a narrowing of the different types of backgrounds from which nurses currently come”

9a)“Degree level education will provide new nurses with the decision-making skills they need to make high-level judgments in the transformed NHS.”

Assessment:

Expertise:

• As the government Health Minister and a registered nurse,
• She should have the relevant expertise required to accurately assess the positive impact of degree level education upon nurses’ decision-making skills.
• This would strengthen the credibility of her support for the government policy.

Vested Interest:

• As the government Health Minister,
• she might have a vested interest to preserve her public standing
• by making an accurate claim about this being the right direction,
• as she will be accountable if the move to compulsory nursing degree has a negative impact.
• This would strengthen the credibility of her support for the government policy.

b)

• Overall, the credibility of the Health Minister’s claim about compulsory nursing degrees being in the right direction is strong.
• She might have a vested interest to be accurate to preserve her public standing that increases the credibility of her claim.
• This is the most important credibility criterion because you have to keep public trust in the health service. It is also increased by her expertise in the field because she is a nurse and a Health Minister and these positions will inform her judgement.
• This might be countered but not outweighed by her possible vested interest to exaggerate the benefits, as a government Minister supporting their policy.

10)

Credibility

The side that supports a compulsory nursing degree includes two university officials ie a Dean and a Deputy Head, and also officials in health care ie the government Health Minister and the Chief Nursing Officer for England. All might be expected to have rcelevant expertise in nursing care decision-making so would be able to make informed judgements about nursing policies and be able to accurately predict the effects of these.