The purpose of this discussion is to examine critical thinking skills used to make both professional and personal decisions. For tips on how to complete the required online discussions, watch the disc


The purpose of this discussion is to examine critical thinking skills used to make both professional and personal decisions. For tips on how to complete the required online discussions, watch the discussion basics video.

Follow the three-step plan

Complete your Initial Post by Wednesday at 11:59pm EST.

1. Read: Discussion Background

Being able to quickly think through and solve problems is an important skill in our personal lives, and it’s equally as important in our professional lives. We’re faced with decisions that we have to make each and every day but being able to make those decisions quickly and effectively can sometimes seem really hard to do. It can even create a lot of unneeded stress in our lives.

Watch Patrick McGinnis’ The Way We Work TED Talk. He discusses no stakes, low stakes, and high stakes decisions that we encounter in our everyday lives. He also mentions ways to help us quickly and effectively make decisions.

Refer to the information in the video, the Virtual Library and/or the Internet to conduct a search on critical thinking skills that can help you make both personal and professional decisions. Refer to this article about 6 Tips for Making Better Decisions as a starting point for your research.

2. Initial Post: Create a new thread and answer all three parts of the initial prompt below

Introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates. Be sure to include the following:

  1. Describe a time you struggled with making a decision.
  2. Explain why critical thinking skills are important when making a decision.
  3. Describe one decision-making strategy that could be most helpful in a job as an allied healthcare professional.

Complete your Reply Posts by Sunday at 11:59 pm EST.

3. Reply Posts: Reply to two people on different days.

To add to the academic conversation, reply to your classmates/instructor by introducing a new idea that applies personal experience(s) and/or new knowledge gained from either courtroom material(s) or research (UMA Library). Make sure your reply is substantive. For example, How were your thoughts and ideas similar or different? Do you agree or disagree with their point of view, and why or why not? Remember to build on your classmates’ posts and expand the conversation as if you were all sitting in the same room having a face-to-face discussion.

question 22

1. Read: Discussion Background 

Jacey works as a receptionist at a medical office. While performing all the office duties, as well as greeting patients as they check-in for appointments, she developed an idea that could make the check-in process faster and the paperwork more efficient and streamlined.

She wants to share this information with her supervisor, so she scheduled a meeting at the end of the week. However, she’s beginning to feel nervous about pitching her idea because she’s worried that her supervisor will think she’s working outside of her role and overstepping her position. Her co-worker tells her to stop being worried and focus on how this meeting could highlight her communication skills and professionalism at the office.

Refer to the following resources to help write a response to the following prompts. You can also refer to the Virtual Library to help you generate ideas.

Chapter 01: Aplia Assignment

Improve Communication Skills for Workplace SuccessPresenting Ideas at WorkBuild an Unbeatable Professional Image

2. Initial Post: Create a new thread and answer all three parts of the initial prompt below

Respond to the following prompts in your initial post.

  1. Discuss one recommendation to help Jacey prepare for the meeting with her supervisor.
  2. Describe one communication strategy that Jacey can use when presenting the idea to her supervisor.
  3. Explain how Jacey can best present a professional image to her supervisor during the meeting.

Complete your Reply Posts by Sunday at 11:59pm EST.

3. Reply Posts: Reply to two people on different days.

To add to the academic conversation, reply to your classmates/instructor by introducing a new idea that applies personal experience(s) and/or new knowledge gained from either courseroom material(s) or research (UMA Library).

To ensure that your reply meets grading expectations, your responses could include:

  • Additional insights
  • Explanation of why you agree or disagree
  • Personal experiences
  • New knowledge gained

To learn more about Discussion features, review Discussion Help.