Read the scenario below and complete the critical thinking questions that follow.

**Scenario**

You are an emergency room nurse. Kathy is present with her two children, Michael and Susan. Michael fell off the slide at the playground two hours ago and hit his head, resulting in a large, bluish-colored bump on his forehead. Kathy states she was caring for Susan when Michael fell and expresses guilt for Michael's injury. Kathy appears frightened and tearful, stating she called her husband to come to the hospital 90 minutes ago, but he hasn't arrived yet. While Michael is being evaluated, you talk with Kathy and learn more about the family. Jack arrives after Michael is discharged home.

Jack and Kathy have been married for seven years. They have two children, Michael, who is four years old, and Susan, who is two years old. They recently moved to a new home in a suburban neighborhood that is close to an elementary school and a large park with a playground, swimming pool, and hiking paths. Kathy and Jack's families live six hours away in another state.

Kathy is a certified public accountant but is not currently employed. When Michael was born, Kathy became a full-time stay-at-home mother and took over all responsibilities for managing the home and family. Kathy has found it increasingly difficult to spend time with friends or participate in volunteer work since Jack began teaching at the university. Kathy states that over the last few months, Jack has been spending more time at the university, working late into the evening and on many weekends. Kathy has been too busy settling into their new home to meet any of their neighbors and find a local babysitter. Kathy would like Jack to share more responsibilities for the home and to spend more time with her and the children.

Jack recently completed graduate school and began a position as a college professor at a local university two years ago. Jack goes to his office every day and spends time preparing his courses, teaching classes, meeting with students, and evaluating student work. He is also a member of two university committees and conducting a research study. Kathy states Jack told her that she does a wonderful job managing everything at home and with the cost of childcare, he is happy that she wanted to stop working. Jack also told Kathy he would like to be home more to help her.

**Critical Thinking Questions**

1. What is your initial perspective about this situation?

2. **Alternate Perspective Consideration:**
- What are other possibilities or alternatives?
- Are there others (healthcare professionals and the patient and/or support system) that may be able to identify more alternatives? If so, what are they?
- Do I have access to all of the information (clinical and evidence-based data) to identify alternatives? If not, how would I seek out this information?
- Are there additional assumptions that need to be verified for accuracy?
- How could I obtain needed information?

3. **Take Informed Action:**
- What is my conclusion/decision?
- What rationale supports or negates my assumptions? Does the data support my conclusion?
- Are there any other conclusions that data supports?
- What are the implications and consequences of the decision?
- Is there any aspect of the situation that requires more careful attention?