On the Outside Looking In by Michelle

On the Outside Looking In by Michelle - October 2018 Scholarship Essay

The term "Thinking outside the box" has been around for years and used constantly throughout my educational and professional career. Some people take the term and simply think of it as a way to figure out how to do something other than the way they are used to doing it. But for me, thinking outside the box means to open your mind and truly engage the problem at hand. I try to be practical when it is the best and most logical option; however, a lot of times I like to solve problems from a different perspective whenever possible. By doing this and really trying to cover all bases/solutions possible, one can come up with different outcomes for a common problem.

For example, as a Registered Nurse, a patient may come in stating that they are having chills, muscle aches and have been vomiting and right off the bat someone could say it is the flu. But, if you can start analyzing the symptoms from a different direction rather than just settling on the easy solution, you could come up with other possible diagnosis's such as food poisoning, gastrointestinal issues, or even sepsis.

I love taking this approach because it really allows you to open your mind and way of thinking. Thinking outside the box and engaging problems from the outside looking in is a great way to try to solve problems because the easy answer is not always the right answer.