My Learning Experience
Question
Also develop two personalgoals and submit them to your
instructor in addition to the objectives above Personal goals should be in
SMARTgoalforntat (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely).
Step 2:
Written Summary
Complete a written summary of your learning experience by
week 13. The body of your paper should be at least 6-14 pages in length not
including title page and references. The paper should include the following
sections utilizing proper APA format:
Title Page
Practicum summary (include purpose)
Objectives (given and personal) o Explain how each goal was
met using specific language.
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Describe outcome measurements you observed and why they are
relevant to the leader?
This requirement is to demonstrate your application of
benchmarking, goals setting, and performance metrics.
During your experience you can find some type of outcomes
measurement (Evidence Based Practice, Performance, Staffing, Quality
Measurements, Etc.)
Literature Review (Describe the 3 research articles that you
found to support what you learned or experienced in action regarding leadership
or management; or you may apply research articles that you think would help to
improve the environment that you observed.)
Conclusion (Conclude the paper and highlight your greatest
area of learning through the experience)
References
Complete according to APA format.
Written
Summary Rubric
12/22/21, 3:
15 PM Step
2: Goals (Given objectives and personal): Submission Preview
Paper View
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Personal Goal #1 : I would like to be able to memorize and be in a position to teach on how to initiate and administer Amiodarone, Cardizem, Nitro, and Insulin critical drips without using my handout. I woul like to feel comfortable and competent in making decisions regarding my patient while receiving these drips by the end of this semester.
Personal Goal #2: By this time next year i would like
to Improve my critical thinking and decision makin skills when dealing with
critical patients in the PCU and ICU setting. Learn more about why specific
settings are changed on the BIPAP in reference to the ABG results when dealing
with COVID patients.
My Learning Summary
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Shartari Brown
Pensacola State College
NUR4889L
Purpose:
The purpose of this class is to help me find methods to
become an effective leader/manager including interpersonal skills needed for
effective leadership and management, including interpersonal skills needed for
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effective leadership and management. According to the University of New Mexico, nurse leaders have three primary responsibilities. First, nurse leaders are responsible for ensuring safe deliver of care, so they must be intimately familiar with the safety standards and protocols of the medical profession and their healthcare facility. They are expected to supervise members of the nursing team to guarantee that all patients receive safe care. Second, successful nurse leaders maintain evidence-based practices
within their
nursing teams. This requires that nurse leaders be up to date and well-informed
about various medical practices. Nurse leaders should subscribe to and
regularly read professional publications and health notices. Evidence-based
research studies and public health concerns should inform the choices made in
patient care. Third, nurse leaders are responsible for monitoring the care that
patients receive to assure that members of the nursing team are working toward
optimum quality standards at all times. Nurse leaders should take patient
complaints seriously and address them appropriately. Part of the responsibility
of nurses is to promote a high quality of life for each patient and their
family. Successful nurse leaders achieve high quality experiences for both
patients and nurses.
Goal:
I
want to be a better leader and develop effective communication skills. I want
to be able to initiate any critical drip without referring to handouts
and be able
to teach others. I want to learn how to stay calm even in
stressful situations. I want to learn about protocols used
by administrative staff to make dedsions for my staff.
I have
learned so much by sitting along the side of the charge nurse this semester. In
this leadership position, I also work with the social worker on the floor to
make sure that every patient has what they need in place to discharge. It is
more than just the nursing aspect; it is also about making sure all needs are
met on the floor for the patients and the staff. During this COVID-19 pandemic,
there has been an extreme amount of stress placed on healthcare workers, and
the shortage makes it worse.
Currently, the largest number of nurses in the workforce is
in the United
States, Turkey has the lowest. (Bureau of Labor Statistics,
2021 ), There are
3.5 million nursing professionals working today, it is the
largest of all licensed health professions. In 2020 the median pay for
registered nurses was $75,330 a year or $36.22 per hour. Healthcare accounts
for 18 percent of the U.S. economy. Demand for healthcare services will
increase because of the aging population, given that older people typically
have more medical problems than younger people. Nurses also will be needed to educate
and care for patients with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, dementia,
diabetes, and obesity.
Of the 1.6 millionjob openings for nurses,700,000 will be
newly created opportunities, and 880,000 will result from retirements. Over 1
million baby boomer nursing professionals will be retiring over the next two
decades, increasing the need to train new nurses to replace them. Nursing can
be stressful and hard on the body not just physically but mentally and
emotionally as well. Twenty-three percent of nurses 55 and older plan either to leave nursing or reduce
their volume of clinical work. More employers are now requiring nurses with
bachelor's degrees. The overall job opportunities for Rn's continue to look
very promising.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), popularly known as Obamacare,
The ACA is expected to increase the number of nurses by addressing bottlenecks
in nursing education through a combination of grants, loans, and loan repayment
programs. Obamacare also intends to promote nursing practice arrangements in
non-institutional settings, such as home
healthcare, as a way to improve access to primary care for
underserved and high-risk groups, such as the elderly, the homeless, patients
with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
(HIV/AIDS), and victims of domestic violence.
To make myself more marketable I plan to finish my Bachelor
of Nursing, go on for my Master of Nursing, and complete the ARNP with a focus
in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery.
After reviewing the sites, and working in the administrative
position, I realized that I must further my education and always be informed
with the latest nursing information available to me. I need to have a plan as
far as where to specialize. I want to do more research and teaching down the
road. Bedside nursing is incredibly stressful and not something I plan to stay
in during my entire career.
Reference
Bernard, C., Rao, 1., Robison, K.,
& Brandeau, M. (2020). Health outcomes
and cost-effectiveness of diversion
programs for low-level drug
offenders: A
model-based analysis. PLOS Medicine, 17(10), 1-17.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003239
The
University of New Mexico. (2018). Importance of Leadership In
Nursing,
https://rnbsnonline.unm.edu/articles/importance-leadership-in-
nursing.aspx


Solution
My
Learning Experience
Practicum
Summary
My
nursing practicum experience was one that I thoroughly enjoyed working with an
experienced nurse preceptor at the hospital. The purpose of this experience was
to examine and learn more about myself as a future leader, my leadership
abilities and create a network of connections with individuals who have been in
this position previously to guide me along the way. In order to be successful,
I had to take the lead by identifying my strengths, weaknesses, and areas of
growth opportunities. My experience allowed me to put theory into practice as
it gave me an opportunity to explore real-life situations that could be used in
future experiences after graduation. I attended this practicum to gain more
knowledge about leadership abilities or management skills.
Objectives
Given
objectives: Upon graduation from nursing school, the
successful candidate will be able to demonstrate knowledge of current trends in
leadership and management theories and implementation strategies related to
nurses within a health care context. The individual should understand the
relationship between policy development and program implementation and
understand interdisciplinary collaboration’s impact on patient care and
organizational outcomes. The candidate should demonstrate an ability to adapt
management strategies in response to change, demonstrate critical thinking
skills related to applying current leadership theories. This was mainly
achieved through my preceptor teaching me about being a charge nurse or
managing leadership roles within the hospital setting known as “management” to
the nurses.
Personal
Objectives: Develop skills in assessing individual
skills and abilities, identify teaching/coaching opportunities, manage patient
care challenges. I personally met my objectives by informing myself about being
a charge nurse or having leadership roles within a hospital setting. I was able
to better understand how this works by listening to the preceptor, who
explained how I would be managing this area of care. The individual should
understand the relationship between policy development and program
implementation and demonstrate the ability to adapt management strategies in
response to change.
How Evidence-Based Practice Was
Examined And Is Applied Or Not Applied In The Setting By The Leader In The Work
Setting
My
preceptor used evidence-based practice as she had a great knowledge of it and
implemented this within the work setting. She told me that evidence-based
practice is considered to be “what must have been done before,” which helps her
provide care based on what has been proven useful or not useful for patients.
This helped my preceptor better assess her patients, identify teaching/coaching
opportunities with the nurses under her, and adapt management strategies when
needed. The preceptor also considered evidence-based practice when it came to
the hospital’s policies, not just patient care. They would research and look
into different policies that could be useful or not useful for patients and
then what they felt was the best option for patient care. This helped them
adapt management strategies to better suit patient care.
My
preceptor was also knowledgeable about this because she had previously worked
in different hospital areas, all managed differently due to their policies
implemented within that area of care. This allowed her to develop more skills
when assessing individual skills and abilities. For example, she knew each
person’s skill level under her charge because she had worked with them in
different settings. Evidence-based practice also came into play for the
co-workers who were not nurses. She would have to implement evidence-based care
when working with other people, such as physicians or therapists, to ensure her
patients receive the best care possible.
There
was no question about whether the evidence-based practice was applied in the
work setting because my preceptor knew her stuff and had confidence in what she
did while also knowing when to change management strategies if need be. My
preceptor related pharmacology, pathophysiology, physiology, etc., back to how
it would help them in their role, and I also helped with this when we had to
discuss patient care together.
The
outcome measurements that I observed were vital signs, weights, and
intake/output (I/O) measures to ensure patient stability and plan further care.
These measurements were important because they helped the preceptor decide what
actions would need to be taken next to provide them with the best possible
care. If a patient was not doing well in terms of vital signs, my preceptor
would talk with the patient to find out how they were feeling or what was going
on. This helped her assess the situation better by knowing exactly what she was
dealing with and allowing for a plan of care that best suited the patient’s
needs. I/O measures helped them determine if their patients were eating well
enough or not. They are important because if the patient is not eating well, it
will affect their I/O measures, which can be an early warning sign of possible
problems in the near future.
My
preceptor would take these measurements every shift to identify what was going
on with her patients at all times and ensure they were receiving the best care
possible. If any changes needed to be made, my preceptor would make her
assessments known and then plan for further interventions that would help
support patient goals or prevent potential issues or complications in the
future. Also, these measurements allowed her to see if there were needed
adjustments to the plan of care, making her practice more evidence-based.
My
preceptor’s leadership style was very collaborative, as she involved all team
members in discussions and problem-solving when needed. This was achieved in
different ways, involving individuals who worked under her charge (nurses) and those
outside of that group (physicians, therapists). I feel that the collaborative
style was effective because it promoted teamwork and allowed everyone to feel
as though they could provide input into their day-to-day work. It also
encouraged different ideas to be brought forward and discussed, such as improving
processes or making certain aspects of the job easier. I believe it was
significant because if everyone feels they are part of the working team, they
will also feel valued and supported. This in turn is important for patient care
because if nurses are feeling good about themselves, it will translate into how
they work with patients, which is something that everyone involved would
benefit from.
My
preceptor’s style was very effective in this type of environment because she
used many different leadership styles, which is important in a hospital setting
where things are constantly changing. She had the ability to approach
situations from many different angles, allowing her to use each of them
appropriately according to what was needed at that very moment. It also allowed
her to stay informed of everything happening on the floor but prevented her not
to become overwhelmed or bogged down by the things that were happenning around
her.
For
example, during my time with my preceptor, she experienced a cardiac arrest in
which the patient was not responding to CPR. This is an extremely serious
situation because there is no electrical activity within the heart, and if left
untreated, death will ensue shortly after. In order to save this patient’s
life, my preceptor had to work quickly in finding out what had happened and why
she was taking care of other patients on the floor. She began by checking every
patient in the unit for signs of internal bleeding, which could have been
causing cardiac arrest due to a compromised blood flow. After no signs were
found, my preceptor quickly and accurately assessed what situation had occurred
and how they could fix it. It was quickly determined that the patient had most
likely broken their leg which had happened during the fall, putting them into
cardiac arrest due to pain, blood loss or both. This assessment also meant my
preceptor needed to figure out how this could potentially be prevented in the
future. The team gathered around her as she explained clearly what they were
going to do next while involving everyone in the conversation. She had some
nurses get all of the necessary equipment ready, and another person began
drawing up medication that would be used for pain relief after surgery. Another
person called radiology to see if they were available right away for a possible
X-ray, and finally, she sent someone out to get an urgent bed and to notify the
family of what was happening and why. She worked quickly and sternly but at the
same time never raised her voice or used any demeaning words. This meant that
everyone on the floor knew exactly what they needed to do and where they were
supposed to be at all times while still maintaining a non-threatening
environment for all staff members to work in. This type of leadership style is
important because it allows for all voices to be heard without fear of
reprimand or negative judgment, which empowers everyone on the floor and allows
them to do their job properly.
Literature Review
According
to Chiok Foong Loke (2001), nurse manager communication style and leadership
behaviors significantly affect employees’ perception of their work environment,
which affects job satisfaction organizational commitment. Also, communication
style influences how well nurses can care for their patients. This means that
communication is extremely important in hospital settings, especially when it
comes to managing people and ensuring that good communication exists between
employees, so everybody knows exactly what they need to be doing at all times (Chiok
Foong Loke, 2001). This also means ensuring good communication between the
manager and the employees. This enables them to work together to produce a
positive result for everyone involved and allows all voices and ideas to be
heard, so no one feels left out or unimportant. This also helps to promote
collaboration and engagement, which means employees are more likely to want to
work hard for the organization because they feel like their opinions matter.
Another
article by Anonson et al. (2014) stated that open communication is one of the
most important qualities in nurses in leadership roles because it allows for
collaboration among staff members and other members outside of their department
they may interact with regularly. By having this relationship between different
groups within an organization, everyone can work together to achieve similar
goals. According to this article, open communication is vital to be successful
because it allows people to feel safe and comfortable talking with others about
problems that may arise or concerns that they may have, regardless of how big
or small the issue is. It also allows nurses to lead by example and encourages
teamwork among peers to help each other and their patients.
This
article also states that effective communication is even more important in
areas with a high-stress environment, such as the post-operative care unit (Anonson
et al., 2014). This is extremely relevant because I observed this firsthand
during my practicum experience. The nurse manager working with us on this floor
made everyone feel safe and comfortable, even the most inexperienced nurses
such as me. This meant that everyone knew what they were doing and where they
needed to be at all times, but it also allowed for any questions or concerns to
be raised without fear of repercussion, which enabled nurses to do their job
properly and care for each other and their patients in a more efficient manner.
The
article also stated that it is significant for nurses to practice openness and
honest about the issues they are going through on the floor because not only
does this empower staff members tocarry out their duties properly, but it also
helps managers work effectively when improving care plans and identifying
different patients’ needs which makes them better leaders overall (Anonson et
al., 2014). It is important to use communication to improve and shape an
environment conducive to success. This can be done by using communication tools
such as an open-door policy, allowing for communication without fear of
repercussion, ensuring all voices are heard, and allowing freely sharing ideas.
By building relationships with employees and allowing them to feel like they
are part of the organization, nurses can increase their self-efficacy and
happiness, which helps to improve the overall effectiveness of everyone
involved (Anonson et al., 2014).
The
other article that I found was about effective communication between nurse
managers and nurses on post-cardiac surgery units (Abrogar, 2020). The first
finding was that communication is important because it allows for conflict
resolution, establishes links between nursing and management, and also because
communication is a two-way process (increased mutual understanding) (Abrogar,
2020). The authors found that nurse managers need to communicate in an
open-minded way to positively influence nurses who work with them. This means
that nurses need to communicate with their managers in a respectful way that
allows them to feel heard and validated instead of feeling like they are being
addressed in a manner where everything is an attack (Abrogar, 2020). The
authors concluded that communication is critical for nurses and nurse managers
to work together to improve patient care, improve hospital operational
efficiency, and increase job satisfaction (Abrogar, 2020). Managers must be
open with nurses to understand what they are doing wrong or where their skills
need improvement. This helps make for an effective two-way communication
process that allows best practices to be shared across the board. Also, this
increase in communication can also foster teamwork between nurses and managers,
making for a more harmonious working environment overall.
These
articles are extremely relevant to my learning experience throughout my
practicum because they touch upon issues that I observed firsthand while
working at the hospital. It has been my experience that there is a lack of
communication between nurses and their managers, which results in poor teamwork
and frustration on the unit (in my opinion). I think this could be alleviated
if managers took the time to build relationships with their employees by taking
an interest in them as people rather than just workers.
Conclusion
I
believe that communication between managers and their nurses is very one-sided.
I could not find any articles that talked about nurse managers as having a
responsibility to listen and speak for the communication process to be
successful (although we discussed this briefly in class). I think it would also
help everyone involved if there were less of an “us vs. them” mentality between
how nurses perceive management and how management perceives nursing. I’ve
noticed that there is often some friction between the two sides which would
benefit from a more open-minded discussion where blame doesn’t need to be
placed upon anyone in particular. Increasing communication by making it feel
like a mutual process instead of just managers talking at nurses would benefit
everyone involved. This would increase the likelihood that patients will
receive the best care possible because there won’t be any misunderstandings
between caregivers and providers. I also think it would help nurse managers
feel more appreciated by their employees, making them feel happier with their
jobs overall.
This
is an interesting topic because communication is a key component of any
relationship. Suppose communication with a co-worker or in an organization isn’t
done well. In that case, it can be extremely difficult to get anything
accomplished because employees won’t feel like they’re on the same page, and
their goals will not align with that of the company or team. I think what makes
this topic interesting is that this is a very common issue that can be
prevented easily with some simple changes to how managers and nurses engage in
dialogue. I think it would have been beneficial for our instructor to have
focused more on how the nurses need to listen and speak when trying to
communicate with their managers during our class discussions. I feel like this
is a very important piece of communication that is often overlooked, and it
makes me wonder why this component wasn’t covered.
References
Abrogar,
J. (2020). Improving Medication Communication of Nurses to Patients in the
Cardiac Procedure Unit.
Anonson,
J., Walker, M. E., Arries, E., Maposa, S., Telford, P., & Berry, L. (2014).
Qualities of exemplary nurse leaders: perspectives of frontline nurses. Journal
of nursing management, 22(1), 127-136.
Chiok
Foong Loke, J. (2001). Leadership behaviours: effects on job satisfaction,
productivity and organizational commitment. Journal of nursing
management, 9(4), 191-204.




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