N2800   Journal Assignment: Reflection on Professionalism in Nursing Curricular Concepts:  Leadership, Professionalism, Self-Care, Collaboration, Therapeutic & Professional Communication and Social Justice                                                                                                                      Macro Concept: Chronic and Palliative Care Micro Concept:  Professional Integrity Exemplars: N/A   PSLOs:   Demonstrate reflection, self-analysis, self-care and lifelong learning into nursing practice

N2800

Journal Assignment: Reflection on Professionalism in Nursing

Curricular Concepts:  Leadership, Professionalism, Self-Care, Collaboration, Therapeutic & Professional Communication and Social Justice                                                                                                                      Macro Concept: Chronic and Palliative Care

Micro Concept:  Professional Integrity

Exemplars: N/A

PSLOs:  

1. Demonstrate reflection, self-analysis, self-care and lifelong learning into nursing practice.
2. Apply leadership skills to enhance quality nursing care and improve health outcomes.

7. Provide holistic, evidence-based nursing care including diverse and underserved individuals, families and communities.

COs:

      2.  Promote achievement of safe and quality outcomes of care for individuals and families  

           experiencing chronic illness and end of life issues

      3.  Utilize evidence, clinical judgment, interprofessional perspectives and client preferences       

           in planning, implementing and evaluating outcomes of care.

      5.  Discuss trends in healthcare as they relate to issues of access, equity, affordability and

           social justice.

6.  Provide quality and safe client care as a member of the inter-professional team.

8.  Explore one’s own beliefs and values as they relate to caring for clients experiencing  

      chronic illness and end of life issues.

Purpose:  The assignment allows students to reflect on the attributes and skills of a professional nurse at the clinical site so they may apply this to their future nursing practice.  The MANE concepts of leadership, professionalism, self-care, collaboration, therapeutic & professional communication and social justice will be covered.

Objectives (Skills): The purpose of this assignment is to help you reflect on these objectives which are essential for your success in this course, in the nursing program, and in your professional life beyond school:

1.  Reflect on your professional beliefs and values (1G).

2.  Reflect on the relationship between your own personal health and your ability to deliver

     sustained quality care (1J).

3.  Identify team-building strategies utilized at the clinical site (2A).

4.  Identify how staffing patterns positively influence client outcomes (2E).

5.  Discuss ways nurses collaborate with each other and the interdisciplinary team to

     positively influence client outcomes (2E).

6.  Discuss ways you could advocate for high quality care and social justice of vulnerable

     clients at the clinical site (7O)

Directions/Tasks:

1.  Complete required reading.

             Marquis & Huston Leadership (10^th ed.)            Leadership – pgs. 38-39

                                                                                    Organization of Patient Care – pgs. 353-364

                                                                                    Team-Building – pgs. 63-64, 420-428, 518-519

Taylor’s Fundamentals (9^th ed.)                         Collaborative Practice & Care Coordination  – pgs. 270-273 

                                                                                    Professional Values & Ethics – pgs. 98-111                                                                            

                        Self - Care – pgs. 20-22

2.  Observe practices at your clinical site and ask questions of the staff to gain understanding of

      professional attributes.

3.  Reflect on your what you observed and learned as well as your own profession attributes

      observations and the information shared with you.

4.  Complete the journal using these  headings:

A. Personal/Professional Beliefs and Values: 

1. Reflect on and discuss your personal and professional beliefs and values.
2. Everyone has them.  Identify and discuss any potential biases or clients you may find it difficult to work with.
3. Research and discuss strategies you can use to ensure you provide quality, unbiased care to these and all clients.

B. Self-Care and Work/Life Balance: You have observed nurses working in busy areas who are under physical, psychological and spiritual stress.  In the future you will face similar stressors and currently you are trying to balance personal life and work/school responsibilities. 

a.  Research and discuss ways you can address physical, psychological and spiritual

     stress to ensure you are able to deliver quality care.

C. Leadership Skill of Teambuilding:  Teambuilding can improve morale and facilitate improved patient care. Read about and research teambuilding strategies. Observe your clinical department and interview the staff.

a.  Identify teambuilding strategies used to enhance the work of the nursing care team at your clinical site.

b.  Identify several additional team building strategies that could be used to promote teamwork and collaboration.  What else could be done?

D. Care Delivery Models:  Care delivery models designate who provides and is accountable for the provision of patient care. Models can be traditional (i.e. team nursing and primary nursing) or modified and blended to suit a unit’s staffing and patient needs. Read about and research care delivery models.

1. Describe who patient-nurse/nurse aid staffing ratios at your clinical site.
2. Describe the nursing care delivery model at your clinical site.  Identify who provides care and who is accountable for it.  Is the model traditional or blended?  If it is blended, what traits does it take from some of the traditional models?
3. Discuss whether you believe this model is effective for the unit and why or why not? 

E. Collaboration:  Nurses must have good collaborative skills to ensure well-organized and high-quality care.  Read about collaborative skills.

1. Briefly state why you believe collaboration is important.
2. Give two specific examples of nurses at your clinical site collaborating to improve patient outcomes.  One should be intra-professional and the other inter-professional.
3. Discuss the knowledge and skills each individual/discipline contributed.
4. Describe how the collaboration contributed to holistic care or lead to improved safety or quality of care for the client?

Note:  Intra-professional collaboration involves nurses working with nursing assistants, nursing students, or other nurses.  Inter-professional collaboration involves nurses working with other professional groups.

F. Vulnerability and Advocacy: Clients who put themselves in the hands of caregivers are all vulnerable to some extent.  Some clients are even more vulnerable than others.

a.   Describe some of the clientele at your clinical site that might be considered vulnerable.

1. Identify two specific examples of how you were able to contribute or advocate for holistic, safe and quality client care for a vulnerable client
2. Identify how your actions resulted in an improved outcome for the client. At least one example should show intra or inter-professional collaboration.

       Note:  These examples may also be put on your clinical self-evaluation. 

5.  Refer to the rubric to ensure you have met the criteria for the assignment.

6.  Submit your paper to the D2L Assignment folder by the due date.

Criteria for Success

• Write an 8-10-page reflective paper (This does not include the required cover and reference page). Be concise and avoid duplicating information.
• Include an introductory and concluding paragraph and ensure you use correct spelling, proper grammar, and APA formatting of citations and references.   
• Include headings similar to those given above to organize your response to each of the required topics. 
• Your writing should predominantly be in your own words, and supported by professional resources (textbooks, articles, and professional web sites).
• Consult the rubric to obtain maximum points.