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NURS 8302 Week 9 Assignment: Leadership Assessment

NURS 8302 Week 9 Assignment: Leadership Assessment

Walden University NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment-Step-By-Step Guide

 

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

 

How to Research and Prepare for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

 

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

 

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

 

How to Write the Introduction for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

The introduction for the Walden University NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

 

How to Write the Body for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

 

After the introduction, move into the main part of the NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

 

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

 

How to Write the Conclusion for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

 

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

 

How to Format the References List for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

 

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

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Sample Answer for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

Leaders in healthcare need to capitalize on the diversity of the profession so as to effectively deploy available resources to meet patient needs, enhance quality and promote safety. However, healthcare leaders can only attain these goals when they are effective leaders. Being an effective leader in health care implies that one is self-aware about their strengths and weaknesses. In his article, Gavin (2019) observes that building self-awareness and understanding one’s tendencies and drivers of motivation allows a leader to unlock their potential and the team’s capabilities to attain set goals. Self-assessment allows leaders to enhance their self-awareness and understand both their strengths and weaknesses.  The purpose of this paper is to identify personal leadership styles, theories, and skills that can impact patient outcomes (positively or negatively) by conducting a self-assessment, applying concepts learned and Quality Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) principle.

The IOM report has significant influence on nursing education and leadership. Firstly, as equal partners, nurses are leaders and have increased power to advocate change and revise restrictive barriers to practice. Nurses are recognized as primary care providers in certain states and can lead in care provision among inter-professional and multidisciplinary teams (Shelton et al., 2020). The IOM report has improved nurses access to better and advanced education as it recommended an increase in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) prepared-nurses to respond to the changing nature of healthcare provision. Through the recommendation and evidence-based practice (EBP) findings, many facilities introduced tuition reimbursement, instituted continuing education plans and promotions to incentivize nurses to attain higher educational qualifications.

Self-Assessment to Identify Strengths and Weaknesses of Personal Leadership Skills

Self-assessment of a leader is essential, especially in healthcare, where nurse leaders deal and interact with different stakeholders and players. Leaders can assess their strengths and areas that need improvement using a host of tools or techniques like reflective journaling technique to 360-degree feedback surveys and tests like Myer-Briggs and emotional intelligence assessment (Gavin, 2019). Leaders should have emotional intelligence to understand their subordinates in their areas of expertise and use effective leadership theories to fulfill their roles. Tools like leadership blind-spot assessment survey are ideal for leaders that seek to not just understand themselves but also their influence on those around them.

Effective leaders have five qualities that include cognitive abilities, competence, stability, motivation and emotional intelligence. Based on the self-assessment test by Galford Maruca survey tool, my leadership strengths include being an advocate, a people’s mover implying that I am concerned about my subordinates and can spot their talent, help them build their careers, motivate them and being a parent and nurturer. As a truth seeker, my strengths include being fair, possessing good judgment, focusing on people and seeking neutrality and being objective. As a creative builder, I am visionary and provide guidance since I possess experience, information and expertise (Galford & Maruca, n.d). The implication is that as leaders in health care should possess attributes that endure them to subordinates and allow them to offer inspiration, especially in health care for better patient care delivery and quality outcomes.

Conversely, areas that need improvement include being effective in communicating, enhancing personal attributes like interpersonal interactions, and improving collaboration as healthcare sector requires different professionals working together in multidisciplinary and inter-professional collaboration n teams. Self-awareness, situational awareness and effective negotiation skills and cultural competence are essential attributes of effective healthcare leaders. Therefore, as a leader, I should improve by intercultural sensitivity skills to enhance care provision.

Leadership Theory

Effective leaders have characteristics and attributes that align with certain theoretical perspectives. For instance, competent leaders are hardworking and serve as role models for their subordinates. They also inspire their team and focus on achieving set objectives (Alilyyani et al., 2018). Therefore, the leadership theories that align with my personal leadership assessment are relationship theories and behavioral leadership theory. According to relationship theory of leadership, effective leaders are transformational and motivate and inspire their subordinates to enhance productivity and achieve their goals. The personal leadership assessment demonstrates that relationship-focused leaders are concerned about their interactions with others and are mentors for their employees. These leaders’ focus is to make work enjoyable for many employees and fostering of a positive work environment.

Behavioral theory in leadership advances that great leaders are made and not born as they learn attributes and skills that make them effective. Based on behaviorism, this theory focuses on a leader’s actions and not the mental qualities or internal status. The theory asserts that individuals can learn to become leaders by teaching and observation. As demonstrated through the personal assessment, effective leaders are people-oriented and help to nurture the subordinates so that they can also assume leadership roles and perform in their duties and responsibilities.

Quality Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Principles

The Quality Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) is an essential component of enhancing nursing profession with the aim of aligning nursing education and best practices in quality and safety standards. QSEN addresses the need to prepare nurses with the necessary competencies to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems where they work for better care and quality outcomes. The initiative implores nurses to possess specific competencies to attain patient quality and safety standards and improve them through advanced education, learning, experience and use of scientific evidence in care practice (Bleich et al., 2020). According to the American Nurses Association, there are six QSEN competencies. These include patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, teamwork and collaboration, safety, informatics, and quality improvement.

The leadership assessment illustrates the need to work in teams and create a collaborative approach to nursing care. Therefore, two QSEN competencies that my leadership attributes align with are teamwork and collaboration and quality improvement. The American Nurses Association is categorical that QSEN competencies are not only applicable to individual treatment but represent areas where nurses should think about improvements of systems and use of collaborative teams to enhance quality of care (Gigliotti, 2019). System thinking allows nurse leaders to engage subordinates and other professionals and leaders to develop mechanisms that will allow them to work together and focus on one common goal.

Difference Between Leadership and Management

Leadership and management are related but different. Most leaders are managers but not all managers are leaders. Leadership is about dealing with people and focusing on attainment of long term goals. management focuses on maintaining the status quos that include polices and completion of short term goals. Managers seek to attain maximum benefits from people by setting systems that should be followed (Lovett & Robertson, 2017). However, leaders inspire people to enhance their situations and attain their goals. managers use their positions to influence individuals to follow rules in the workplace but leaders utilize their personal power to influence change. Leaders seek change for the benefit of the majority while managers are concerned more about stability and maintenance of status quo.

Suggestion in Applying Concepts with Workplace

One concept that can be applied in the workplace is leadership theory and style based on personal assessment. The leadership theories of relationship and behavior are important in the workplace as they demonstrate that leaders should focus on people and learn ways to be effective and better to enhance productivity and performance (Gigliotti, 019). Nurse leaders should focus on enhancing their interactions with nurses and other professionals in health care for better and effective care delivery.

Conclusion

The need for personal assessment is essential for nurse leaders to understand their strengths and areas that need improvement. The personal assessment reveals that while I possess certain strengths, there are areas that need improvement. More fundamentally, leadership style affects interactions with other nurses and attainment of frameworks like Quality Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies to improve quality care and patient safety. The implication is that nurse leaders should distinguish leadership from management and apply learned concepts in the workplace to improve safety and quality.

References

Alilyyani, B., Wong, C. A., & Cummings, G. (2018). Antecedents, mediators, and outcomes of

authentic leadership in healthcare: A systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 83, 34-64.

Bleich, M. R., Altmiller, G., & Jun, D. (2020). QSEN transcends cultures: Leadership lessons

learned from a global experience. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 51(1), 9-11.

Galford, R M. & Maruca, R. F. (n.d.). The Leadership Legacy Assessment: Identifying Your

Instinctive Leadership Style. http://www.yourleadershiplegacy.com/

Gavin, M. (2019). Leadership Self-Assessment: How Effective Are You? Harvard Business

            School Online. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/leadership-self-assessment

Gigliotti, R. A. (2019). Oriented toward Development: Using the Leadership Competencies

Scorecard for Leadership Coaching Conversations and Self-Assessment. In Competencies for Effective Leadership. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Lovett, S., & Robertson, J. (2017). Coaching using a leadership self-assessment tool. Leading

            and Managing, 23(1), 42-53.

What personal strengths do you have that would make you an effective nurse leader? What potential gaps might you need to address to improve your ability to be an effective nurse leader?

As a future DNP-prepared nurse, you will be called upon as a leader in your field, a leader in your practice, and a leader in your organization. Throughout your program of study, you will develop the skills, strategies, and knowledge to not only harness this role successfully but to do so at a high level of achievement and performance.

Photo Credit: [Squaredpixels]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

However, everyone must acknowledge both their own strengths and weaknesses, as a leader, and identify potential areas of improve to enhance these capabilities.

For this Assignment, you will explore your strengths and potential gaps based on the nurse leadership competencies provided. After assessing your performance, reflect on potential goals you might set to improve as a nurse leader. You will also reflect on how this goal setting and self-examination will not only improve your nursing practice but also your healthcare organization.

To Prepare:

  • Review the nurse leadership competencies presented in the Learning Resources for this week.
  • Reflect on these competencies, and consider your own personal strengths and potential gaps in relation to these competencies.
  • Consider potential goals for your leadership development in relation to the nurse leadership competencies presented.

The Assignment: (4–5 pages)

  • Explain your self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies. Be sure to identify your strengths and potential gaps in relation to these competencies.
  • Describe at least four goals for nurse leadership development that you would like to pursue, given the results of your self-assessment. Be specific.
  • Explain why these goals are pertinent to your development as a nurse leader. How will developing these leadership competencies support your healthcare organization or nursing practice? Be specific.

Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements (available at https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-20293632). All papers submitted must use this formatting.

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 9.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

  • Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK9Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
  • Click the Week 9 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
  • Click the Week 9 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
  • Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK9Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
  • If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
  • Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 9 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 9 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Read Also: NURS 8302 Week 8 Discussion: Quality Improvement Models

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Sample Answer 2 for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

Patient safety in quality care in the care environment is one of the central focuses of healthcare facilities. Therefore, a proactive healthcare facility is usually engaged in various quality improvement efforts, which involves identifying gaps in patient care and implementing relevant strategies to address the gaps (Whitfill et al.,2018). The initiation of such quality improvement gaps, implementation of relevant interventions, and sustaining the same heavily hinges on the kind of leadership in the organization. The implication is that the leaders play a critical role in improving patient care as they assume the role of the force that drives change initiatives.

As a benchmark, nursing leadership has various competencies that a nurse leader has to achieve to enable them to appropriately lead in the care environment and drive change for quality improvement. As such, an individual should assess themselves to identify their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the nurse leadership competencies for better leadership (Huber, 2017). The purpose of this week’s assignment is to explain the self-assessment and connected to nurse leadership competencies and describe the goals of nurse leadership development to be pursued. In addition, the importance of such goals will be described.

Self-Assessment In Relation to the Nurse Leadership Competencies

As earlier indicated, nurse leaders should be competent to offer effective leadership in the care environment, hence a need for self-assessment to identify potential individual strengths and weaknesses. As such, a self-assessment was undertaken in relation to the nurse leadership competencies. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nurse leadership competencies include collaboration, communication, education, environmental health, ethics, evidence-based practice and research, leadership, resource utilization, quality of practice, and professional practice evaluations (Clipper & Dawson, 2018).

From the self-assessments, my strengths stood out in various competencies, while other competencies exposed various weaknesses. One of the competencies assessed was collaboration. From the results, this can be regarded as a major area of strength as I seamlessly collaborate with families and patients towards better care for them. In addition, I also effectively work together with other nurses and the management for collaborative relationships to improve patient care. However, the identified gap is in Interprofessional collaboration. I have to improve on how to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to improve care. In terms of communication competency, the assessment revealed strength is verbal and written communication. Besides, I have been able to concisely and clearly express ideas related to patient care. Good communication also involves attentively listening to what others are saying (Sibiya, 2018). This was exposed as an area of weakness as I have had a tendency to hurry others to talk faster when addressing issues. Therefore, such impatience negatively impacts communication efficiency.

I also performed a self-assessment in relation to environmental health. This is an area where I still have to develop competency to ensure that every nursing practice engaged in is healthy and environmentally safe. An environmentally safe environment will ensure that patients get quality care a good relationship exists between other professionals and myself (Huber, 2017). An assessment was also conducted on ethics. This was an area of strength as I have been able to demonstrate credibility, responsibility, and honesty as part of the elements displayed through integrity competency. However, a gap was identified in using ethical decision-making in clinical situations. There is still a need to further develop ethical decision-making in practice settings.

In terms of Evidenced-based practice and research, the self-assessments revealed the ability to integrate research findings and evidence into practice (Culyer et al., 2018). In addition to such indications, I have been able to demonstrate this competency through my learning capacity. The professional practice evaluations indicated high competency as I have been able to display self-development, self-insight, self-management, learning capacity, and self-awareness. However, I need to show adaptability to various situations to show a complete competency in the item. The self-assessment also revealed competency in quality of practice as I have displayed innovation and creativity to support quality improvement.

Goals for Nurse Leadership Development Goal

Self-assessment gives an individual an opportunity to grow by examining various weaknesses and strengths. Goals can then be formulated regarding the pursuant of nurse leadership development of interests. From the self-assessment, some of the goals include:

  1. To increase hours of work contact with other healthcare professionals in the care environment to improve Interprofessional Collaboration-This nursing leadership goal is related to collaboration competency. It was noted as a gap during self-evaluation, and therefore, it would be prudent to pursue it and develop it fully for a complete competency.
  2. To practice listening skills during conversations with the patients, their families, and fellow professionals for better communication- This nursing leadership development goal is connected to communication competency. Even though the self-assessment exercise revealed that I am largely competent in relation to this item, I need to listen more to improve further; hence it is a goal worth pursuing.
  • To practice clinical ethical decision making and engage more in the ethical situations in the care environment. This goal stemmed from ethics competency as the clinical and care environment usually calls nurses to make numerous ethical decisions regarding patient care and safety. Therefore, this s an area that should be pursued for complete development.
  1. To show improvements on adaptability in various care settings by working in different care environment-This goal arises from the professional practice evaluations competency. Nurse leaders may be called upon to offer their leadership skills in different clinical environments; hence adaptability is key. By pursuing it, I will be able to seamlessly work in every new environment and offer the needed leadership qualities.

How the Goals are Pertinent to the Development as a Nurse Leader

Nurse leaders need to show various leadership abilities in the care environment to support efforts and interventions made to improve quality. As such, nurse leadership should formulate quality improvement initiatives, plan for their implementation and support similar interventions and initiatives (Huber, 2017). Therefore, as a nurse leader, the discussed goals are pertinent to my development. Besides, developing leadership competencies will help my healthcare organization in various ways. The first goal, “To increase hours of work contact with other healthcare professionals in the care environment to improve Interprofessional collaboration,” is pertinent to my development as a nurse leader since it will help me tap into other professionals’ pool of knowledge to help in improving care. Besides, I will substantially be able to develop my skills of care provided to the patients.

The second goal, “To practice listening skills during conversations with the patients, their families, and fellow professionals for better communication,” will greatly improve my relationship with the patients, their family members, and fellow nurses. This will ensure that I offer improved care and improve the working environment (Huber, 2017). The third goal, “To practice clinical ethical decision making and engage more on the ethical situations in the care environment,” is also pertinent as I will develop in terms of making better decisions in ethical situations to boost my professionalism and give the patient better care and services. The last objective, “To show improvements on adaptability in various care settings by working in different care environments,” will boost my ability to work in any care environment, even in the most challenging ones. This will enable me to grow professionally and become more competent as a nurse leader.

The Importance of Developing the Competency to my Organization

Healthcare organizations are constantly under pressure to offer safe, reliable, and quality patient care. Therefore, nurse leaders need to develop leadership competencies to help better the organizations achieve such goals. Developing competence in collaboration will improve care coordination activities, hence boosting the organization’s chances of offering quality care (Huber, 2017). In addition, the development of communication competency will help the organization in avoiding potential medical errors, which are majorly due to poor communication. Such errors are usually costly. By developing the competency in environmental health, I will support my organization in ensuring that the care environment is secure and safe for patients and promote relevant self-care and wellness programs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, leadership nature and structure in a healthcare organization can either foster or hinder patient quality improvement initiatives. Therefore, nurse leaders need to develop various leadership competencies as they directly relate to better and improve patient care and safety. This assignment has explored the nursing leadership competencies, self-assessment discussion regarding the competencies, and how the development of the competencies would help my organization.

References

Clipper, B., & Dawson, J. M. (2018). Key competencies for nursing. American Nurse Today, 13(2), 24-25.

Culyer, L. M., Jatulis, L. L., Cannistraci, P., & Brownell, C. A. (2018). Evidence-based teaching strategies that facilitate transfer of knowledge between theory and practice: What are nursing faculty using?. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 13(3), 174-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2018.03.003

Huber, D. (2017). Leadership and nursing care management-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Sibiya, M. N. (2018). Effective communication in nursing. Nursing, 19.

Whitfill, T., Gawel, M., & Auerbach, M. (2018). A simulation-based quality improvement initiative improves pediatric readiness in community hospitals. Pediatric emergency care, 34(6), 431-435. Doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001233

Sample Answer 3 for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

The current health care environment is highly dynamic and requires a committed and motivated staff to deliver quality care. In this fast-paced practice, the role of leaders is critical, and nurses should have essential leadership competencies. These competencies develop over time as nurses interact with colleagues, solve health care problems, and engage in routine patient care. Self-assessment enables current and developing nurse leaders to determine their competency to lead. The strengths and gaps identified through a self-assessment allow nurses to set goals pertinent to individual development as leaders. This paper explains the results of self-assessment, goals based on strengths and potential gaps, and the relevance of the goals in the nursing practice.

Self-Assessment in Relation to Nurse Leadership Competencies

Competency Area Level
Knowledge of the health care system Expert
Communication and relationship building Proficient
Leadership skills Proficient
Professionalism Expert
Business skills Proficient

One of my high-performing areas is knowledge of the health care environment (expert level). In agreement with Sharp et al. (2018), the current health care environment is fast-paced, patient-centered, and data-driven. Also, it must focus on system transformation, improved access to care, and value-based care. Knowledge of the health care environment has much to do with understanding the features of the settings where care is provided, the broad array of services in such settings, and the relationships and methodologies required to facilitate competent patient care. Generally, I understand what patient care and patient needs entail and strategies for delivering efficient, cost-effective, and quality care.

In the current practice, nurses come across patients with different health needs. Empathy, cultural competence, and an in-depth understanding of patient issues are necessary to promote patient satisfaction (Oldland et al., 2020). Communication and relationship building enable health care providers to understand patients’ concerns, experiences, and preferences. As an active listener, I can effectively communicate with patients and colleagues in different practice areas. Active communication is also the foundation of interprofessional collaboration, enabling nurses to work in teams to deliver the required health care goals.

Like other professions, nursing has values that underpin the trust that the public has in service providers. In nursing and health care at large, the public is primarily the patients, while service providers represent health care professionals. Professionalism in health care involves services founded on honesty and compassion, confidentiality, and genuine concern for other people’s needs (Varkey, 2021). I show professionalism by being individually responsible for my actions and their consequences, paying attention to detail, and seeking creative interventions to put things right. Acting professionally also reduces the chances of conflict with colleagues, management, and patients.

A nurse cannot lead without understanding the self. In a highly diverse workplace environment, excellent leaders must trust and empower others. Like professionalism, leadership skills enable leaders to reduce conflicts since they understand how their actions, approaches to routine practice, communication, and values affect others. In terms of competency levels, my leadership skills are at the proficiency level. It is the same case with business skills. Key personal attributes in these areas include visionary thinking, valuing and acting on feedback, supporting nurse staffing, and utilizing technology.

 

Strengths and Potential Gaps

Adequate knowledge of the health care environment is mandatory for all nurse leaders. My strengths in this area include case management, quality improvement, and risk management skills. My knowledge and experience enable me to assess different environments, identify risks or performance gaps and propose appropriate interventions. Other strengths include clinical practice knowledge and delivery models. My strengths in communication include diversity and shared decision-making. However, it is vital to master both verbal and nonverbal communication. Other competency gaps include health care economics and policy knowledge, change management, and understanding of health care financing. My competency in information management, and technology should be improved too.

Goals for Nurse Leadership Development

  1. Excellence in verbal and nonverbal communication: enhanced competency is essential to understand and respond to concerns and issues more proficiently. Improvement in this area would lead to a proportional improvement in decision-making and outcomes.
  2. Develop my ability to use systems thinking: Besides foundational thinking skills and personal journey disciplines, using systems thinking is a critical competency for nurse executives under the leadership skills category. Improvement in this area is required to improve interprofessional collaboration.
  • To advance skills on health care economics and policy: Federal and state payment systems differ and affect organizations’ finances differently. Policies and health care outcomes in organizations and populations are inseparable. Proficiently articulating and applying health care economics and policies is crucial.
  1. To improve information management and technology skills: Here, the primary objective is to promote data-driven health care, use information and telecommunication devices, and recognize the limitation of computer applications. Knowledge advancement in this area will put me in a better position to use hospital database management systems and teach other nurses about their applications. Such systems include patient portals, barcode reader systems, and wearable devices.

Relevance of the Goals to My Development as a Nurse Leader

Skills acquisition enables leaders to understand issues and address them appropriately. Excellence in verbal and nonverbal communication is pertinent to development as a nurse leader due to the diverse nature of the health care workforce and patient problems. According to Kwame and Petrucka (2020), excellent communication promotes suave interaction in health care environments. Along with active listening, improved communication skills facilitate understanding and interaction at all organizational levels. A better understanding of issues and smooth interaction enables health care providers to work towards a shared vision. Improving systems thinking is vital to improving patient-centered care and fostering problem-solving. Through systems thinking, a health care problem is analyzed within its system, and those who interact with the problem form a solution collectively (McNab et al., 2020). A nurse leader embracing systems thinking would encourage participation and make meaningful connections between systems. Such an approach will encourage questioning and engagement, promoting an inclusive workforce.

Information and communication technologies are requisite in health practice. Zonneveld et al. (2020) found health information technology to be integral in facilitating care coordination, addressing practice inefficiencies, and enabling health care organizations to track data over time. Developing information and management skills is crucial for nurse leaders as promoters of efficient and up-to-date health care processes. Addo and Agyepong (2020) also found information and communication technologies in health care vital in increasing provider capabilities and promoting care access. Suitable technologies in enhancing capabilities and patient access include remote patient monitoring, clinical decision support, and practice management software. Utilizing them and leading other health care providers in their adoption will positively impact the health care industry and society by improving overall health outcomes.

Nurse leaders should advice organizations regarding process and outcome improvements and influence changes in the broader health practice. As a result, an in-depth understanding of federal and state payments, insurance issues, and the organization’s payer mix will enable me to advice health care organizations on financial matters. Advanced knowledge in health care policy will enable me to play an active role as a population health advocate and participate in the legislative process. For example, I can propose a policy on helping young mothers cope with postpartum depression if I understand the policy formulation and implementation process. In this case, population health outcomes would be improved as my knowledge to articulate and implement health care policy improves.

In conclusion, nurse leaders should be competent overall to drive the necessary organizational changes and positively influence staff. Nurse executives’ competencies include knowledge of the health care system, communication and relationship management, leadership skills, professionalism, and business skills. A self-assessment enables nurse leaders to understand their ability to lead and where to improve. As discussed, my goals primarily focus on where I should advance my skills to be a proficient nurse leader. Developing these competencies will improve health outcomes at all organizational levels.

 

References

Addo, K., & Agyepong, P. K. (2020). The effects of information and communication technology on health service delivery at Tafo Government Hospital. E-Health Telecommunication Systems and Networks, 9(3), 33-48. doi: 10.4236/etsn.2020.93003

Kwame, A., & Petrucka, P. M. (2020). Communication in nurse-patient interaction in healthcare settings in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 12, 100198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2020.100198

McNab, D., McKay, J., Shorrock, S., Luty, S., & Bowie, P. (2020). Development and application of ‘systems thinking’principles for quality improvement. BMJ Open Quality, 9(1), e000714. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2019-000714

Oldland, E., Botti, M., Hutchinson, A. M., & Redley, B. (2020). A framework of nurses’ responsibilities for quality healthcare—Exploration of content validity. Collegian, 27(2), 150-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2019.07.007

Sharp, S., Mcallister, M., & Broadbent, M. (2018). The tension between person centred and task focused care in an acute surgical setting: A critical ethnography. Collegian, 25(1), 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2017.02.002

Varkey, B. (2021). Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119

Zonneveld, M., Patomella, A. H., Asaba, E., & Guidetti, S. (2020). The use of information and communication technology in healthcare to improve participation in everyday life: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(23), 3416-3423. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1592246

Sample Answer 4 for NURS 8302 Assignment Week 9: Leadership Assessment

DNP-prepared nurses get appropriate and sufficient training, which helps them perform various roles in the healthcare sector and healthcare organization. Indeed, they are expected to offer leadership in the field, practice, and various organizations. As such, DNP-prepared nurses need to develop knowledge, strategies, and skills that help harness the role successfully and at higher levels of performance and achievement (Moran et al.,2023). As part of the plan to develop such knowledge, strategies, and skills, an individual needs to consider, reflect, and acknowledge their weaknesses and strengths in leadership and identify potential areas that can be improved to enhance such capabilities.  One relevant aspect to use in reference to such a reflection is the AONL Nurse Leader Competencies (Morse & Warshawsky, 2021). Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to explore the strengths and potential gaps based on the nurse’s leadership competencies provided. As such, a self-assessment about the nurse leadership competencies, four goals for the nurse leadership that would be pursued, and the goals pertinent to the development as a nurse leader.

The Self-Assessment In Relation to the Nurse Leadership Competencies, Strengths, and Weaknesses

            As earlier indicated, the appropriate development of the right skills requires reflection and self-assessment. Therefore, this section offers a self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies, strengths, and weaknesses. I have demonstrated various strengths in communication and relationship-building, such as continually demonstrating effective communication skills. I have always tried to clearly communicate with colleagues and team members while focusing on ensuring that the information is comprehensively and accurately conveyed. In addition, I have purposed to be an active listener. Hence, I value understanding feedback from others, which then helps improve open communication. On the other hand, one aspect that may need improvement is my ability to adapt my communication styles for different audiences; as such, I will need to start by tailoring my communication based on the setting (Christy et al.,2022).

The other aspect of focus is the healthcare environment. I have a considerable understanding of healthcare, especially in aspects such as current trends, regulations, and policies. I have also continually undertaken education with the primary focus of staying informed regarding various aspects, such as advancements in the healthcare field and healthcare delivery. However, there are also potential gaps that I may need to address. For example, it will be important to enhance my understanding of emerging and useful healthcare technologies and how they can be applied in various healthcare settings to help improve patient outcomes (Qadri et al.,2021). In addition, I also have a weakness of not being vigilant regarding the significant aspects of change and healthcare policy revisions within our organization. As such, I will have to use appropriate strategies to address this gap.

The next competency worth exploring is leadership, which is at the core of qualities and competencies that a DNP-prepared nurse is expected to acquire and develop. I also have both strengths and weaknesses regarding this competency. One of my strengths is that, in various capacities, I have endeavored to guide my team through challenges by using various strategies such as collaboration. I have also successfully inspired other people and built a positive team culture to help drive the organization forward and achieve the set organizational goals. On the other hand, there are potential gaps that I need to work on to be a more effective and all-rounded leader. For example, it is important that I become more competent in engaging and motivating others, especially in the face of change (Bonawitz et al.,2020). Such skills can be fostered through pursuing more opportunities for leadership development as appropriate.

Professionalism is a competency that allows a nurse to align behavior and personal values with that of a particular organization’s culture and ensure that there is a just culture of accountability. It also involves aspects such as governance, advocacy, health equity, and social determinants of health. As such, I also have various strengths and potential gaps regarding this competency. I have always made efforts to align my behavior with the culture of organizations I have ever worked in. Besides, I have always upheld professional and ethical standards as a leader, advocated for patients, and triggered professionalism in my interactions with patients and colleagues. Advocacy and professionalism, especially when patients are involved, usually come with ethical dilemmas or ethical issues (Doherty, 2020). However, I still have a shortfall when it comes to dealing with complex ethical dilemmas or situations, which then requires that I improve my capability and competency in such situations. Various efforts will be used, such as seeking guidance from senior professionals, guidelines, and, in some cases, ethical committees when making my decisions.

The next competency DNP-prepared nurses must develop is business skills and principles, which entails financial management, human resource management, and strategic management. All these skills are important, especially when understanding and managing the financial aspects of a particular organization. I also have various strengths and potential gaps that need to be addressed to acquire these skills adequately. One of my strengths is that I have an appreciable understanding of the financial processes of healthcare organizations (Cleverly et al.,2023). My active involvement in resource allocation and budget management has highlighted this aspect while ensuring that the available resources are efficiently and appropriately used. On the other hand, I still have glaring deficiencies when it comes to strategic planning. I need to improve my ability to undertake strategic planning initiatives, which can be achieved through a productive collaboration with various administrative and financial teams, which can hugely contribute to helping align the initiatives with the organization’s goals, mission, and vision.

Goals for Nurse Leadership Development To be Pursued

            Improvement in the identified potential gaps requires that an individual takes proactive steps and uses specific and effective strategies to help fill the potential gaps. Such goals will also ensure that a person becomes an all-round leader with the right knowledge, skills, and competencies. Therefore, this section explores the potential goals.

  1. To enhance my ability to adapt my communication style for diverse situations and audiences in health care settings.

This goal will be achieved through various steps and activities, such as proactively practicing effective communication strategies in situations such as one-on-one and team meeting interactions, participating in mentorship programs, and practicing communication in seminars and workshops.

  1. To boost my knowledge regarding emerging healthcare technologies and explore their effect on organizational efficiency and patient care.

This goal will also be achieved through actions such as collaborating with various IT experts, attending conferences covering the healthcare technology trends theme, and taking online courses on the same.

  • To improve my capability and skills in recognizing, addressing, and navigating ethical dilemmas in healthcare.

This goal will also be achieved by engaging in regular ethical decision-making situations, seeking mentorship from leaders engaging in ethics, and attending training workshops.

  1. To develop a more robust understanding of strategic planning within healthcare organizations

This goal will also be achieved through various strategies such as taking leadership roles, collaborating with other teams, and attending strategic planning workshops and seminars.

Why The Goals Are Pertinent to the Development As A Nurse Leader

The formulated goals are all pertinent to the development of a nurse leader. Enhancing my communication ability is relevant in that it is key to boosting seamless coordination in health care, helps prevent misunderstanding, and fosters collaboration. This goal will impact the organization since it can help reduce errors and boost the culture of safety (Berry et al.,2020). The goal of enhancing my knowledge of emerging healthcare technologies is also relevant since it will help me engage in using the latest technology to enhance patient outcomes. It also impacts organizations positively since using such technologies has been key to streamlining organizational processes and improving patient-centered care. It is also important to improve on ethical dilemmas since it ensures an alignment with organizational values and professional standards. Such an aspect can help in upholding the organization’s reputation. The goal of focusing on strategic planning is also relevant as it will enable me to align the nursing services with the organization’s vision and goals. It also impacts the organization since it can lead to its financial stability.

Conclusion

This assignment has focused on the nurse leadership competencies. As such, a self-assessment aspect has been explored. In addition, the strengths and potential gaps which need to be filled have been explored. It is important to address the gaps to be an effective leader.

 

References

Berry, J. C., Davis, J. T., Bartman, T., Hafer, C. C., Lieb, L. M., Khan, N., & Brilli, R. J. (2020). Improved safety culture and teamwork climate are associated with decreases in patient harm and hospital mortality across a hospital system. Journal of Patient Safety, 16(2), 130-136. Doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000251

Bonawitz, K., Wetmore, M., Heisler, M., Dalton, V. K., Damschroder, L. J., Forman, J., … & Moniz, M. H. (2020). Champions in context: Which attributes matter for change efforts in healthcare? Implementation Science, 15, 1-10. Doi: 10.1186/s13012-020-01024-9

Christy, K. R., Minich, M., Tao, R., Riddle, K., & Kim, S. (2022). To tailor or not to tailor: An investigation of narrative tailoring for health communication. Journal of Health Communication, 27(3), 152–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2022.2068702

Cleverley, W. O., Cleverley, J. O., & Parks, A. V. (2023). Essentials of health care finance. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Doherty, R. F. (2020). Ethical dimensions in the health professions-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Moran, K. J., Burson, R., & Conrad, D. (2023). The Doctor of Nursing Practice project: A framework for success. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Morse, V., & Warshawsky, N. E. (2021). Nurse leader competencies: Today and tomorrow. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45(1), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000453

Qadri, Y. A., Nauman, A., Zikria, Y. B., Vasilakos, A. V., & Kim, S. W. (2020). The future of healthcare internet of things: a survey of emerging technologies. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 22(2), 1121-1167. 10.1109/COMST.2020.2973314

Rubric Detail

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Content

Name: NURS_8302_Week9_Assignment_Rubric

  Excellent Good Fair Poor
Explain your self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

Be sure to identify your strengths and potential gaps in relation to these competencies.

 Points Range: 32 (32%) – 35 (35%)

The response accurately and clearly explains in detail the self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

The response includes an accurate and complete identification of the strengths and potential gaps in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

 Points Range: 28 (28%) – 31 (31%)

The response accurately explains the self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

The response includes an accurate identification of the strengths and potential gaps in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

 Points Range: 25 (25%) – 27 (27%)

The response inaccurately or vaguely explains the self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

The response includes inaccurate or vague identification of the strengths and potential gaps in relation to the nurse leadership competencies.

 Points Range: 0 (0%) – 24 (24%)

The response inaccurately and vaguely explains the self-assessment in relation to the nurse leadership competencies, or it is missing.

The response includes inaccurate and vague identification of the strengths and potential gaps in relation to the competencies nurse leadership competencies, or it is missing.
Describe at least four goals for nurse leadership development that you would like to pursue, given the results of your self-assessment. Be specific. Points Range: 23 (23%) – 25 (25%)

The response comprehensively and fully describes in detail four goals for leadership development.

 Points Range: 20 (20%) – 22 (22%)

The response describes four goals for leadership development.

 Points Range: 18 (18%) – 19 (19%)

The response inaccurately or vaguely describes four goals for leadership development.

OR

The response describes less than four goals.

 Points Range: 0 (0%) – 17 (17%)

The response inaccurately and vaguely describes four goals for leadership development, or it is missing
Explain why these goals are pertinent to your development as a nurse leader. Explain how the development of these leadership competencies support your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Be specific. Points Range: 23 (23%) – 25 (25%)

The response accurately and comprehensively explains in detail how the goals outlined are pertinent to the development of a nurse leader.

The response clearly and accurately explains in detail how these competencies support their healthcare organization or nursing practice.

 Points Range: 20 (20%) – 22 (22%)

The response accurately explains how the goals outlined are pertinent to the development of a nurse leader.

The response explains how these competencies support their healthcare organization or nursing practice.

 Points Range: 18 (18%) – 19 (19%)

The response inaccurately or vaguely explains how the goals outlined are pertinent to the development of a nurse leader.

The response inaccurately or vaguely explains how these competencies support their healthcare organization or nursing practice.

 Points Range: 0 (0%) – 17 (17%)

The response inaccurately and vaguely explains how the goals outlined are pertinent to the development of a nurse leader, or it is missing.

The response inaccurately and vaguely explains how these competencies support their healthcare organization or nursing practice, or it is missing.
Written Expression and Formatting—Paragraph Development and Organization:
Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria. 		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.

A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.

 Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.

 Points Range: 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.

 Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (3%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity less than 60% of the time.

No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided.
Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards:
Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation 		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)

Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.

 Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)

Contains a few (1 or 2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

 Points Range: 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)

Contains several (3 or 4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

 Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (3%)

Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.
Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)

Uses correct APA format with no errors.

 Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%)

Contains a few (1 or 2) APA format errors.

 Points Range: 3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)

Contains several (3 or 4) APA format errors.

 Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (3%)

Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors.
Total Points: 100

Name: NURS_8302_Week9_Assignment_Rubric