Topic 15: Final Evaluation and Reflection on the Practicum Experience
Nurse leadership is the ability to motivate, influence, and inspire health care providers as they work collaboratively to achieve their goals. Nursing leaders influence healthcare organizations at all levels and in every healthcare setting and discipline. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate my leadership practicum project, including its aim, needs, barriers, success, and related personal goals and AONE competencies.
Leadership Project
The leadership practicum project is to facilitate a team-building activity to boost camaraderie, strengthen work relationships, and foster a positive and healthy environment for nurses. The team-building activity was conducted through simulation training, a commonly employed approach for strengthening teamwork in organizations and improving employees’ outcomes (Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2020). The project’s focus is to enhance work relationships among nurses, and as a result, nurses will learn to respect each other. In addition, the project seeks to foster a healthy working environment for nurses, which will significantly reduce nurse burnout, increase nurses’ motivation and productivity, increase staff retention, and lower staff turnover.
During the practicum experience, I realized the importance of teamwork in nursing and healthcare. I learned that teamwork comprises various interactive and coordinated behavioral processes among team members. These processes convert the team’s inputs into outcomes like team performance and satisfaction of the team members (McEwan et al., 2018). Furthermore, I gathered that teamwork is linked to basic variables of team effectiveness, like group solidarity, team performance, collective efficacy, and team members’ satisfaction (Dyer et al., 2019). In addition, I learned that leaders who work on improving team performance in their organizations focus more on the team members’ behaviors, including the behaviors that are apparent before or during preparation for team task performance, during the execution of the task, and following execution of the task.
The project was implemented at Seattle VA Medical Center. Nurses in the facility were grouped into teams
and carried out several teamwork activities to improve their interpersonal communication and coordination skills. The training was conducted in an environment mimicking the actual clinical care setting. It was a three-day training to allow all nurses in the hospital to participate in their off-days, which led to a high turnout of 78 nurses.
Project Needs
The project on implementing a team-building activity was driven by the need for nurses in the hospital to work effectively in teams. We realized that the hospital having a group of qualified nursing professionals is not enough to be successful. The nursing team needs to work effectively to attain the organization’s goals and vision. Nurses in the organization had poor teamwork, which significantly affected patients, staff, and organizational outcomes. Rosen et al. (2018) explain that failures in nursing teamwork led to a high incidence of preventable patient harm, compromised quality of nursing care, nurses’ fatigue, burnout, and turnover.
Measuring Project Outcomes
The project’s outcomes will be measured by assessing the organization’s nurses’ retention rate and turnover rate, which will establish the goal of creating a positive and healthy working environment, was ac
hieved. After implementation of the team-building activity, the organization will establish how many nurses leave the organization and those that leave due to poor job satisfaction and lack of motivation (McEwan et al., 2018). The numbers will be compared in the previous years to determine if the project successfully achieved its intended outcomes. Furthermore, a survey will be done three and six months after project implementation to assess nurses’ perception of how the team-building activity has improved interactions among nurses and collaboration.
The project is sustainable since the simulation training activity will equip nurses with knowledge and skills, which will change their attitude on team-building. Nurses will employ the knowledge and skills in the long term throughout their professional practice. Besides, nurses will pass the knowledge to new grad nurses on creating and maintaining strong nursing teams, which makes the project sustainable (Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2020). Nurses who can effectively work in teams can collaborate with other healthcare professionals, leading to strong interdisciplinary healthcare teams in the organization, resulting in better patient outcomes.
Barriers to the Project
Various actual and potential barriers were encountered during the practicum project in relation to the leadership project. I experienced some resistance from some nurses in participating in the team-building activity since they felt it would not significantly address major issues like nurse fatigue, burnout, and nursing shortage. The resistance could have hindered the achievement of the project’s goals and prevented nurses from benefiting from simulation training activity (Connolly et al., 2021). Nevertheless, I addressed the issue by explaining that the team-building activity will equip nurses with team-building skills, enabling them to foster a positive and healthy environment. This will, in return, improve nurses’ morale and job satisfaction resulting in increased retention and ultimately alleviating the nursing shortage and the fatigue and burnout caused by high workloads.
I encountered financial challenges since the project needed funding for the training activity, including purchasing and hiring equipment and materials. I addressed the issue by communicating to the hospital’s leadership team and explained the project’s significance in creating a healthy working environment for nurses. The team was impressed with the project and helped with funding the training since it would have a positive financial impact on the organization through reduced nurse turnover rates.
The potential barriers I encountered concerning the practicum project include having some nurses perceive their roles in the simulation scenario were inadequate. If some nurses perceive that they are bystanders in the simulation training activities, they would have thought that their standpoints are not valued similarly to other team members. Nonetheless, I mitigated this barrier by ensuring inclusiveness, which is vital in creating an environment where all the nurses participated in the simulation activities (Connolly et al., 2021). As a result, the participating nurses took interpersonal risks like discussing their weaknesses and expressing themselves. Another potential barrier was the inexperience among nurses in simulation training, which could have hindered attaining the expected outcome (Connolly et al., 2021). However, I addressed the barrier through pre-simulation briefing and orientation, which ensured that the nurses were well-versed with how the simulation training would progress.
The success of the project
The team-building activity was successfully implemented through a simulation training activity. According to the responses in the pretest questionnaire, nurses reported that they lacked effective communication skills and collaborative care coordination, which affected teamwork among nurses. Besides, nurses reported that when working in teams, they were not encouraged to share ideas or concerns, ask questions, and discuss probable solutions to patient care. Also, the strengths and skills of each team member were not adequately utilized to promote a favorable patient care experience and workplace satisfaction for nurses. Nurses acknowledged that the failures in teamwork had adversely impacted patient outcomes due to ineffective coordination of care.
During the simulation training, nurses actively participated in the activities. They showed enthusiasm in training by answering questions, giving examples of how teamwork can be employed to improve the delivery of patient care, and suggesting ideas on how they can improve teamwork. By the end of the training, nurses demonstrated an adequate understanding of teamwork skills, including communication, listening, rapport-building, conflict resolution, problem-solving, respectfulness, and tolerance. In the post-test questionnaire, nurses acknowledged the importance of having all team members conversant about the role and responsibilities of other team members and their degree of accountability at the unit and organizational level. Nurses also reported that they had gained immense knowledge on creating effective teams in the clinical setting and would employ the skills when working with their colleagues.
The project’s next steps are to assess how nurses will implement the knowledge and skills gained during the team-building activity in the patient care setting. In addition, I will approach the organization’s leadership and propose to have another team-building activity for other healthcare professionals in the hospital like physicians, pharmacists, radiologists, and support staff. This will create an even better working environment for all employees resulting in increased job satisfaction and improved output.
Goals and AONE Competencies
My goals for the practicum experience and project were to improve my leadership skills and ability to identify and address a practice problem using evidence-based approaches. I sought to improve my decision-making skills and make healthcare decisions backed by research and empirical science. In addition, I aimed to polish my collaborative and team-building skills through the project since effective leadership entails building good working relationships, identifying a common purpose with team members, and mutually working together. Besides, I aimed to implement a sustainable project that would impact patients, employees, and the organization.
I hoped to achieve the AONE competencies in the domains of communication and relationship building, and leadership. Under communication and relationship building, I hoped to improve my communication skills and build collaborative relationships. I also aimed to encourage consensus building and foster a trusting working environment in the organization (Waxman et al., 2018). In the leadership domain, I hoped to adapt my leadership style to the situational needs and act as a change leader. Besides, I hoped to apply my knowledge of traditional and modern systems thinking in decision-making and problem-solving. I also anticipated applying visionary thinking to issues affecting the practicum setting and promoting nursing leadership.
Project Experience Related To the Goals and AONE Competencies
The practicum project experience helped me achieve the goals and AONE competencies. My preceptor has exemplary leadership skills, and she mentored me during the practicum, which helped me polish my leadership skills in communication and decision-making. I improved my collaborative and team-building skills when working with nurses in the project since I had to communicate regularly, build rapport with the nurses, make fast decisions, persuade nurses to participate in the training, and plan the project implementation. In addition, I implemented a sustainable project on team-building activity for nurses to positively impact patients’ outcomes, nurses’ work experience, and the organization through increased profits and reduced employee turnover. I applied visionary thinking by implementing a project that will have a long-term impact on the organization and help it achieve its vision.
Conclusion
The practicum project was a team-building activity aimed at boosting camaraderie, strengthening work relationships, and fostering a positive and healthy environment for nurses. The project was implemented through simulation training, where nurses were trained on teamwork skills at Seattle VA Medical Center. It was a success since nurses reported gaining skills they would apply to create a stronger team in the patient care setting. The project helped me achieve AONE competencies in leadership, communication, and relationship building.
References
Buljac-Samardzic, M., Doekhie, K. D., & van Wijngaarden, J. D. (2020). Interventions to improve team effectiveness within health care: a systematic review of the past decade. Human resources for health, 18(1), 1-42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-019-0411-3
Connolly, F., De Brún, A., & McAuliffe, E. (2021). A narrative synthesis of learners’ experiences of barriers and facilitators related to effective interprofessional simulation. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2021.1880381
Dyer, J. D., Morgan, M. C., Cohen, S., Ghosh, R., Raney, J., Spindler, H., … & Medvedev, M. (2019). Does teamwork and communication improve with simulation training? An evaluation of simulation training videos in Bihar, India. East Afr J Appl Health Monitor, 3, 1-10.Rosen, M. A., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D., Pronovost, P. J., & Weaver, S. J. (2018). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high-quality care. The American psychologist, 73(4), 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000298
McEwan, D., Ruissen, G. R., Eys, M. A., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2018). The Effectiveness of Teamwork Training on Teamwork Behaviors and Team Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Interventions. PloS one, 12(1), e0169604. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169604
Rosen, M. A., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D., Pronovost, P. J., & Weaver, S. J. (2018). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high-quality care. The American psychologist, 73(4), 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000298
Waxman, K. T., Roussel, L., Herrin-Griffith, D., & D’Alfonso, J. (2018). The AONE nurse executive competencies: 12 years later. Nurse Leader, 15(2), 120-126.
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | ||
| Main Posting | 45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources.
Supported by at least three current, credible sources.
Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth.
Supported by at least three credible sources.
Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
Responds to some of the discussion question(s).
One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed.
Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.
Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
Post is cited with two credible sources.
Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors.
Contains some APA formatting errors. |
0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately.
Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria.
Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.
Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
Contains only one or no credible sources.
Not written clearly or concisely.
Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors.
Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
|
| Main Post: Timeliness | 10 (10%) – 10 (10%)
Posts main post by day 3. |
0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not post by day 3. |
|
| First Response | 17 (17%) – 18 (18%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.
Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.
Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
15 (15%) – 16 (16%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
13 (13%) – 14 (14%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.
Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.
Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited. |
0 (0%) – 12 (12%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.
Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are missing.
No credible sources are cited. |
|
| Second Response | 16 (16%) – 17 (17%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.
Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.
Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
12 (12%) – 13 (13%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.
Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.
Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited. |
0 (0%) – 11 (11%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.
Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are missing.
No credible sources are cited. |
|
| Participation | 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days. |
0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on 3 different days. |
|
| Total Points: 100 | |||||
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Welcome to class
Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to
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Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.
I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
Hi Class,
Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Important information on Writing a Discussion Question
- Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
- There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
- Include in-text citations in your response
- Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
- Follow APA-7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor
- A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
- Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
- Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
- Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
- Follow APA 7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
- Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
- Here are some helpful links
- Student paper example
- Citing Sources
- The Writing Center is a great resource