NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Week 1 -Assignment 2 Discussion

Discussion Question 1: Mission and Vision Statement.
Every healthcare organization must have a mission and vision statement to guide it. Mission and vision statements often come in a variety of formats. Only when there is alignment between the nurse administrator and the organizational mission and vision statement, there is synergy and a sense of purpose. For example, knowing where the organization wants to go assists nurse administrators in helping meet the mission and vision statement through the tasks they undertake along with their subordinates.

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Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe one example of what happens when the nurse administrator’s values are not congruent with the organizational mission and vision statement. Locate the mission and vision statement of your current or previous healthcare organization. If you are not working in the field of healthcare, find a mission and vision statement of a healthcare organization using the Internet. Does this mission and vision statement provide clarity to the organizational direction? Provide a rationale for your answer. As a nurse administrator, how would you assist subordinates to become familiar with this statement? Select and research a department of nursing. Then, write a mission and vision statement for this department. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria: Described one example of what happens when the nurse administrator’s values are not congruent with the organizational mission and vision statement. Explained whether a selected mission and vision statement provides clarity to the organizational direction. Recommended ways in which a nurse administrator can assist subordinates become familiar with the selected mission and vision statement. Wrote a mission and vision statement for a nursing department. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: CNO and Medical Staff – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

CNOs must be skilled and competent communicators to lead and manage the collective work of medical staff members at all levels. Reviewing healthcare literature can help you learn a lot about fostering and promoting interprofessional collaboration in healthcare.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Define and describe the role of the CNO related to medical staff. Define interprofessional collaboration. What happens to patient outcomes and quality care when there are disagreements between medical staff and nursing personnel regarding aspects of operations? As a CNO, describe at least one strategy you would apply in clarifying expectations of other healthcare team members including the medical staff? Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria:

Defined and described the role of the CNO related to medical staff. Defined the concept of interprofessional collaboration. Explained the impact of disagreements between medical staff and nursing personnel regarding aspects of operations on patient outcomes and quality care. Recommended at least one strategy to clarify expectations of other healthcare team members including the medical staff. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers

Week 1 – Assignment 3 – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Assignment 3: Practicum I Journal Entry 1
In NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions, you will write six journal entries . These journal entries are reflective exercises to facilitate academic learning and self-development as a nurse leader. Reflective journaling provides the opportunity to increase self-awareness as a nurse leader. The journal also offers you an opportunity to reflect on nonacademic components of the practicum experience, including emotions, decision making, critical thinking, and stress associated with the nurse leadership role. There is no “right” or “wrong” in reflective journaling; however, the Practicum I Journal will create a link between the application of course concepts and the content of your specific practicum experience. Practicum journals may be written in first person.

Practicum I Journal entries are graded assignments. They will not be viewed by or shared with other students, only with course instructors. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Where are you completing your Practicum I experience? Be certain to include the name, location, and contact information of the healthcare organization in which you are completing your practicum experience. Identify your preceptor. Be certain to include the preceptor’s name, title, and contact information (including telephone number and e-mail address). Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 1 into your practicum experience this week. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions. Identify your area of greatest learning this week.

Week 2 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Quality Improvement Projects and the CNO

There has likely never been a time in which healthcare organizations have had to face challenges greater than those in the twenty-first century. For example, in previous decades, bedside nurses cared for patients and were promoted into nursing leadership and nurse executive roles based on the fact that they were “good nurses.” This paradigm no longer exists in contemporary healthcare delivery settings including long-term care, acute care, and community-based settings. The CNO must be prepared to lead and have competency in guiding, leading, and restructuring healthcare delivery systems that are competitive and provide safe, affordable, and efficient quality care at the right time, each time, and every time. CNOs must have skills and competencies that allow them to drive healthcare system changes to meet societal healthcare needs for diverse populations.

You are the CNO in your healthcare organization. Considering this, use the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet to respond to the following: Provide a list of guidelines you would use to develop the quality falls program and the medication safety performance improvement project in your organization. What challenges would you face in the development of these programs? Evaluate two competencies you must have to successfully develop these programs. What will you do if a quality improvement project is needed and there is not enough money in the budget at the time or if the project will add costs that exceed the operating budget? Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

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Evaluation Criteria:

Provided a list of guidelines you would use to develop the quality falls program and the medication safety performance improvement project in your organization. Explained the challenges you would face in the development of these programs. Evaluated two competencies you must have to successfully develop these programs. Recommended ways to handle the situation if a quality improvement project is needed and there is not enough money in the budget at the time or if the project will add costs that exceed the operating budget. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Nurse Sensitive Indicators and the CNO

Nurse sensitive indicators reflect the structure, process, and outcomes of nursing care in a healthcare organization. Key factors influencing nurse sensitive indicators include the structure of nursing care, skill level of nursing staff, and education or certification of nursing staff. Greater quality or quantity of nursing care results in an improvement in patient outcomes that are closely linked to nurse sensitive indicators. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Examine the role of a CNO in relation to nurse sensitive indicators, such as the following: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) Pressure ulcers As a CNO, what process will you use for developing a nurse sensitive indicator? Estimate the time it takes to create and approve a nurse sensitive indicator. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Examined the role of CNO in relation to nurse sensitive indicators, such as CLABSI, CAUTI, VAP, and pressure ulcers. Described the process utilized for developing a nurse sensitive indicator. Estimated the time it takes to create and approve a nurse sensitive indicator. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Week 2 – Assignment 2  

Assignment 2: Practicum I Journal Entry 2

This is your second out of six journal assignments in this course. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 2 into your practicum experience this week. Identify your area of greatest learning this week.

Week 3 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Shared Governance Structure and the CNO
During the 1980s, nursing and healthcare were suffering from challenges of an acute nursing shortage, rampant nurse turnover, and issues with nurse retention. In the mid-1980s, shared governance was instituted to incentivize and empower nurses. Shared governance is an innovative organizational model promoting staff control and autonomy over nursing practice in areas that were previously controlled by managers. The concept of shared governance may be a challenge to understand because it is not uniformly applied or operationalized and because of the great diversity in shared governance models. Nurses working in organizations with shared governance models are more empowered and have higher levels of satisfaction in their roles. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Compare the roles of the CNO and nursing directors or managers in a shared governance structure. What steps can the CNO take to enable smooth operations in such a structure? Identify two challenges CNOs face when working with a shared governance structure. Compare and contrast a model of shared governance with an authoritarian or autocratic CNO. Examine the role of the CNO in working to set parameters for nurses in a shared governance structure. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Compared the roles of the CNO and nursing directors or managers in a shared governance structure. Listed steps the CNO can take to enable smooth operations in such a structure. Identified two challenges CNOs face when working with a shared governance structure. Compared and contrasted a model of shared governance with an authoritarian or autocratic CNO. Examined the role of the CNO in working to set parameters for nurses in a shared governance structure. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Staff Concerns and the CNO

Often, gossip mills and rumors tend to circulate very quickly throughout healthcare organizations even though everything is supposed to be confidential. Good and bad news travel quickly; one of the greatest challenges the CNO or vice president for patient care services (VPPCS) faces is to control and share information with the staff members so that they receive the same message in the same way at the same time. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: What role does the CNO or VPPCS play in addressing the concerns of the entire staff in nursing town-hall meetings? Why is this role important? Provide an example of a need for the CNO or VPPCS to schedule an entire staff town-hall meeting. How can the CNO or VPPCS minimize gossip and information via the “grapevine” before an entire staff town-hall meeting? How would you craft an agenda and circulate it for a town-hall meeting? How can the CNO or VPPCS integrate the use of electronic and social media into addressing staff concerns in twenty-first-century healthcare organizations? Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Described the role of the CNO or VPPCS in addressing the concerns of the entire staff in nursing town-hall meetings, and explained the importance of this role. Provided an example of a need for the CNO or VPPCS to schedule an entire staff town-hall meeting. Suggested ways in which the CNO or VPPCS can minimize gossip and information via the “grapevine” before an entire staff town-hall meeting. Explained how you would craft an agenda and circulate it for a town-hall meeting. Recommended ways in which the CNO or VPCSS can integrate the use of electronic and social media into addressing staff concerns in twenty-first-century healthcare organizations. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Week 3 – Assignment 2

Assignment 2: SWOT Analysis

Draft The CNO constantly needs to evaluate and assess various components of the healthcare organization’s structure, process, and outcomes as they relate to organizational effectiveness in meeting the mission and vision statement. It is relevant to have a method for rapid evaluation and assessment of these components because often, the CNO does not have much time in which to conduct these activities. One method that allows CNOs to effectively and efficiently evaluate and assess healthcare organizations and pinpoint issues is the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, outcomes, and threats. The SWOT analysis is easy to administer in order to evaluate the following:
Strengths that are positive and internal

Weaknesses that are negative and internal

Opportunities that are positive and external

Threats that are negative and external

Upon completion of the SWOT analysis, the CNO can set major goals to be achieved and get the organization back on track by linking the SWOT analysis findings to strategic planning. This week, you will begin preparing a SWOT analysis of a nursing department or unit. The purpose of this assignment is to assess your progress on the final SWOT analysis due in Week 5. This assignment provides you the opportunity to self-assess and determine any issues or challenges that need to be resolved prior to completing and submitting the final assignment. Week 3 Tasks Begin this assignment by having a discussion with your practicum preceptor. Discuss and agree upon a nurse leadership issue or topic on which you will base your SWOT analysis. Then, write a 1–2-page SWOT analysis of the nursing department or unit in which you work or have worked in the past.

Cover the following: Explain why you selected the leadership issue or topic. Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your nursing department or unit based on this issue. Your final SWOT analysis will be presented in a SWOT matrix. This week, you will begin filling this matrix. Click here to download the SWOT analysis matrix template you can use for this assignment. Prepare a brief note on the implications of this analysis for your nursing department or unit and the selected issue. Use APA style and formatting for your assignment. Make sure to include separate title and reference pages in your assignment. Submit your paper in a Microsoft Word document to the W3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Tuesday, September 19, 2017. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions. Name your document SU_NSG6620_W3_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

Week 4 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Strategies for Establishing Operational Budgets

An operational budget is the plan for an organization or unit for daily operating expenses. The operational budget is very similar to how one manages a personal home budget but on a grander scale. For example, there is a balance between accounts receivable and accounts payable, and then there is either a surplus or deficit at the end of the budget period. Most budget periods are a fiscal year or a calendar year. The unit operating budget is the most critical budget in which unit managers must be involved and have the most control over. Extensive information is needed to prepare the operational budget. For example, the operational budget typically requires information related to workload budgets with activity reports, units of service, and workload calculations like HPPD; expense budgets for personnel, staffing, and supplies equipment; the overhead budget; and the revenue budget. Nurses in the unit are often part of the operational budget to examine, or be aware of, weekly or monthly budget variances. This helps the unit function with a positive versus a negative revenue stream. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe at least two strategies for establishing operational budgets. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of using each strategy. Explain the strategies your nurse manager or CNO uses to gather and secure the most timely and relevant information to shape future operating budgets. Identify two challenges the nurse manager or CNO faces with this task. Examine implications for the nurse manager or CNO when the unit operating budget is running in the “red” or has numerous negative monthly variances. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Described at least two strategies for establishing operational budgets. Examined the advantages and disadvantages of using each strategy. Explained the strategies your nurse manager or CNO uses to gather and secure the most timely and relevant information to shape future operating budgets. Identified two challenges the nurse manager or CNO faces with this task. Examined implications for the nurse manager or CNO when the unit operating budget is running in the “red” or has numerous negative monthly variances. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning.Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Strategies for Establishing an FTE Budget
Budgeting is a critical and essential component of nursing and patient care. Without proper support for nurses to provide patient-centered care, the organizational mission and goals will not be met. Full-time equivalent (FTE) measures the number of employees working in an organization, assuming they all work on a full-time basis. It measures each employee’s involvement in the organization. Unit managers and CNOs must have fundamental skills and competencies to establish an FTE budget. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe various strategies used for establishing an FTE budget. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. Discuss how the unit manager or CNO elicits input into the FTE budget. Describe one software program utilized by the unit manager or CNO to formulate an FTE budget. Identify the timeline a nurse manager or CNO would utilize to plan the development of an FTE budget. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Described various strategies used for establishing an FTE budget. Examined the advantages and disadvantages of using each strategy. Discussed how the unit manager or CNO elicits input into the FTE budget. Described one software program utilized by the unit manager or CNO to formulate an FTE budget. Identified the timeline a nurse manager or CNO would utilize to plan the development of an FTE budget. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions.

Week 4 – Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Practicum I Journal Entry 3

This is your third out of six journal assignments in this course. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 4 into your practicum experience this week. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions. Identify your area of greatest learning this week. Submit your journal entry to the Journal area by Tuesday, September 26, 2017. Name your journal entry SU_NSG6620_W4_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.

Week 5 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: The Average Daily Census (ADC) and the Target Budget
One of the greatest challenges unit managers and CNOs face is predicting and working with the average daily census (ADC), particularly as it relates to the target budget. The average daily inpatient census refers to the number of patients present at the official census-taking time each day. For example, a patient admitted to the coronary care unit at 1:00 pm and who dies at 4:00 pm the same day is a patient admitted and discharged the same day. The ADC is typically calculated each night at midnight. It is a challenge to predict what the ADC will be on any given day. The target budget is targeted or predicted in the zero-based operating budget based on the previous years’ ADC. The target budget is typically projected at least one year in advance. A lot of information goes into the computation of a target budget, and there are many variances once the budget is formulated and approved. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Explain how the ADC contributes to the target budget. Describe two major challenges in determining the actual target budget and ADC. Identify two major challenges for unit managers and CNOs due to the variances between the actual target budget and the ADC. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Explained how the ADC contributes to the target budget. Described two major challenges with the actual target budget and ADC. Identified two major challenges for unit managers and CNOs due to the variances between the actual target budget and the ADC. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Return on Investment
Return on investment (ROI) is a financial performance measure used to evaluate and determine the efficiency of an investment on a number of different measures. The ROI is calculated by examining the benefit (return) of an investment divided by the cost of the investment. The result of this calculation is a percentage or a ratio. For example, the formula for ROI is as follows: ROI = (Gain from the investment – Cost of the investment) / Cost of the investment It should be noted that there is more than one way healthcare organizations may compute and calculate the ROI for a new service or product line. The ROI is not always calculated in direct dollars, but it may be calculated as the ability to contribute to the organizational mission and philosophy. For example, a nonprofit healthcare organization may want to partner with a local community endeavor and establish a free clinic with low-dollar ROI but with a tremendous feeder of new patients to primary care services within the organization. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Develop an ROI for a new project (such as the implementation of a new Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit [NICU]). Summarize the issues and challenges in formulating an accurate ROI for a new product or service line. Identify two major challenges and two major barriers for unit managers or the CNO accountable for ensuring ROI on a new product or service line. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Developed an ROI for a new project (such as the implementation of a new Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit [NICU]). Summarized the issues and challenges in formulating an accurate ROI for a new product or service line. Identified two major challenges and two major barriers for unit managers or the CNO accountable for ensuring ROI on a new product or service line. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment 2: SWOT Analysis

In W3: Assignment 2, you began preparing a SWOT analysis of your nursing department or unit based upon a selected leadership issue or topic. This week, you will finalize your SWOT analysis and submit your assignment in the format of a presentation. Week 5 Tasks Begin this assignment by incorporating the instructor’s feedback on the SWOT analysis you submitted in Week 3. Then, prepare a 6–8-slide PowerPoint presentation covering the following: Provide a brief explanation of your selected leadership issue or topic. Identify a minimum of four strengths, four weaknesses, two opportunities, and two threats for your nursing department. Provide a rationale for each. Provide a note on the relevance and implications of your SWOT analysis. Include a minimum of four peer-reviewed references in support of your note. Suggest at least one recommendation or change based on your analysis. Provide a rationale in support of your suggestion. Explain how you will use this information to create a strategic plan for your nursing department or unit. Use APA style and formatting for your assignment. Make sure to include the following in your presentation: A title and a reference slide (these do not count toward the number of slides in your assignment) Headings for each slide or section Speaker notes in support of the information in each slide Submit your assessment as a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation to the W5: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Tuesday, October 3, 2017. Name your document SU_NSG6620_W5_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.ppt. On a separate page, cite all sources using the APA format.

Week 6 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Role of the Nurse Executive
There are numerous definitions of what it means to be a nurse executive. The definition may change according to the work environment in your healthcare organization. Some literature refers to the nurse executive as a nurse administrator. The nurse executive must have knowledge, skills, and competencies that foster and promote nursing leadership within the healthcare organization. Nurse executives are in a key leadership role in healthcare organizations and have the capacity to effect positive change and promote a culture of community and excellence. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Examine the role of the nurse executive in a clinical area with staff, patients, and providers. Explain why this role is important. Explain why the nurse executive needs to delegate. What are some of the challenges nurses face during delegation? Evaluate the role of the nurse executive in succession planning for the healthcare organization. Examine the educational preparation and national certification requirements for a nurse executive. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Examined the role of the nurse executive in a clinical area with staff, patients, and providers, and explained why this role is important. Explained why the nurse executive needs to delegate. What are some of the challenges nurses face during delegation? Evaluated the role of the nurse executive in succession planning for the healthcare organization. Examined the educational preparation and national certification requirements for a nurse executive. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Characteristics of an Effective Team
As the saying goes, “There is no I in team.” There is another saying, “The whole world is a team.” These two sayings support the fact that everyone in healthcare organizations must work together for the good of patients. There is much in healthcare literature focusing on the role of high-performance teams and their impact on patient quality, patient safety, and healthcare worker satisfaction. One of the greatest “value-added” benefits of high-performance teams is the collaboration and sharing of essential information to enhance quality and patient outcomes. In modern healthcare organizations, effective teams are critical to providing patient and healthcare worker satisfaction. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe at least three characteristics of an effective team. Identify two challenges with interprofessional healthcare teams with respect to the various roles. Describe one high-performing team in which you are currently engaged or have engaged in the past. What are the reasons for the success or failure of this team? Examine how education models created for interprofessional healthcare students may develop high-performing healthcare teams. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Described at least three characteristics of an effective team. Identified two challenges with interprofessional healthcare teams with respect to the various roles. Described one high-performing team in which you are currently engaged or have engaged in the past, and explained the reasons for the success or failure of this team. Examined how education models created for interprofessional healthcare students may develop high-performing healthcare teams. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment 2: Practicum I Journal Entry 4

This is your fourth out of six journal assignments in this course. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 6 into your practicum experience this week. Identify your area of greatest learning this week. Submit your journal entry to the Journal area by Tuesday, October 10, 2017. Name your journal entry SU_NSG6620_W6_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.

Week 7 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Nurse Leader and Organizational Culture of Caring
Caring is the primary reason nurses enter the field of nursing, and the concept of caring is often thought of as the essence of nursing. Not only do nurses care for patients but they also have to care for each other. Sometimes, nurses tend to focus so much on patients and their families that they forget to care for themselves and one another. This is a major source of compassion fatigue causing nurses to leave the healthcare organization or, worse yet, to totally leave the nursing profession.

Compassion fatigue is the cumulative impact of physical, emotional, and psychological exposure to trauma, stressful events, and the care for patients or nursing colleagues who face many challenges. Compassion fatigue can sabotage nurses in healthcare organizations as it is challenging, and nurses may be harmed by the very work to which they are so devoted. Nurses must be aware of what it means to create a community within the workplace and to offer support and resources to retain nurses the organization has worked so diligently to recruit.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe the role of the nursing leader in building a community and creating joy in the workplace. How does an effective leader create an organizational culture of caring, respect, and dignity for all? Identify one strategy you would use in your own healthcare organization. Describe two negative outcomes on recruitment and retention of nurses when a culture of community does not exist in the healthcare workplace. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria: Described the role of the nursing leader in building a community and creating joy in the workplace. Explained how an effective leader creates an organizational culture of caring, respect, and dignity for all, and identified one strategy you would use in your own healthcare organization. Described two negative outcomes on recruitment and retention of nurses when a culture of community does not exist in the healthcare workplace. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Performance Appraisals and the Nursing Leader
Performance appraisal is a mechanism or strategy for sharing performance feedback with all employees based on a defined set of performance criteria. Nurses need feedback to flourish and grow as well as develop career goals and a career trajectory. Typically, there are organizational policies guiding time for and methods of performance appraisal. Performance appraisals must be conducted on a regular basis applying the organizational policy and performance appraisal guidelines. They should not be conducted as a punitive process but as a formative process to assist employees in learning and growing to become even more valuable to the healthcare organization. There are a variety of formal and informal processes for performance appraisal. The key purpose of a performance appraisal is to support and assist in professional growth.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe the role of the nursing leader related to coaching and guiding of staff during a performance appraisal. Describe the role of the nursing leader in determining performance appraisal criteria. Examine the need of the nursing leader to be a role model in giving performance improvement data for novice and experienced nurses. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria: Described the role of the nursing leader related to coaching and guiding of staff during a performance appraisal. Described the role of the nursing leader in determining performance appraisal criteria. Examined the need of the nursing leader to be a role model in giving performance improvement data for novice and experienced nurses. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment 2: Zero-Based Operational FTE Budget Draft

Typically, healthcare organizations already have a budget worksheet or spreadsheet for preparing the operational budget. The budget worksheet or spreadsheet contains information identified with an account number or a subcode depicting the cost center. This worksheet or spreadsheet is generally provided when the nurse leader begins to work on the next operational budget. This week, you will begin preparing a zero-based operational FTE budget based on the results of targeted HPPD and the previous year’s average daily census (ADC). For this assignment, you will use the operating worksheet or spreadsheet from the organization in which you are completing your Practicum I experience. Then, you will create a zero-based FTE operational budget for one year. The year may be a calendar year or fiscal year depending on your practicum setting. The purpose of this assignment is to assess your progress on the final zero-based operational FTE budget due in Week 10. This assignment provides you the opportunity to self-assess and determine any issues or challenges that need to be resolved prior to completing and submitting the final assignment. Week 7 Tasks Begin this assignment by having a discussion with your practicum preceptor. Make sure you complete the following based on your discussion: Select one nursing unit you will use for this assignment. This can be your own nursing unit in your practicum setting. Make sure you have access to the data required to complete this assignment. If the healthcare organization of your practicum setting does not have or will not share its budget worksheet or spreadsheet, then you should create your own worksheet or spreadsheet in a Microsoft Excel format. Then, write a draft budget for the nursing unit. Your final version of the FTE budget, which is due in Week 10, should include all of the components listed below. However, for this week, your instructor will assign the components that need to be completed. Prepare a draft of a zero-based operational budget that includes the following based on your selected nursing unit: Operating expenses with subcodes Description of subcodes Prior-year expenses of subcodes Original budget allocations for subcodes Annualized expense for subcodes Budget adjustments for subcodes Approved budget for subcodes Personnel costs for one nursing unit Personnel Costs for One Nursing Unit—Components The nursing personnel budget is based on the total number of hours of care needed, which is determined by patient-acuity levels. Complete the following budget calculations using the information given and add these to the zero-based operational budget as a line item and subcode. Patient-Acuity Levels HPPD (Hours Per Patient Day) 1 4.0 hours 2 6.4 hours 3 10.5 hours 4 16.0 hours The staffing formula is: (Average census x Nursing hours x 1.4 x 1.14) / 7.5 Use APA style and formatting for your assignment. Make sure to include a title and a reference section for the assignment. Submit your budget in a Microsoft Excel worksheet to the W7: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Tuesday, October 17, 2017. Name your document SU_NSG6620_W7_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.xls.

Week 8 -Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Key Attributes for Successful Communication

One of the major challenges in nursing and healthcare is learning to communicate effectively and safely with other nurses, staff, the interprofessional healthcare teams, patients, and patients’ families. Nurses and other healthcare workers are often stressed and overworked as they deal with major complexities moment-to-moment during their work hours. Nurses and nurse leaders need to have difficult conversations with staff and patients. For example, part of being an accountable nurse or leader is being a good communicator and having critical conversations even when the conversations involve giving bad news or feedback for improvement. Communication is a powerful skill and a competency that is an integral part of every nurse leader’s role. It is not enough just to communicate; the challenge in a twenty-first-century healthcare organization is to communicate effectively in written words, through body language, and by being mentally and emotionally present during every conversation. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe the key attributes of successful communication and relationship management strategies. Describe the role of the nurse leader in improving communication to enhance nursing professionalism. Identify two challenges you face when communicating during a conflict. Discuss communication strategies you would use as a nurse leader to terminate an employee who has violated the organizational policy. Describe how being emotional during a communication involving conflict can be ineffective and compromise successful communication. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Described the key attributes of successful communication and relationship management strategies. Described the role of the nurse leader in improving communication to enhance nursing professionalism. Identified two challenges you face when communicating during a conflict. Discussed communication strategies you would use as a nurse leader to terminate an employee who has violated the organizational policy. Described how being emotional during a communication involving conflict can be ineffective and compromise successful communication. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Decision Making

Decision making is a skill and a competency nurse leaders must use in every act, word, and deed. A decision involves making a choice between alternatives, and it really is an act of choosing the best plan of action given the information at hand at the time the decision is made. Nurse leaders must be decisive as a decision leads to a definitive plan of action. Some decisions must be taken immediately and others may allow a bit more time. An important concept to remember with respect to decision making is that not making a decision or taking any action is also a decision. Considering this, nurse leaders must be attentive to every detail. For example, if there is no decision to honor the organizational policy regarding unacceptable behavior or action of an employee, the unacceptable behavior or action is then condoned or perceived as acceptable and may occur again. Nurse leaders’ decisions drive actions! Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe the importance of making data-driven decisions. Explain a decision your current or former nurse leader made and how this decision impacted the healthcare organization. As a nurse leader, you have received information about an executive administrative decision from the board of trustees that you believe is likely to be unpopular. Formulate a plan to share this decision with the nursing staff. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment 2: Practicum I Journal Entry 5

This is your fifth out of six journal assignments in this course. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 8 into your practicum experience this week. Identify your area of greatest learning this week. Submit your journal entry to the Journal area by Tuesday, October 24, 2017. Name your journal entry SU_NSG6620_W8_A2_LastName_FirstInitial

Week 9 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Patient Safety

High-performing teams in healthcare organizations are the key to success in creating cultures of quality and safety. A high-performing team that works collaboratively enhances communication and patient safety. Healthcare teams that are not high performing and do not work well together are actually a liability in patient safety. For example, it is apparent to patients and their families when healthcare teams are not working collaboratively and communicating with each other. Kaiser Permanente has developed a framework of communication that healthcare staff can use to communicate about their patients, called the situation-background-assessment-recommendation (SBAR) technique (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d.). This technique can be used to foster a culture of teamwork and patient safety.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Discuss the role of the nurse leader in fostering and promoting initiatives related to patient safety. Examine the relationship between patient safety and high-performing interprofessional healthcare teams. Discuss how the use of communication strategies like SBAR improves the high-performing interprofessional healthcare teams. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria:

Discussed the role of the nurse leader in fostering and promoting initiatives related to patient safety. Examined the relationship between patient safety and high-performing interprofessional healthcare teams. Discussed how the use of communication strategies like SBAR improves the high-performing interprofessional healthcare teams. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Quality of Care
There are many variables influencing the definition of quality of care. For example, patients and their families may perceive quality in one way and the healthcare provider may perceive quality of care in a much different manner. In assessing quality of care, the nurse leader must create a culture of quality through the structures, processes, and outcomes in the healthcare organization. It is only through commitment and the creation of a culture of quality and safety that healthcare organizations in the twenty-first century can succeed and excel.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Explain the relationship between quality of care and Medicare reimbursement. Summarize two contemporary external influences to the healthcare organization that are impacting reimbursement to healthcare organizations based on quality of care. Describe one strategy your current or former healthcare organization uses to assess and measure quality of care. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria:

Explained the relationship between quality of care and Medicare reimbursement. Summarized two contemporary external influences to the healthcare organization that are impacting reimbursement to healthcare organizations based on quality of care. Described one strategy your current or former healthcare organization uses to assess and measure quality of care. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment 2: Practicum I Journal Entry 6

This is your sixth and final journal assignment. Write a 300–500-word journal entry covering the following: Identify two or three goals for this week that you have established for yourself related to Practicum I. Review and reflect on how you met these goals this week. Explain how you integrated two concepts or content areas from Week 9 into your practicum experience this week. Identify your area of greatest learning this week. Submit your journal entry to the Journal area by Tuesday, October 31, 2017. Name your journal entry SU_NSG6620_W9_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.

Week 10 – Assignment 1 Discussion – NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions

Discussion Question 1: Ethical Dilemmas and Nurse Leaders

Almost every day, nurse leaders confront challenges or issues involving ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas occur with respect to staff, patients and their families, or the business or strategic decisions made by the healthcare administration. One of the essential skills and competencies of twenty-first-century nurse leaders is the ability to peel away the layers of each ethical dilemma and determine the underlying ethical principle. There are numerous ethical decision-making models, and it truly does not matter to which model the nurse leader subscribes. However, it does matter that the nurse leader applies concepts of an ethical decision-making model in this executive leadership capacity.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Explain the various steps that nurse leaders can take to prepare themselves and staff nurses for dealing effectively with dilemmas arising from the clash between clinical and organizational ethics. Identify one ethical decision-making model that is of interest to you for identifying ethical dilemmas. What is an ethical principle? How you would apply an ethical principle in your current or a former setting to inform ethical decision making on a particular healthcare issue? Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria: Explained the various steps that nurse leaders can take to prepare themselves and staff nurses for dealing effectively with dilemmas arising from the clash between clinical and organizational ethics. Identified one ethical decision-making model that is of interest to you for identifying ethical dilemmas. Described what an ethical principle is, and how you would apply an ethical principle in your current or a former setting to inform ethical decision making on a particular healthcare issue. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Discussion Question 2: Care Models and the Nurse Leader
There are many ways to organize and deliver nursing care to individual patients and groups of patients. Groups of patients with similar symptoms or like disease diagnoses are referred to as aggregates. There are many different ways nurse leaders organize and determine how the work should be distributed for individuals and aggregate patient populations. Regardless of the care model selected, nurse leaders have many variables to balance to find the right care model that meets and satisfies all key stakeholders. For example, it is not enough to use a care model that meets the nurses’ needs and preferences; finding the balance between comprehensive patient care and satisfaction and nurse satisfaction is required. Patients must have their healthcare needs met and be satisfied, and nurses must be satisfied and want to work in the healthcare organization.

Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe the role of the nurse leader in determining the model of care. Describe a model of care and include the pros and cons of this model in your description. Examine the benefit and return on investment to patient quality and outcomes as a result of implementing a model of care. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions. Explain the human and financial resources needed to implement a selected nursing model of care. Comment on the postings of at least two peers.

Evaluation Criteria: Described the role of the nurse leader in determining the model of care. Described a model of care and included the pros and cons of this model. Examined the benefit and return on investment to patient quality and outcomes as a result of implementing a model of care. Explained the human and financial resources needed to implement a selected nursing model of care. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

Assignment 2: Zero-Based Operational FTE Budget

In Week 7 NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions, you began preparing a zero-based operational FTE budget draft for your nursing unit. This week, you will finalize your budget and submit your assignment in the format of a Microsoft Excel worksheet. Week 10 Tasks Begin this assignment by incorporating the instructor’s feedback on the worksheet you submitted in Week 7. Then, finalize your zero-based operational FTE budget, and ensure that it covers the following: Identify and describe the selected nursing unit on which the zero-based operational FTE budget is performed. What is the type of service provided by the nursing unit (for example, fifteen-bed intensive care unit or twenty-bed oncology unit)? Finalize the budget worksheet or spreadsheet with subcodes. Make sure to include the following: NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions. Operating expenses with subcodes Description of subcodes Prior-year expenses of subcodes Original budget allocations for subcodes Annualized expense for subcodes Budget adjustments for subcodes Approved budget for subcodes Personnel costs for one nursing unit Use APA style and formatting for your assignment. Make sure to include a title and a reference section for the assignment. Submit your budget in a Microsoft Excel worksheet to the W10: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Name your document SU_NSG6620_W10_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.xls. NSG6620 Practicum I: Quantitative Skills in Nursing Administration Essay Assignments Discussions.

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