...“Since 1973 advocacy has been considered a major component of nursing practice - politically, socially, professionally, and academically” (Selanders & Crane, 2012). With the complexity of today’s health issues, coupled with co-morbidities, multiple readmissions, and lack of understanding of diagnoses and medications, it is more important than ever that nurses advocate for their patients. Nurses are usually the first and last person a patient interacts with in the hospital or outpatient setting. They are also the person patients have the most contact with during their stay in the hospital and patients tend to express their concerns more openly with nurses then they do with anyone else. It’s up to the nurse to then advocate for the patient...
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...practice to the full scope of their professional role”( Lucas et.al. 2008). Innovation leader with effective communication ability and EI are great listeners, read their environment well and observant of the stakeholders by “sensing the moods, dynamics, attitudes, values and concerns of those being communicated with”(Myatt, 2012). Innovate leaders have often changed agents who must now have the trait of high emotional intelligence to be aware of how others will react emotionally to changes through the reading of environment, observation of team members and stakeholders prior to implementing the innovative change”(Myatt, 2012; Lucas et.al. 2008). The quote "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." illustrates the importance of being an emotionally intelligent leader. According to studies, Leaders who are emotionally intelligent foster safe environments, where employees and stakeholders feel comfortable to participate in organizational collaborations. Conflict resolution Conflict is a topic many leader and managers are faced with on a daily basis and the ability to manage this topic in the workplace will affect the work environment greatly. Conflict can cause tension in the workplace and often produces poor professional outcomes(Lipcamon, 2014). Nursing leaders and managers spend between 25 and 40 percent of their time dealing with conflict, according to various surveys and estimates. According to, R Becerro de Bengoa Vallejo (2012) - Conflict resolution...
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...The third objective that relates to the book is Objective 5 – “Integrate advocacy skills in the influence of public policy.” The ultimate premise of the book was that there needs to be transparency and accountability in healthcare. Currently the healthcare system is broken and burdening our families, businesses and national debt (Makary, 2012). Through transparency, however, we can empower consumers to make the practice of medicine more honest, address the cost crisis, and make hospitals accountable to the delivery of safer care. Advocacy is an important role nurses must take for their patients. One example Makary (2012) provided was a nurse who will administer a medicine even if she believes it was ordered incorrectly, because that hospital...
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...nursing provides a context to understand current practice is by, recognizing the nursing theories and framework set up prior nurses. We learn from Florence Nightingale, Dorothea Lynde Dix, Mary Mahoney, and other great nursing professionals of nursing practices performed in the past and how it evolved overtime. For example Florence Nightingale’s ascertainment and research contributed to development of environmental theory. It states, “the incidence of disease is related to ...the want of fresh air, or of light, or of warmth, or of quiet or of cleanliness.” (Selanders & Crane). The theory incorporated the recovery of the patient into the delivery of the healthcare. The patient not only needs medication but a clean sanitary environment for recovery. The environmental theory is still widely practiced in every hospital and medical center today demonstrating patient comfort. There were many trends in nursing practice demonstrated by the interactive timeline, the first one I choose was by Alexain Brothers in 14th century. He helped those suffering from black death, at that time primary nursing care was given by men. It is surprise to me, because predominate nurses are female in today’s society. After reading this article it has definitely changed my perspective of nursing, it feels great to know that male nurses also helped and contributed in the foundation of nursing. The second trend I choose was by St. Vincent De Paul, He helped the most abandoned and the poor requiring medical...
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...for that individual. Apart from knowledge of medicine, there are vital characteristics that a nurse must possess in order to be effective in their plan of care for patients. My philosophy of nursing incorporates three characteristics that I feel are vital to superior nursing care. In this paper I will express the values I feel are necessary when providing care for patients. In order to be an effective nurse, I feel that one must have remarkable communication skills, they have to be a good listener, they must have an inordinate sense of empathy, and they must possess patient advocacy. If one lacks in any of these areas, then their knowledge of just medicine is meaningless and their patient care will be ineffective. In regards to the nature of human beings, people rely on trustful and understanding relationships. These relationships require a nurse to have remarkable communication skills. According to Whitehead, communication is integral to a nurse’s ability to develop a therapeutic relationship with patients/clients. Communication is defined as “a two-way process--- sending the right message that is also being correctly received and understood by the other person” (Tay, Hegney, & Ang, 2011). If a nurse goes into a patient’s room and speaks only medical terms and doesn’t establish a relationship with that patient through effective communication, this could be a barrier to the effectiveness of that nurse’s...
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...School Fall, 2011 Articles 1. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Support/end-of-life-care 2. http://www.loisgreenlearningcommunity.org/ < Compare and Contrast: The National Cancer Institute’s End of Life Care Questions and Answers on their website are written more the for caregiver or patient and describe what end of life care refers to. It’s formally written and describes each step or phase of care from initial diagnoses of end of life approaching or withdrawal of life saving measures such as chemotherapy to knowing when the patient has passed. It describes ways to take care of a patient at the end of life and when to call for professional help. It’s mainly geared toward the caregiver and really addresses all issues in providing care no matter how minor. The priority here is the well being and education of the non-professional care taker and the patient. The Lois Green Learning Community is an online resource for health professionals and a community to share experiences and also take care of yourself by doing so. It’s a place to blog or unwind about an experience, there are many resources listed for certification for palliative care and how to treat patients. It’s written with a very open and warm way and it’s a safe place to share your experiences, not formal and official like the NCI website. Communities like this are very important for health professionals to have a place to talk openly about experience which have a huge impact personally and learn from...
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...Mariani, B. (n.d.). The Effect of Mentoring on Career Satisfaction of Registered Nurses and Intent to Stay in the Nursing Profession. Nursing Research and Practice, 1-9. Mentoring plays a crucial role in the growth and development of novice nurses. It provides a way for the experienced nurses to give back to the profession and helps them play a significant role in the formulation of a new nurses’ career. Mentors offer knowledge, encouragement, support, guidance, and friendship to the next generation of caregivers. In her study, Marian wanted to see if there was a connection between mentoring, job satisfaction, and retention. Practicing nurses were selected randomly to be mailed surveys to complete regarding mentoring and its’ effect on job satisfaction and nursing retention. There were limitations and flaws in this study making it difficult to determine its validity. For one, the rate of returned surveys did not reach the study’s target goal of 60%. The responses were uneven between nurses who had participated in mentoring and those who did not. Also nurses dissatisfied with their careers may not have responded, and even with defined terms included, participants may have been confused with precepting, mentoring, and protégé. Although this survey study did not show any relationship between mentoring, job satisfaction, and retention, it did establish that mentoring continues throughout the profession on a routine basis. Mariani thinks this suggests that future studies should...
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...attention to health disparities as it is an emerging crisis worldwide. The theoretical article identifies three problems that are prevalent in tackling health inequities: (1) not knowing the difference between health disparities and health inequities; (2) insufficient knowledge regarding policy advocacy and (3) “societal barriers and constraints within the nursing profession” (Reutter & Kushner, 2010, p. 278). Primary Health Care (PHC) is a social justice model conceptualized by Alma- Ata Declaration with the intention of reducing health disparities (WHO, 1978). The purpose of PHC was to achieve “health for all the people … by the year 2000” (WHO, 1978, p. 5). Reutter and Kushner (2010) elucidate that it...
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...Student Name Lecturer’s Name Course Name and Number Date Submitted Bipolar disorder Description Bipolar disorder is a major health concern that has drawn interest from the general public, media and the scientific community over the past decade. Bipolar disorder, sometimes referred to as manic-depressive illness is a neurological disorder that causes anomalous changes in energy, mood and ability to function in an individual. The disorder distorts moods and thoughts, interferes with rational thought and incites dreadful behaviors in an individual. Bipolar disorder symptoms often lead to deteriorating results at school and work, damaged relationships and sometimes suicide (Treatment Advocacy Centre 1). Bipolar patients experience moods swings ranging from the lows of depression; extreme sadness, hopelessness and loss of interest in most activities to the highs of mania when one feels full of energy and euphoric. Bipolar disorder is neither a viral, fungal, parasitic nor bacterial disease the disorder is not caused by any pathogen. The disorder is not infectious and cannot be spread from one person to another. Bipolar comordities are classified as either medical or psychiatric. Some of the common comordities of bipolar disorder include Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Anxiety disorders, substance disorder, obesity and metabolic syndrome (Furham and Anthony 254). Epidemiology National Institute of Mental Health (1) estimates that Bipolar disorder affects 5.7 million...
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...humanity and improving the standards of health care paved the way to a dynamic profession. She consistently worked hard to improve the living conditions of the sick and the wounded soldiers by providing skilled nursing care during the Crimean War. This led to the initiation of the "apprentice model" which provided the grounds for skill nursing. She was the founder of the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in London, where nursing students would learn about patient care, importance of good hygiene and sanitary conditions. Many nursing leaders such as Dorothy Dix, Clara Bartan, Harriet Tubman, Lillian Wald, etc. played a major role in shaping the nursing profession (Creasia & Frieberg,2001). One of the most valuable trend that has influenced my nursing practice is nursing advocacy. Florence Nightingale utilized her most effective advocacy skills to promote nursing and prove that it is an integral component of health care. Today, I practice the advocacy skills in many forms. When a patient needs my help to understand the plan of care, to bring attention to the potential medication error, to provide safety to prevent injury or fall, and to get the patient's voice heard. Another trend that has an impact in the nursing practice is the establishment of the community health nursing. One of the pioneers of Public Health Nursing was Lillian Wald. She closely witnessed the poor and unhygienic conditions of the immigrants and transformed their needs into an opportunity...
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...HOSPICE NETTAH NDUNGU Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Nursing Hospice Hospice is a comprehensive, medically directed, team oriented program of care that emphasizes pain control and symptom management rather than curative treatment. It directs acceptance of death as a natural part of life and addresses the psychological and spiritual needs of the patient and family. This paper will outline the history of hospice, the effect it has on healthcare today, why it is important to nursing, how nursing is impacted by the availability of hospice services, and finally, what nursing has done to affect change related to hospice. History of Hospice Hospice was first applied to specialized care for dying patients by Dr. Dame Cicely Saunders, who started working with the terminally ill in 1948 (NHCPO, 2015). Dr. Saunders later created the first modern hospice – St. Christopher’s Hospice in a residential suburb in London. Her approach was later introduced to healthcare professionals and chaplains in the U.S in 1963 during a lecture at Yale University. In 1969 Elizabeth Kubler-Ross contributed to the idea of hospice centered care in her book: On Death and Dying which highlighted the five stages of dying and a plea for home care as opposed to treatment in an institutional setting. In 1978, the United States’ Department of Health, Education and Welfare Task Force acknowledged the hospice concept as a means of providing more humane care for America’s terminally...
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...Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. Many of the provisions of the law directly affect health care providers. Review the following online resources: 1. Key Features of the Affordable Care Act: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/timeline/index.html 2. Health Care Transformation: the Affordable Care Act and More: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/HealthSystemReform/AffordableCareAct.pdf What are the most important elements of the Affordable Care Act in relation to community and public health? What is the role of the nurse in implementing this law? The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided many positive changes in the course of health care reform. Some of the most important elements include the ability to obtain preventative services such as colonoscopies or mammograms without copays, deductibles, or secondary insurance. Insurance companies can no longer rescind services when a health care claim is made or deny coverage to children under the age of 19 with a pre-existing condition. Patients can now appeal insurance company decisions and federal grants were established to help states set up independent offices to help consumers navigate the private health insurance system. These programs also help consumers file complaints and appeals, enroll in health coverage, and get educated about their rights and responsibilities in group health plans or individual health insurance policies (U.S. Department of Health...
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...vast experience are stepping forward and motivated to take part in advocacy roles. This movement is initiating a great wave of change in nursing world and how nurses influence a change in policies, regulations and law that oversee the health care system. Nurses stepping into this arena requires great deal of courage and knowledge on how the policies and politics interchange hands to implement a major change in health care system. The nurses who step up into this role should have the will, power and with power comes responsibility to negotiate through the legal system. Methods to advocate for health Nurses taking part in advocacy is not new anymore, but what advocacy means is still a mystery in nursing world. Great theorist like Florence Nightingale and her efforts, did influence other nurses throughout the nursing profession to step out of the box and shape the health system, where discover, heal and teach remains the core motto. Nurses throughout the world in some shape or form initiated policy recommendations, represented their view through vote, and proposed changes through proposals, this paved the roadway to implementation of health policies that runs parallel with nurses, who are the front end of the this profession. Patient’s safety depends on nurse advocacy. Nurses in all levels and roles have a duty to patient safety and are responsible for the patients’ health. To be effective in advocacy efforts, the nurse...
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...and aboard, to aid state and city governments and people such as the poor through funding programs, and to encourage social goals. A policy established and carried out by the government goes through several stages from inception to conclusion. These are agenda building, implementation, evaluation, and termination (cliff notes). According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) stakeholders is define as persons or group that have vested interest in a clinical decision and the evidence that supports that decision. Stakeholders may be patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, advocacy groups, professional societies, businesses, policy makers or other, also each groups has a unique and valuable perspective. Consumers, patients, caregivers, and patient advocacy organization has a different perspective on stakeholders, to them it is vital to research answer the question of the importance to those experiencing situation that required research to address the issue. These stakeholders are more of the question and answer type such as which aspect of an illness is the most concern? Which features of a treatment make the most difference? Which kinds of presentation of research results are easiest to understand and act upon? Clinicians and their associates are the heart of medical decision-making. Where there is a...
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...Health Advocacy Campaign Development Tiffany E. Snowden Walden University NURS 5050/6050 Section 06, Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health February 8, 2015 Health Advocacy Campaign Development Living a long, thriving and healthy life is a vision many Americans strive to make a reality. Unfortunately, many are deprived of that dream because of smoking and tobacco use. It is estimated that approximately 16 million Americans suffer from a disease as a result of smoking in addition to the one in five deaths that occur annually from smoking (Smoking & Tobacco Use, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to describe the population affected by smoking, summarize the attributes of two successful health advocacy programs and develop a successful health advocacy campaign for smoking. Smoking and the Affected Population Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the nation (Smoking & Tobacco Use, 2014). There are many reasons that an individual chooses to partake in tobacco use including stress and peer pressure. In 2012, with an estimated 42.1 million Americans aged 18 years or older, approximately 18% of the adult population was cigarette smokers (Smoking & Tobacco Use, 2014). Aside from adult users, it is estimated that more than 3,200 adolescents smoke their first cigarette on a daily basis (Smoking & Tobacco Use, 2014). According to the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report, approximately 9 out of 10 smokers initiate smoking by the...
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