Exploring the Leadership Practice Experience - DNUR 415

Importance of examining traditional practice in the current healthcare climate

In the existing climate of fiscal accountability and demand for measurable outcomes it is important to examine our traditional practice to ensure that they are both cost efficient and that they result in optimal patient outcomes. Leadership plays a pivotal role in nursing and healthcare change  (Canadian  Nurses Association  [CNA],  2002).  Nurses  in  all  domains  of  practice  and  at different  levels  are  obliged  to  maximize  their  leadership  potential  to  ensure  best practice. Furthermore, nurses have a responsibility to ask questions and not to accept the status quo, in order to initiate efforts to achieve desired changes in healthcare.

Practice reflection and leadership are two of the hallmarks of professional nursing that you wil continue to develop as you engage in both this course and in your other baccalaureate courses. In this lesson, you are asked to reflect on an area of practice that relates to the topics in the course modules.The content here and what is expected to emerge in the discussion forum, are designed to align with more formalized ways we reflect on practice in order to develop deeper self-awareness of our own leadership abilities and to increase our confidence in sharing our leadership experiences and learning with others.

Upon completion of Lesson 1.2 you should be able to discuss and/or demonstrate:

-Anacceptanceof responsibility and accountability for professional practice and development

-Empowerment  of nurses through leadership qualities and skills  in a variety  of practice settings

-The leadership skills that positively impact health

-Critical thinking in nursing practice, while anticipating and responding to the realities of healthcare delivery

-Theevidencebase for a nursing leadership practice via an exploration of personal experience that is connected to the literature

-The role of nurse managers in leadership. 

The leadership practice experience paper is a component of DNUR 415 that provides an opportunity for you to foster self-directed and reflective learning, creativity, leadership, independence, self-confidence, and responsibility. This portion of the course relies fundamentally  on  self-reflection  and  self-evaluation,  and  hopefully  fosters  professional  and personal leadership while using critical and analytical thinking skills to evaluate your own leadership experience and style.

Thinking about your own practice area, select a previous or current leadership practice experience that reflects some of the general objectives of DNUR 415. This experience can either be one that you experienced recently or are currently experiencing in your place of practice. For example1:

-You may have developed/are developing a policy in your workplace,

-You may have developed a teaching tool that is being used by staff,

-You may have been/ are on a committee that is implementing change in your institution (a new model of care),

-You may have conducted research in a specific area in your workplace,

-You may have been a preceptor for student nurses or new staff, or

-You may have taken a leadership role in a workplace committee.

The  following  is  a  list  of  examples  of  nursing  practice  leadership  experiences  that  could  be selected;  these  are  by  no  means  exclusive.  Any  topic  for  the  paper  that  demonstrates  your leadership in nursing practice is acceptable. Note that a leadership perspective is required.

An example of  an  interesting  paper  would  be your participation in a Nursing Council at your place of work and you trying to facilitate change. Helping staff nurses and/or yourself develop the skill, knowledge, and characteristics to be involved in participatory management (a leadership perspective is required).

You  would  work  with  that  particular  group  and  you compare  values  related  to  health-illness  caring  beliefs  and  practices,  identifying  with clients’ situations requiring improvement, and develop and implement a plan for change.

You have taken the initiative to plan, implement, and evaluate a continuing education program/project for a group of nurses, clients, or individuals interested in health promotion,  disease  prevention,  or  those seeking to improve their understanding of existing pathology, based on their self-identified learning needs.

You have been part of a project/study to determine whether or not  nurses  should  be  appointed  to  hospital  and  other  health-related  boards  in  your jurisdiction.  You  have  developed  a  plan  and  implemented  strategies  to  follow  up  on findings. What were some of the successes and challenges of the project/study?