1. Larsson & Sahlsen (2016) identified 5 descriptive categories that describe registered nurses’ perceptions of what it entails to be a leader at the bedside inpatient care. Read the article included and reflect on the 5 descriptive categories while contemplating your own role in your current position. Do you believe this article provides an accurate representation of leadership at the bedside? Please support your answer with evidence including personal experiences.

2. Reflective practice in health care is a tool nurses can use to gain insight into self-knowledge and growth (Palmer, 2007). Reflection provides focused opportunities to discover personal meanings gained from professional nursing educational courses and interaction with peers and faculty. Please reflect and thoughtfully respond to your initial response to the introductory question: What do you hope to learn from this course?

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Solution

All Nurses are Leaders

1. Larsson & Sahlsten (2016) identified 5 descriptive categories that describe registered nurses’ perceptions of what it entails to be a leader at the bedside inpatient care. Read the article included and reflect on the 5 descriptive categories while contemplating your own role in your current position. Do you believe this article provides an accurate representation of leadership at the bedside?  Please support your answer with evidence including personal experiences.

Larsson and Sahlsten (2016) provide an accurate representation of leadership at the bedside. Firstly, nurses must be able to demonstrate clinical knowledge in terms of interpreting nursing principles and ensuring that they are personalized for the case. For instance, a nurse should be able to assess the condition of the patient, administer medication, update the records, provide emotional support and educate the patients. Secondly, nurses must be able to establish a good atmosphere for collaboration with a focus on engendering mutual trust, having the courage to be honest, and involving other medical personnel. This is important since there are specialties in medical care, and each specialty brings in a unique perspective with the combination of specialties ensuring the best care is delivered. Thirdly, nurses must be able to consciously structure their work to ensure that the best possible nursing care is delivered. This requires good organizational skills to ensure that duties and responsibilities are orders based on priority so that no care aspects are late, overlooked or ignored. Fourthly, nurses must customize their presence in the practice work according to predetermined prerequisites. This aspect focuses on ensuring that care is personalized for the patient through consulting the patient with every decision and ensuring that cultural values are incorporated and the patient makes informed choices when called upon. Finally, nurses must monitor the professional practice of their coworkers. The outcomes of bedside care delivery are the combination of the efforts of nurses and other medical personnel. This implies that if nurses are to ensure the best outcomes, then they must keep a close watch on other medical personnel to ensure that their efforts are synergistic and not counterproductive (Raingruber, 2017).

2. Reflective practice in health care is a tool nurses can use to gain insight into self-knowledge and growth (Palmer, 2007). Reflection provides focused opportunities to discover personal meanings gained from professional nursing educational courses and interaction with peers and faculty. Please reflect and thoughtfully respond to your initial response to the introductory question: What do you hope to learn from this course?

I hope to learn nursing skills and knowledge from the course. The course content is based on a standardized approved nursing education curriculum that is targeted at ensuring that all who complete the course gain the ability to be competent nurses. In addition to improving my competence as a nurse, I am hoping to form professional networks. The coursework includes students and faculty members, all individuals who can help me to build a successful nursing career. The linkages I form through the course will allow me to gain access to career opportunities, such as job openings and nursing specialties that I can pursue. Besides that, I hope to gain the qualifications to practice as a nurse. In completing the course, I would have met the requirements for registration as a nurse and permission to practice within the public domain (McEwen & Wills, 2018).

References

Larsson, I. E., & Sahlsten, M. J. M. (2016). The Staff Nurse Clinical Leader at the Bedside: Swedish Registered Nurses’ Perceptions. Nursing Research and Practice, 2016, 1797014. https://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/1797014

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. (2018). Theoretical Basis for Nursing (5^th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Raingruber, B. (2017). Contemporary Health Promotion in Nursing Practice (2^nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.