Week 8: What Did You Learn
Reflecting on this course, consider and answer the following questions: How do you envision
using the AACN essentials and information learned in this course to identify, guide, and evaluate
your practicum project? How do you envision using the concepts learned in this course in your
future nursing practice?
1. What I Learned:
The nine essentials from the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) that were
integrated into our learning in this class will definitely reflect in my practice when I start my
practicum project, which will then reflect in my future nursing practice as a family nurse
practitioner. The essentials are the core to my success as a Master’s prepared nurse pursuing the
family nurse practitioner track. I learned skills to be a true leader, a scholar through evidence-
based practice, the importance of a person-centered care, the importance of caring, importance of
change in a workplace, and importance of workplace civility. All of this knowledge learned
integrates into one another with the end result being providing the best care possible to my
patients and their family members.
As a family nurse practitioner, I must start with being a good leader for leaders are role models
who establish the “moral tone” and are the “moral compass” for the environment (Ellis, 2016, p.
58). The environment is a reflection of the leader. If one’s environment becomes affected by
incivility, it is because it was allowed. Self-reflection would allow for colleagues to understand
the moral and ethical behaviors. Self-awareness reflects one’s beliefs, values, and feelings, for
these attributes influence our behaviors towards others (Rasheed, 2015). As a scholarly nurse
pursuing the family nurse practitioner track my priority is on patient-centered care, which
incorporates holistic care, and treating individuals with the best treatment through evidenced-
based practice. Evidence-based practice leads to change in a health care system; thus, it is
understood how healthcare systems are complex environments continuously changing in order to
evolve to reflect best practices. As a scholar, evidence-based practice is the process of
researching best practices, learning, being inquisitive, and implementing the changes to yield
positive patient outcomes (Stevens, 2013). One takes into consideration the entire person by
integrating all aspects of their life and realizing their uniqueness and individuality, consisting of
values, cultural beliefs, and mannerisms influenced by their environment, experiences, traditions
and family (Kitson, 2004). This concept is to be used for treating one’s employees as well.
Happy employees equal heathy environments which yields positive outcomes.
References
Kitson, A. (2004, December). The whole person. Nursing Standards, 19(12), 14-15. Retrieved
from https://proxy.chamberlain.edu:8443/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8443/docview/219827600?accountid=147674
,Stevens, K.R. (2013). The impact of evidence-based practice in nursing and the next big ideas.
Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 18(2), 1. Advance online publication. doi:
10.3912/OJIN.Vol18No02Man04
Ellis, P. (2016). Leadership skills: the ethically active manager. Wounds UK, 12(1), 58-
60. Retrieved from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8080/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
vid=2&sid=31aaf26c-4078-417d-8ab4-7c3099f31d09%40sessionmgr104
Rasheed, S. P. (2015). Self-awareness as a therapeutic tool for nurse/client
relationship. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(1), 211-216. Retrieved from
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
vid=2&sid=d9334b41-05e8-4f62-b0b7-70622b17c7d7%40sessionmgr4008
2.Dr. Walker and Fellow Classmates,
The AACN essential envisioned to be identified, guided, and evaluated for my practicum project
would be essential number II, organizational and systems leadership. As a master’s-prepared
future family nurse practitioner, I would like to push myself to strengthen my leadership skills
as well as provide a treatment plan that is safe and effective for any all and all patients that are
under my care. Applying the AACN essentials learned in this course along with the future
courses, will be used as a guide to enhance my knowledge and as a reference tool, all the
master’s essentials will continue to be helpful throughout the duration of my career. As a
master’s-prepared nurse, I will be equipped with valuable knowledge and skills to identify,
evaluate, and treat cases that are presented. AACN, (20100), states, “These students bring a
unique blend of knowledge, judgement, skills, and caring to the team”, (p. 11). This is what
leadership is about not only will I impact staff members, but patients and families as well.
Applying evidence –based practice to support my career practices along with the use of scholarly
sources will help me seek various changes at the system level, be a patient advocate, improve the
quality of care, and be an effective communicator. Schub, (2106), stated, “Structured programs
can promote an engaged workforce and a culture of accountability”, (p.1). With the concepts
learned in this course. I hope that they will all help me in some way to grow in all the areas
needed and my skills will become enhanced by the use of the essentials as a family nurse
practitioner. Particular areas of concern that will help me to improve upon when using the
concepts are formatting APA, the use of scholarly sources, and improving on analyzing data
research. The envisioned concepts will help for me to provide a safe and healthy environment for
staff and patients along with rendering quality care and obtaining positive outcomes.
References
American Associations of Colleges of Nursing. (2011). “The essentials of master's education in
nursing”. Retrieved from
http://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/MastersEssentials11.
, Schub, E.B., & Mennella, H.A. (2016). “Nursing leadership development”. CINAHL Nursing
Guide.
Week 8: What did you learn
I was expecting a very basic introduction class for getting back into school but lo and behold I
learned some things! The discussion questions have already provided me with guidance for a
subject of what I would like to do for my practicum project and reviewing the number of
professional, peer reviewed journals has provided glimpses into how the research can be
conducted and the types of conclusions I will be expected to provide at the end of the project.
Research has always been my weak point in school, finding and referencing information is
tedious and does not hold my attention the same way it does some others and while I enjoy
writing papers on subjects that I have passion and interest for, finding the research and
supporting information is time consuming and difficult. This class helped me to overcome that
view a little, forcing me to use and explore research resources and gain an appreciation for them.
The AACN concepts that we explored through these weeks will help me to create an educational
concept for student nurses that has a founding in a greater number of areas needed for a well-
rounded nurse. The concepts coincide very well with the World Health Organizations nurse
educator 8 competencies for a nurse educator in order to educate nurses to provide better patient
results (World Health Organization 2016).
Resources
World Health Organization (2016). Nurse educator core competencies. Geneva, Switzerland:
WHO Press. Retrieved from: http://who.int/hrh/nursing_midwifery/nurse_educator050416.pdf
4.
The AACN essentials are a guide for master’s prepared advanced nurses. Each one will play a
role in an advanced nurses’ job throughout his/her future career. As for me, I will utilize each
one to the best of my ability to identify, guide, and evaluate my practicum project. I envision
using the AACN essentials as an outline for my practicum project. The first essential is about
background. This is what can be used to identify and research on my practicum project.
Essentials 2,3, 5, 6, and 7 can be used as a guide. For evaluation, essential four and nine can be
used. These two essentials are about understanding, researching and putting things into
practice.
In the first discussion of this course, we discussed the value of a master’s prepared nurse and
how education is important. In my future nursing practice, I envision continuously keeping
myself educated. As stated in week 2, I want to implement policies that look at the patient
physically, psychologically, sociologically, developmentally, spiritually, and culturally. Having
good communication and utilizing the ten common professional nursing values to be a good
nurse executive. Halfway through the course, we learned about leadership. As a future nurse
executive, I envision having weekly meetings with staff to evaluate the floor and staff. Also, I
envision pursuing the topic discussed in week 5 about chronic disease patients returning to the
hospital for the same condition within 30 days. In week 6, we learned about complex adaptive
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