TASK 2: Professional Portfolio Creation of Professional Mission Statement

My mission as a student nurse is to gain knowledge and skills that can aid in the delivery of competent and compassionate care to patients. I want to be a nurse who can positively influence the health of patients through proper decision making and the use of appropriate interventions according to the individual needs of the patient. I believe that all patients should be treated equally with respect to their decisions including their families. I aspire to deliver high-quality care using evidence-based practice and take part in making decisions affecting patient care as a nurse leader. To achieve these goals, I plan to further my education so that I can be able to become a nurse manager or leader capable of making decisions in healthcare.

Reflection of Professional Mission Statement

The provided mission statement describes three key areas that I will like to focus on; advanced nursing education, nursing leadership, and the use of the evidence-based practice. Throughout my career, I plan to advance my education to a Master’s or doctoral level so that I can gain more knowledge on nursing care delivery and aspects of policy. Through advanced education, I will be able to assume leadership positions where I will directly make decisions that can improve nursing care. While practicing as a nurse leader, I believe the utilization of evidence-based practices today is crucial to the improvement of nursing outcomes. I will ensure to engage in research to understand more about the implementation of new practices and the aspects of quality in healthcare. Additionally, understanding the ethical parameters in nursing research and care delivery is my goal to ensure that I maintain good relationships with the patients and colleagues.

 E-Portfolio Representation of a Learning and Healthcare Professional

Competence in nursing practice is gained through education and clinical practice. Nursing education uses a series of measures including classwork learning, group discussions, clinical rotations, and taking tests to adequately prepare students for practice. The artifact that demonstrates my nursing education and professionalism is the health Information Systems assignment submitted in fall. This paper recognizes the role of health information systems in managing patient care and the role of nurses in the utilization of technology. In today’s changing and demanding healthcare system, the use of technology has emerged as a solution to many nursing problems. As I prepare to become a competent nurse, I believe learning about HIS is crucial to achieving my goals. Apart from this task, the professional reference questionnaire filled during my clinical rotations demonstrates my strengths in various aspects of nursing care delivery. For instance, I have performed well in the aspects of patient safety, interprofessional communication, and delegation of duties that are crucial parts of professional nursing practice.

E-Portfolio Professional Strengths

The artifact that highlights my professional strengths is the professional reference questionnaire filled during my clinical rotation. The questionnaire is based on the preceptor’s analysis of nursing practice according to the professional guidelines by the student nurse. The first area that I believe I have performed better is the aspect of interprofessional communication and communication with patients. Communication is among the tools that can be used to enhance quality care to improve patent outcomes. During my rotations, I have always ensured to pass information to colleagues and discuss the patients’ issues with colleagues and other members of the medical team. The second strength is the dedication to the nursing profession that involves working diligently, maintaining professionalism, and respecting the patient. Another strength that is evident is the ability to assume responsibility and being accountable for my actions. The code of ethics for nursing practice requires nurses to follow the code of ethics based on the principles of fidelity and respect for the dignity, worth, and self-determination of patients American Nurses Association (ANA), 2015). I believe this practice improves the quality of patient care alongside saving healthcare costs.

Program Progression Challenges

From classwork to clinical areas, nursing students are bound to encounter different challenges that require determination to overcome. Nursing training requires a lot of sacrifices to achieve the set objectives and core competencies of the profession. The first challenge faced as a student nurse was balancing between my education and outside school life. I found it challenging to engage in extracurricular activities like sports because of the tight nursing schedule. During my clinical rotations, it was difficult to cope with the nurses who had higher expectations than the skills I could provide. Sometimes I could spend too much time asking for guidance, but eventually, I managed to keep up with the pace. Because of the challenges in learning and balancing my activities, I failed to find the course interesting initially. However, I can now testify that I love nursing because of the care I get to provide to the patients. Lastly, the introduction of online learning and the use of digital learning made it difficult to study because I had minimal resources.

Overcoming Challenges

The first step towards overcoming the identified challenge was the acceptance that nursing education is complex and requires time to become a competent nurse. I was able to link with my colleagues to gain insight into how they managed their busy schedules. Fitzgerald et al (2016) explain that collaborative partnership is an important aspect for nursing students and nurse educators during advanced nursing education. Partnership with fellow students turned to be effective because I was able to complete assignments with ease and create time for socialization. Secondly, I created a schedule that ensured some balance between school and home activities. During the clinical rotations, the use of briefing and debriefing sessions turned to be effective in improving my working confidence as a student nurse. Mentorship was also another approach used to ensure more understanding of nursing, how to manage daily challenges, and strategies to avoid burnout.

Program Outcomes

Communicate effectively in oral, written, interpersonal and electronic modes is the first BSN program outcome. I believe my communication skills have improved over time because of my interaction with other students. Having engaged in community outreach services during community service learning, I was able to communicate care and offer health education to community members. Electronically, the utilization of online discussion boards and video presentations improved my oral and written communication skills.

The second program outcome requires the nurse to use clinical reasoning to provide safe, quality, nursing care based on the best available evidence and ethical principles. Throughout the course, I was able to utilize evidence-based research to improve my knowledge of clinical care. I was able to understand the importance of safety and quality in today’s complex healthcare system.

The third program outcome requires the nurse to assume accountability for providing and ensuring safe, efficient, quality care congruent with ethical, professional, and legal standards. The course has helped me achieve this outcome through the expansion of my role as an advocate and manager of the healing environment. Learning various theories of nursing helped me realize the relevance of quality and safe healthcare.

The fourth program outcome requires the nurse to synthesize theoretical, clinical, and empirical knowledge from the nursing, scientific, community, and humanistic disciplines within the practice of nursing. To fulfill this outcome, studying nursing theories has helped me to understand nursing care as a holistic process that requires understanding the patient and other factors that affect their health.

The fifth program outcome requires the nurse to provide compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals, families, and communities from a variety of cultures across the lifespan. Throughout the course, I have worked with students from diverse cultures and learned how they live. The coursework projects also required the students to demonstrate cultural awareness, involve patients in decision making, and working with interprofessional teams.

The other program outcome fulfilled required students to apply leadership and education skills to engage others in creating and promoting a healing environment for continued self-improvement. The coursework ensured the achievement of this competence through nursing leadership classes and performance of management assessments in the clinical areas.

The seventh program outcome requires the nurse to engage in interprofessional collaboration to improve the safety and quality of healthcare. In the clinical rotations, we were required to work with students from other professionals to design care plans for patients. Teamwork was also encouraged during discussions and in the clinical areas to ensure collaborative practice in nursing.

Another crucial program outcome describes the incorporation of knowledge of genomics and genethics into the care of patients, families, and communities. The study of genetics during the coursework helped me appreciate the role of genetics in determining the health patterns of individuals.

The last program outcome requires the nurse to use information technology to communicate, mitigate error and make decisions related to the provision of patient care and support incorporation of nursing knowledge in the development of patient care technology. Most of the course activities required the use of computer technology to do assignments and communicate with the preceptors. The course allowed the completion of projects using online platforms and communication of care using the technologies. During the clinical rotations, I was able to utilize electronic health record systems to document patient data and communicate care.

Fulfilling Roles

Scientist. As a scientist, the nurse participates in scientific inquiry to inform healthcare decisions; and critiques disseminates, and implements evidence to influence practice. Throughout my BSN program, I have fulfilled this role by engaging in primary research to test various theoretical hypotheses. I have been able to gather information and recommended practice changes in healthcare.

Detective. As a detective, the nurse uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to judge and determine the consequence of subtle changes and deviations from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes. During my clinical rotations, I was able to monitor patients, detect practices that were faulty, and report findings to the ward manager or senior management. Additionally, the community diagnosis assignments helped me explore my detective roles through the identification of common problems in the community and strategies to mitigate the problems.

Manager of the Healing Environment. Under this role, the nurse acts as a member of the inter‐professional community, influences public policy, and promotes social justice in the human health experience. The BSN course has enabled me to work with members from different teams. I was able to attend conferences and work with interprofessional teams to re-design care through policy formulation. I have been able to write a few proposals to the faculty and hospital regarding the changes that can improve student involvement for the achievement of quality.

Professional Growth 

Professional development and growth in nursing practice occur through experience, training, and education. As one grows, they are able to utilize evidence-based practice, new techniques, and technology to influence patient outcomes. The BSN program has helped me grow professionally through mentorship programs that have guided me through difficult times. In my clinical areas, I am now able to deal with patients from diverse communities and demonstrate professional communication, a virtue that I did not possess initially. The course has broadened my understanding of leadership and how it influences patient outcomes. I have learned the importance of advocacy and the role of nurses in improving healthcare through leadership. I have recently found myself interested in matters of policy that I believe holds an important part in promoting safe and effective nursing care. Additionally, the program has broadened my understanding of interprofessional collaboration and how different healthcare teams can work to influence better patient outcomes.

Quality and Safety

Reflection

Quality and safety are topics that are frequently discussed in healthcare because of their influence on patient outcomes. My definition of quality is based on the provision of care that is relevant and acceptable to the patient’s needs. It represents the degree to which care provided suits the desired outcomes of the patient. On the other hand, I believe safety to be one of the components of quality healthcare. Safety may refer to the provision of care that is harmless and up to the expectations of the patient (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2013). Sometimes the care provided can harm the patient than expected due to aspects like unexpected side effects or sudden changes in the patient’s response to treatment. Irrespective of the situation, the provider must minimize adverse events or outcomes as much as possible.

Development of Professional Definition

The BSN program has helped me develop my definitions through the study of the aspects that make care safe. Throughout the program, I have learned that the use of evidence-based practices improves the quality and safety of care provided. Additionally, the program has encouraged interprofessional collaboration and communication to aid in improving quality and reduce adverse events.

Artifact Support

During the course, one of the assignments focused on quality improvement in healthcare where I discussed quality indicators in healthcare. The second artifact is the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Certificate on quality and safety.

Artifacts Supporting Definition

The organizational leadership task focused on the indicators of quality in healthcare. I was able to identify aspects like improved HCAHPS scores, reduced readmission rates, and infections to be among the indicators of quality. I also described how collaborative healthcare is an important tool for improving quality. The IHI certificate demonstrates that I understood how quality and safety should be delivered in healthcare upon completion of the short course.

Importance of IHI Certificate

The IHI certificate shows that I have undergone specific training regarding the aspects of quality and patient safety and that I can be relied upon to provide safe patient care. It shows that I am capable of leading nursing teams to provide safe care alongside other major practices that demonstrate quality in healthcare.

Evidence-Based Practice

Reflection

The use of the evidence-based practice in nursing has emerged to be a common trend across all healthcare institutions. I believe this practice represents the use of evidence from scientific studies to inform decisions made in healthcare. The provider must use interventions that are supported by well-researched literature during care delivery.

Development of Professional Definition

The BSN program has helped me develop this definition through the encouragement of participation in primary and secondary research. For example, all the nursing care plans developed during my assignments were based on evidence from current literature. I also got to learn the role of the nurse as a scientist where I observed that the nurse participates in scientific inquiry to inform healthcare decisions; and critiques, disseminates, and implements evidence to influence practice.

Artifact Support

The artifact that supports the definition of EBP is the literature summary table for the task that focused on the prevention of pressure sores.

 

Artifacts Supporting Definition

One of the class assignments done during the utilization of evidence-based practice involved the prevention of pressure sores. During the collection of data to address the issue of pressure, I managed to utilize numerous articles containing recent evidence from scientific studies focusing on preventive strategies for pressure ulcers. The inclusion of peer-reviewed articles published from the last 5 years demonstrates the use of current evidence to improve quality in healthcare.

Primary Research

Relevance and believability of data. Relevance during EBP research indicates the degree to which information provided answers the research question. This aspect can be determined by going through the question and pointing out key areas that address the study question. The level of evidence of the secondary research used, the study population, and the analytical methods used determine the level of believability of the research.

Quality improvement and research. According to the AHRQ (2013), quality improvement is the continuous use of actions that lead to measurable improvement in healthcare services and the health status of individuals. On the other hand, research involves the development of a theory about a phenomenon and working toward proving the theory. Quality improvement is used as an immediate remedy to a process in healthcare that requires change (Backhouse & Ogunlayi, 2020). Research is a long-term process that is used to determine new ways to do things or improving on previously implemented practices.

Primary and secondary research. Primary research is an approach to research that relies on new information to deal with a certain phenomenon. It is used in areas that are new to current practice or when secondary sources provide inconclusive data. Secondary research relies on the already available material or literature to inform new practices. The approach is often used to address problems that are already existing in healthcare.

Achievement in Excellence

The BSN program has helped me achieve excellence in EBP use by sharpening my skills in the identification of research and utilization of findings to inform new changes in healthcare. I am now able to find articles explaining a healthcare problem, analyze the strength of evidence provided, and choose the most appropriate intervention.

Applied Leadership

Reflection

My definition of applied leadership revolves around the utilization of theory and knowledge gained in class and practice experience to guide employees and the organization toward meeting set goals. It involves taking after the steps of prominent leaders, copying their skills, and utilizing their strategies in leadership.

Development of Professional Definition

During the coursework, I did various assignments that focused on nursing leadership, the roles of the nurse leader, and how effective nursing management is done. In the clinical areas, I got to observe how nurse leaders perform their duties as well as assuming leadership roles to gain experience. I realized that communication, collaboration, and decision making must be prominent for all leaders to effectively perform their duties.

Artifact Support

The artifact that supports this section is the organizational systems and quality leadership task. 

Artifacts Supporting Definition

This task focused on the role of nurse leaders in solving organizational problems. The task involved the application of the Root-Cause- Analysis (RCA) cycle to solve organizational problems. The tasks also involved the utilization of change management theories to improve healthcare service delivery.

Professional Collaboration

Professional collaboration involves the practice of involving multiple members from diverse professional backgrounds to make decisions in healthcare. For example, the nurse leader can invite the nurses, physicians, and the patient’s family to decide about the referral of the patient to another healthcare facility. interprofessional collaboration is observed to foster trust and respect that encourages the practice of treating each other as equals (Folkman et al., 2019). This practice also encourages employee engagement that is observed to improve their satisfaction with the care provided and received in the organization.

Community and Population Health

Reflection

My professional definition of community health involves practices that promote the health of individuals in a given geographic location. Population health differs from community health because it involves addressing the health concerns of a specific group within a community. While these terms differ in meaning, both involve the promotion of health and prevention of diseases.

Development of Professional Definition

The BSN course emphasized the role of the nurse in promoting community and population health. I was tasked with conducting a community diagnosis using various tools like the windshield survey and the population health scavenger hunt. I observed that community health has a wider scope and its interventions aim at reducing inequalities concerning the determinants of health.

Artifact Support

The community health assessment task on virtual Sentinel City supports my definition of community and population health.

Artifacts Supporting Definition

This task involved needs assessment of the people in Sentinel City and formulation of a community diagnosis. I was able to conduct a windshield survey and utilize other tools to obtain demographic information of the community, health problems experienced, and services available to address the identified concerns.

Community Health Task

During the community health task, I learned that communities are composed of people from different backgrounds. Some areas might exhibit better health while others may have challenges due to the variability in the social determinants of health. I was also able to narrow down groups in the community that are vulnerable to different health problems. For instance, the adolescents were faced with problems like substance abuse and high rates of STIs while the elderly had issues with disability and poor access to healthcare services.

Community Diagnosis

During the community health task, I learned that lack of adequate information can be a major hindrance to the health of populations. For instance, there were alarming rates of STIs like gonorrhea and syphilis in the city despite the availability of accessible healthcare services. Lack of adequate health education especially among adolescents emerged to be the issue in the community leading to the observed health problems.

Changes in Focus

My initial focus after the formulation of the community diagnosis was on increasing awareness about the alarming rate of STIs among adolescents. However, I came to realize that the healthcare providers had little power to influence the awareness campaigns due to financial problems. I had to shift my focus to involve the authorities so that they can provide funding for the awareness campaigns.

Importance of AMNH Certificate

The AMNH certificate is a recognition given upon successful completion of the American Museum of Natural History in Genetics, Genomics, Genethics for Nursing course. As a scientist, this certificate acts to demonstrate my expertise in the field of genetics, genomics, and genethics that has emerged to be crucial in nursing today. Having this certificate will lay a foundation for future research on the field of genetics and genetic diseases that are a major concern in healthcare.

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2013). Practice facilitation handbook: Module 4. Approaches to quality improvement. https://www.ahrq.gov/ncepcr/tools/pf-handbook/mod4.html

American Nurses Association (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive

statements. Silver Springs, MD: Nursebooks.org.

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/coe-view-only/

Backhouse, A., & Ogunlayi, F. (2020). Quality improvement into practice. BMJ Clinical Research, 368, m865. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m865

Fitzgerald, C., Kantrowitz-Gordon, I., Katz, J., & Hirsch, A. (2016). Advanced practice nursing education: Challenges and strategies. Nursing Research and Practice, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/854918

Folkman, A. K., Tveit, B., & Sverdrup, S. (2019). Leadership in interprofessional collaboration in health care. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 12, 97–107. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S189199