Purpose

This week’s graded topic relates to the following Course Outcome (CO).

CO 4: Integrates clinical nursing judgment using effective communication strategies with patients, colleagues, and other healthcare providers. (PO 4)

Discussion Questions

Change is part of our daily healthcare environment. Clinical nursing judgments based on quality and safety, as well as protocols and standards, reflect our patient-centered care values.

• What steps could you take to develop more resilience in your practice setting?
• How might you communicate a change in practice to patients and nursing peers?

Please use these references:

Required Reading

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.).

• p. 21-24 (WOs 1, 3)

Required Article

Garcia-Izquierdo, M., Meseguer de Pedro, M., Rio-Risqez, I., & Soler Sanchez, I. (2018). Resilience as a moderator of psychological health in situations of chronic stress (burnout) in a sample of hospital nurses (Links to an external site.). The Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 50(2), 228-236. (WO 2)

Required Website

The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare.(2012). Creating a safety culture [Video file]. https://www.centerfortransforminghealthcare.org/why-work-with-us/video-resources/creating-a-safety-culture (Links to an external site.) (WO 3)

Additional Background Reading and Resources

Flanagan, N. M. (2018). Persistent pain in older adults: Roy’s Adaptation Model (Links to an external site.). Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(1), 25-28. (WOs 1, 2) 

Thomas, T. W., Seifert, P. C., & Joyner, J. C. (2016). Registered nurses leading innovative changes (Links to an external site.). The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(3). (WO 1)

Congress.gov. (n. d.). The legislative process: Overview [Video file]. https://www.congress.gov/legislative-process (Links to an external site.) (WO 3)

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Resilience and Change

The healthcare environment is by nature very stressful. It is, therefore, crucial for one to be resilient to cope with the demands of the work setting. Resilience is being able to return to a previous normal state from adversity or trauma and maintain focus and optimism. According to Garcia-Izquierdo et al., (2018), resilience is an individual’s attribute that can enhance their own capacity to recognize, understand, and react to stressful workplace situations. Nurses reporting greater resilience have been found to have higher professional efficacy and lower emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Besides, greater resilience is positively correlated with better health due to the ability of one to adapt to work adversities (Garcia-Izquierdo et al., 2018). This eventually translates to better quality patient care and safety.

To become more resilient in my practice, I would develop more positive thinking and optimism. This is important as it would enable me to identify any problems in the course of my practice and find appropriate solutions to them. Secondly, I would also learn to solve problems as soon as they are detected so as not to let them become unmanageable and more stressful. Another step is to try and be as flexible as possible so that I see positives in any changes that come my way in the line of duty. It is also crucial to maintain a supportive social network of professional colleagues with whom I can talk about the problems I encounter and share in their combined experiences. Frequent and effective communication is particularly important in instances of change in practice. According to the American Nurses Association (2015), effective communication is a must for nurses in all their practice areas. To…