Practicum Activities Reflection Essay

Practicum Activities Reflection Essay

Practicum Activities Reflection Essay

My practicum experience during weeks 5, 6, and 7 mainly focused on the role of leadership in promoting the quality of care provided. My preceptor suggested that we focus on the servant leadership style, which he felt was the most appropriate in achieving this goal. We come up with a presentation over the 3 weeks, to present during the managerial meeting. From my experience, I was able to notice how his competencies and skills, aligned with this type of leadership. Some of the key concepts displayed include effective communication, a high level of integrity, respect, professional socialization, professionalism, and critical thinking in the decision-making process (Best, 2020). Through these skills, my preceptor was able to perfectly align duties and make sure that the organization’s goals are achieved in promoting safe and quality care services to patients. Consequently, I was able to understand why leaders are supposed to serve their followers rather than be served by them.

Application of Leadership:

            As displayed by my preceptor, servant leadership requires the nurse leader to achieve authority at the expense of power. With this kind of leadership, the follower which in this case were the nurses on duty, will feel motivated and aspire to work beyond their limits to ensure that the collective goals of the healthcare organization are achieved. My preceptor ensured that he would frequently engage with nursing staff regarding their preference on which shift to cover, and their target goals to promote inclusivity in decision making, and taking nurses taking charge of their actions in the provision of safe and quality care (Neville et al., 2021). I interacted with most of the staff members who were very pleased with my preceptor’s leadership style claiming that they felt that someone was helping them make the workplace environment bearable in exhibiting their full potential in the process of care delivery. In case of conflicts, my preceptor was always there to listen to both parties involved and come up with a solution accepted by both parties genuinely. Not at one point did I notice my preceptor displaying dictatorial order, but rather leading by example. I am currently quite confident in this leadership style and hope to exhibit it someday to my team members.

Practicum Project Preparation:

Through this practicum experience, I have been able to appreciate the role of communication in promoting collaborative patient-centered care. When taking care of patients, you first need to collect a comprehensive medical history of the patient to be able to assess the care needs. This requires polite and respectful communication to promote the patient’s confidence and trust inthe provision of relevant and accurate information. In the process of patient care, interprofessional collaboration is required among all the clinicians involved in the care of that particular patient (Lotfi et al., 2019). I worked with nurses, pharmacists, and physicians to ensure that the patient’s diagnosis was accurate and an evidence-based care plan was implemented. This kind of communication requires appropriate listening skills, in addition to respect and the ability to agree on things based on the clinician’s professional judgment. Lastly, patients together with their family members have the right to information regarding their health and medication administered to satisfy their health needs. As such, it is necessary to use, nonjudgmental and culturally sensitive, and respectful language in simple terms to explain to the patient about the diagnosis and the available treatment options including their benefits and risks to promote sound decision making. Generally, communication is key in promoting safe and quality care.

Leadership Video Reflection:

The “Servant Leadership – Issue of Rule” video, basically points out the different aspects of modern leadership style where managers are expected to be role models and enablers and not just powerful people who dictate their followers. When the leader serves the team, he or she does not outline roles for the employees but instead motivates them to utilize critical thinking skills and exhibit their full potential towards achieving the organization’s goals (Gunnarsdóttir et al., 2018). Additionally, leaders must ensure that the team members work together in solving disputes and contribute towards innovative interventions necessary in promoting the safety and quality of care provided. The other lesson that can be gained from the video is the significance of authority and mastery among managers even as servants to employees. Despite managers leading from behind, they must maintain their power, control, authority, and ability to influence employees towards achieving the goals of the organization. Consequently, leaders must always serve as role models by leading by example as all the other staff members will be keen on how they handle their tasks, in terms of punctuality, dedication, and accuracy.

References

Best, C. (2020). Is there a place for servant leadership in nursing?. Practice Nursing, 31(3), 128-132. https://doi.org/10.12968/pnur.2020.31.3.128

Gunnarsdóttir, S., Edwards, K., &Dellve, L. (2018). Improving health care organizations through servant leadership. In Practicing servant leadership (pp. 249-273). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75644-8_14

Lotfi, M., Zamanzadeh, V., Valizadeh, L., &Khajehgoodari, M. (2019). Assessment of nurse-patient communication and patient satisfaction from nursing care. Nursing Open, 6(3), 1189-1196. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.316

Neville, K., Conway, K., Maglione, J., Connolly, K. A., Foley, M., & Re, S. (2021). Understanding Servant Leadership in Nursing: A Concept Analysis. International Journal for Human Caring. https://doi.org/10.20467/HumanCaring-D-20-00022

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Take a moment to review the details of this assignment below and gather any necessary files. Once you’re ready to submit your assignment, move on to Step 2.
Assessment Description
Journaling provides a valuable tool for recording, reflecting on, and reviewing your learning. This approach provides an opportunity for you to “connect the dots” and observe the relationships between and among activities, interactions, and outcomes.

Unlike a personal journal of thoughts and feelings, this leadership journal is a record of your activities, assessments, and learning related to this academic experience.

Journal entries should include a record of the number of hours spent with your nurse leader each week.

Write a journal entry of 750-1,500 words on the subject of purpose, including the following:

Practicum Activities Reflection: Provide observations and thoughts on the activities in your practicum during Weeks 5, 6, & 7.

Application of Leadership: Describe your preceptor’s leadership style. How does this affect the people they lead. Do staff members express feelings of support and helpfulness? Are there examples of dictating rather than leading? Does the leader say or do things designed to “build up” staff or have you seen missed opportunities?

Practicum Project Preparation: Describe your communication plan for your stakeholders. Who will be notified of what and at what time? What education is needed and for whom?

Leadership Video Reflection: Reflect on at least two things you learned from the “Servant Leadership – Issue of Rule” video.

Please use the “Leadership Journal Template” to complete this assignment.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.