NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 1 Discussion
Collaboration Café
As you begin the journey into graduate education, it is important to understand the value of the Masters Prepared Nurse. Take a moment and reflect on your decision to return to graduate school. What were the motivating factors: a better job, requirement for promotion, a desire for professional development, or the opportunity to influence positive change and shape the future of nursing practice? Take a moment to reflect on your “why”. When we understand our “why” it can help to motivate us during challenging times during this educational journey. What were the motivators for you returning back to school to further your education and what value do you see in the Masters Prepared Nurse?
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 2 Discussion
Collaboration Café
As an MSN prepared nurse, you will be looked at by the team to develop policies based on evidence. Master's-prepared nurses are expected to lead and role model the implementation of evidence-based practices that promote positive change. Please discuss and address the following questions:
What value do you see in evidence based practice?
How might it improve care and patient outcomes?
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 3 Discussion
Collaboration Café
Our social and professional networks often overlap, which is why we don't always say what we really think. In fact, the anticipation of the upset is far greater than the reality. However, the core values that are expected and appreciated in nurses are responsibility, honesty, integrity, belief in human dignity, patient equality, and the desire to prevent and alleviate suffering. A nurse's professionalism is judged based on personal behaviors, appearance, presentation, and so on. Nurses are responsible for their own practice and the care that their patients receive. The nurse is responsible for following standards of care in all practice. As the roles of nursing change, nurses are faced with more complex decisions regarding delegation and management of care. The nurse must exercise judgment in accepting responsibilities, and seeking the counsel of others in the course of their duties.
Think about a time in your nursing practice where you encountered a challenging situation either with a patient or a co—worker that caused you to reflect on your core-values.
Provide a concise description of this challenging experience.
What core values were challenged in this experience?
What lessons were learned from this experience?
How did the experience inform future professional behaviors, decisions, and actions?
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 4 Discussion
Leadership: Establishing Relationships and Influencing Change
This week's focus is on developing foundational interpersonal skills that will prepare you for professional practice as a leader and change agent. As a leader, how will you influence change in your professional specialty area? Identify two strengths you have that will promote strong leadership. Identify two areas of improvement to your skill in leading and influencing change. What are two priority strategies you will implement to improve and/or enhance your leadership skills?
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 5 Discussion
Caring Concepts in Nursing
This week's topic is centered on the concept of caring in contemporary nursing practice. In your initial response, provide a definition of caring that aligns with your perspective on the concept of caring. Identify your selected program of study specialty track (Executive, Education, Healthcare Policy, or Nursing Informatics). Describe how you will apply the principles of caring and holistic nursing in your future professional practice. Use at least one outside scholarly article to support your position. Provide an example to illustrate an application to professional practice.
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 6 Discussion
Systems-Structure and Function
Many of you have experience in complex adaptive systems whether you realize it or not. Thinking about your future practice specialty area, identify an issue or concern common to your future practice setting. In your initial response, please identify your specialty track, as well as the issue or concern. Discuss how this issue or concern impacts the system at the micro, meso, and macro levels. How will you address this issue or concern at the microsystem level? What is the expected impact of your solution on the meso- and macrosystems? Remember you can use an information technology-based solution to address the issue or concern.
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 7 Discussion
Collaboration Café
Incivility has several negative outcome on any organization. The impact of bullying behaviors on the organization are lower morale, lower productivity and increased absenteeism (due to physical, psychological and emotional harm), followed by rapid and increased turnover, which compromises patient safety. Workplace bullying also leads to lawsuits, compensation for disability, loss of profits, negative impact on organizational reputation, and a corrosion of the patient to health care worker relationship. Employees, patients and families who witness behaviors that are not civil are concerned about how care can be impacted.
Think about a time in your nursing practice where you experienced or witnessed incivility.
Provide a concise description of this experience.
What are some steps that could have been taken to prevent this from occurring?
Discuss some important ways to create a culture of civility in the workplace.
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 8 Discussion
Collaboration Café
Take a moment to reflect on your learning in this course. What concepts stood out to you and made an impact? How do you envision using the concepts learned in this course in your future nursing practice as a Masters prepared nurse?
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 3 Assignment
Addressing Bias
The Addressing Bias assignment must be completed by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. (MT) at the end of Week 3. This assignment is worth 12.5% of your overall grade. The details for this assignment are located and listed below. Please note that this assignment goes to Turnitin.
Week 3: Addressing Bias (Links to an external site.)
Purpose
In today’s current healthcare settings, the increasing diversity, globalization, and expanding technologies produce complex ethical pressures that influence nursing practice and practice outcomes. To be effective in a master’s-prepared advanced nurse practice role it is important to understand personal values, beliefs, strengths, and limitations. The purpose of this assessment is to promote introspective reflection related to implicit and/or explicit personal biases. Students will develop a plan to reduce bias and promote personal and professional growth.
Course Outcomes
CO 1: Examine roles and competencies of master’s-prepared nurses essential to performing as leaders and advocates of holistic, safe, and quality care. (PO 1-5)
CO 2: Apply concepts of person-centered care to nursing practice situations. (PO 1, 2, 5)
Total Points Possible
This assessment is worth 125 points.
Due Date
Submit your file(s) by 11:59 p.m. MT Sunday at the end of Week 3.
Students are given the opportunity to request an extension on assignments for emergent situations. Supporting documentation must be submitted to the assigned faculty. If the student’s request is not approved, the assignment is graded and a late penalty is applied as follows:
Monday = 10% of total possible point reduction
Tuesday = 20% of total possible point reduction
Wednesday = 30% of total possible point reduction
If the student’s request is approved, the student will be informed of the revised due date. Should the student fail to meet the revised due date, the assignment is graded and a late penalty is applied as follows:
Monday = 10% of total possible point reduction
Tuesday = 20% of total possible point reduction
Wednesday = 30% of total possible point reduction
Requirements
Criteria for Content
Complete a self-inventory on personal biases you hold. The biases might be implicit or explicit.
In a one to two-page summary, address the following.
Identify your selected specialty track (education, executive, family nurse practitioner, healthcare policy, or nursing informatics).
Discuss how biases can impact outcomes in selected nursing practice settings.
Identify personal biases and attitudes toward people with various cultural, gender, sexual orientation, age, weight, and religions that are different than your own.
Select one bias that you have.
Develop one strategy to reduce this bias.
Preparing the paper
Submission Requirements
Application: Use Microsoft Word 2013™ to create the written assessment.
Length: The paper (excluding the title page and reference page) is at maximum two pages.
A minimum of two (2) scholarly literature references must be used. Make sure to use references that are current, no older than 5 years.
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 5 Assignment
Artistic Expression – Concept of Caring
Guidelines with Scoring Rubric
PURPOSE
Nursing practice is both an art and a science with caring as a central concept to nursing practice and the profession of nursing. Caring is influenced by the nurse’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes formed through lifelong learning and experiences. The purpose of this assessment is to explore definitions of caring in nursing. Students will create a definition of caring and an artistic expression of their perception on caring.
COURSE OUTCOMES
Through this assessment, the student will meet the following Course Outcomes.
CO 1: Examine roles and competencies of master’s-prepared nurses essential to performing as leaders and advocates of holistic, safe, and quality care.
CO 2: Apply concepts of person-centered care to nursing practice situations.
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE
This assessment is worth 125 points.
DUE DATE
Submit your file(s) by 11:59 p.m. MT Sunday at the end of Week 5.
This assignment will be submitted in two parts:
Part I: Submission of an original artistic representation of your perception on caring in nursing. This portion of the assignment will be submitted below.
Part II: Submission of the 1-2 page written paper. This portion of the assignment will be submitted on the next course page.
You will receive one grade for Part I and Part II.
REQUIREMENTS
Criteria for Content
Take a moment to reflect on how you demonstrate caring in your current professional practice.
1. Create an original artistic representation of your perception on caring in nursing.
a. Drawings must be original and hand drawn by the student. It is strongly advised that you sign and date your original drawing.
b. Drawings should be formatted on an 8.5 x 11inch document and submitted as a PDF.
c. Poems or short-story – Word document 1 page in length
2. In a one- to two-page written paper, address the items on the assignment rubric.
PREPARING THE PAPER
Submission Requirements
1. Application: Use Microsoft Word 2013™ to create the written component of this assessment.
2. Length:
a. The paper (excluding the title page and reference page) should be at least one but no more than two pages.
b. Artistic representation submitted as a PDF or Word document
3. A minimum of three (3) scholarly literature references must be used.
NR500 Foundational Concepts and Applications
Week 7 Assignment
Cultivating Healthful Environments
PURPOSE
Master’s-prepared advanced practice nurses participate in and demonstrate fair and unbiased interactions within all workplace settings. As a member of the nursing profession, and a leader, you are encouraged to implement strategies that promote and cultivate cultures of civility, regardless of practice setting. The purpose of this assessment is to analyze the issue of incivility and apply best practices to cultivate healthful environments.
Submit your file(s) by 11:59 p.m. MT Sunday at the end of Week 7.
REQUIREMENTS
Criteria for Content
Reflect on the issue of incivility. Think of an experience in which you were directly involved or witnessed incivility in the workplace. Analyze scholarly literature related to the issue of incivility and strategies for cultivating healthful environments.
1. In a four- to six-page written paper, address the following.
a. Define and explain the issue of incivility. Use scholarly nursing literature.
b. Discuss the importance of this issue to nursing. Address the impact of incivility on individuals, microsystem work environments, and the profession of nursing. In this section, use at least three (3) different scholarly nursing literature sources to support your work. Remember to include matching references for each.
c. Provide a scenario (real or fictitious) of incivility in a practice setting. What was the impact on the individuals involved? How was the work environment affected?
d. Describe three strategies for creating a healthful environment. Use scholarly nursing literature to support each strategy.
e. Identify your selected specialty track (education, executive, family nurse practitioner, healthcare policy, or nursing informatics). Provide two examples of strategies you will implement in your master’s-prepared advanced practice role to cultivate a healthful work environment.
f. Provide a conclusion. Include a summary on the issue of incivility, strategies to create healthful environments, specialty track, and how you will contribute to cultivating healthful environments in your future professional practice. Include a self-reflection.
PREPARING THE PAPER
Submission Requirements
1. Application: Use Microsoft Word 2013™.
2. Length: The paper (excluding the title page and reference page) is at minimum four (4) pages and at maximum six (6) pages.
3. A minimum of four (4) scholarly nursing literature references must be used.
4. Submission: Submit your files: Last name_First initial_Assessment 5_Cultivating Healthful Environments.
