On November 1st, 2016 I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Katherine M. Sawyer RN, BSN of Owosso, Michigan. Katherine, a female nurse who has worked in the nursing field for thirty-six years began her nursing career at Ingham Medical where she was a full-time staff-nurse for three years; then worked as a per-diem staff-nurse for eleven years. After working at Ingham for a total of fourteen years, Katherine obtained a position at Memorial Healthcare in Owosso where she worked as a nurse educator for fifteen years. Shortly after this she became a Basic Life Saving (BLS) instructor as her main role as a nurse educator was to provide nursing orientation and this additional role fit in perfectly. After some time she became involved in Quality Improvement for four years, and she has now switched back to the nurse educator role where she once again has the role of nursing orientation for Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Patient Care Techs (PCTs). The number of staff she teaches and orientates each month varies between one and ten individuals. She also teaches BLS and First Aid at Baker College of Owosso. Her contact information is as follows: Phone number (989) 413-1974 and e-mail address kmsawyer521@gmail.com. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader of Sawyer’s role in the nursing profession as a nurse leader. Individuals will learn of Sawyer’s many different roles, responsibilities, and the organizational structure of Memorial
My second clinical day took place on September 24th, 2015 at Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, New Jersey. My preceptor Maria Brilhante, MSN, RN, allowed me to observe the morning huddle that took place with all the nurse managers that are in the hospital. The purpose of this huddle was to keep the director of nursing informed about the census on each unit. I found this processed to be very uniformed and professional because the DON was engaged. The day went on with me attending meetings on how managers could implement plans to contain cost for the hospital. Maria did her daily rounds on her patients and her nursing staff. She has a folder that contains papers on how each nurse is progressing from the time they get off orientation. Her motto to the nurses is, “You are good at what you do, so when I coach don’t take offense. I am only trying to get you to be great”. This boost their confidence which I thought to be important.
I am a recent baccalaureate graduate of Charleston Southern University. I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May of 2015. On June 20, 2015, I received my NCLEX-RN results and became a registered nurse in the state of South Carolina. After considering my options for a graduate program, I happily accepted my offer from Case Western Reserve University and moved to Cleveland to pursue my graduate studies. Over the course of my undergraduate career, theories were included in the curriculum but not in depth. It is for this reason that I am excited to partake in this course – to learn the foundational and applicable theories of the nursing profession.
“Nursing is informed caring for the well-being of others” (Swanson, 1993, p. 352). Kristen Swanson’s relationship-based caring theory encompasses maintaining belief, knowing, being with, doing for, and enabling. Nursing is a profession with vast opportunities for growth and development. Each nurse has his or her individual passions; mine reside within obstetrics, women’s health, and nursing leadership. Nurse leaders play an integral role in the success of healthcare organizations. Nurse leaders shape the roles of nurses within their organizations. Nurse leaders seek methods to improve patient care. They also use innovation to gain efficiencies in care delivery and decrease healthcare cost. Many nurse leaders have an ultimate goal to aspire to be a chief nursing officer in a healthcare
For this assignment, I had the opportunity to interview Samantha Hage De Reyes, family nurse practitioner, currently working at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) Health Center in Riverside, CA. Family nurse practitioners are described as health professionals with analytic skills for evaluating and providing evidence-based, patient-centered care across settings, and advanced knowledge of the health care delivery system (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy & O’Grady, 2014). My objective was to ask a series of questions pertaining to the role of a family nurse practitioner, challenges concerning this nursing role, opinions regarding the future of family nurse practitioners, and more. This interview was conducted over the phone, and it was a valuable opportunity to learn more about what it means to be a family nurse practitioner and to start thinking about what I want to achieve in my own
There are many challenges facing today’s nursing leaders and managers. From staffing and scheduling, to budget cuts and reduced reimbursements, today’s nursing leaders must evolve to meet the ever changing health care environment. Constance Schmidt, Chief Nursing Officer at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center (CRMC), identified retaining experienced registered nurses (RN) as one of the biggest problems she faces as a nursing leader. She went on to state “Nationally, most hospitals have more than 60% of their nurses with at least 5 years of experience. At CRMC, it’s the reverse. We have more than 60% of our nurses with less than 5 years of experience” (personal communication, March 28, 2014). The two largest factors affecting those numbers are the nursing shortage and nursing retention. The first, the nursing shortage, was identified years ago and has been researched countless times. Some projections indicate the number representing the gap between available registered nurses, and the positions needing to be filled, could be over a million before the end of the current decade. The latter, retention of nurses, is a problem in every health care facility in the nation. Nursing turnover results in both a significant financial cost to hospitals, and a significant impact on the community through its effects on patient outcome.
Karen is a graduate of University of Massachusetts with Bachelors of Science in Nursing 1991, a graduate of University of Massachusetts with Masters of Science: Acute Care/Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) 2011, and is enrolled at University of Massachusetts Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) anticipated graduation 5/19. After graduating with her CNS degree, Karen had an educator position at a community hospital, then transitioned to an academic hospital, as the clinical educator in the ED. Karen attends leadership forums and is currently attending the leadership academy offered at her institution. The DNP program she is enrolled
This Nursing leadership interview was conducted with Gessy Targete-Johnson, who is currently the Director of Nursing Family Birthplace at Memorial Miramar Hospital. I decided to conduct my interview on her, due to the fact that this is a career goal I wish to accomplish. She has been in the Nursing Field for over 25 years. Gessy decided to enter the nursing field because, she has compassion for others and she wanted to make a difference in lives. She started out as a Labor & Delivery Nurse in 1991, she later went on to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, followed by her Master’s Degree immediately after. Gessy thrives on being productive, and she quickly learned the meaning of the word perseverance. In 2001, she was promoted to Nurse Manager in Labor & Delivery, and worked in that position for 8 years. While maintaining an active role in this area, she also went back to school for her ARNP license. In 2009, she became the Director of Nursing Family Birthplace at Memorial Miramar Hospital.
Being a leader in the profession of nursing requires pride and dedication to the nursing career path. This is why I decided to conduct my interview with Pamela Prefontaine, a leader in the nursing field. Prefontaine graduated from Bellin School of Nursing in 1982. She then went on to get her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1990 from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Prefontaine then graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 2009 with a master’s degree in medical informatics. Prefontaine was the team leader of pediatrics at Bellin from 2001-2007. She has also been a team leader of a medical and surgical floor at Bellin also. Furthermore, Prefontaine was also the assistant director of the NICU at Saint Vincent’s Hospital. She currently is a consultant for informatics.
Nursing can be a demanding career, but the benefits far much outweigh the challenges. Most importantly, it’s the rewards it offers by allowing an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life through the provision of care when they need it. Just as Patricia Benner theorized in her book “Novice to Expert,” nursing encompasses both educational knowledge and extensive clinical experience acquired throughout one’s career. This far, I continue to acquire knowledge and clinical knowhow which will promote proper and efficient care to patients. Since I began practicing one year ago in a long-term healthcare facility, I have interacted with patients, families, physicians and other members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient’s care which has enabled me to gain confidence in myself. While I cannot deny that it was difficult to transition from a student to a licensed nurse, I learnt to overcome these challenges and focus on my strengths. Practicing as an LPN has provided a platform to learn and gain experience even though the duties and responsibilities are limited by the scope of practice.
This paper seeks to expand upon the 2010 Institute of Medicine’s report on the future of nursing, leading change, advancing health and illustrating its impact on nursing education, practice and leadership. There is an ongoing transformation in the healthcare system necessitated by the need to achieve a patient centered care in the community, public, and primary care settings in contrast to previous times. Nurses occupying vital roles in the healthcare system, need improvements in the areas mentioned above to
Palmetto Health is the largest health care system in the South Carolina Midlands region. Whether they’re providing emergency care, welcoming a newborn baby into the world or fixing a broken heart, their team is dedicated to working together to fulfill a Vision. To be remembered by each patient as providing the care and compassion they want for their families and themselves. As a teaching hospital, Palmetto Health is dedicated to training the next generation of physicians and nurses through their 23 residency and fellowship programs with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine (Palmetto Health). The purpose of this profile was to gain insight through an interview on how a day is for a Registered Nurse at Palmetto Health. Palmetto Health is the largest health care system in the South Carolina Midlands region. Whether they’re providing emergency care, welcoming a newborn baby into the world or fixing a broken heart, their team is dedicated to working together to fulfill a Vision. Palmetto Health is an organization consisting of 7 acute care hospitals who employs 12,000 team members and 1,000 physicians. They have a wide physician practice network, hundreds of clinics affiliated with them and a non-profit foundation. I was able to get an interview set up with one of my mom 's friends who happened to be a nurse at Palmetto Health Children 's Hospital. It is obvious from any person 's point of view concerning the nursing profession that it is drastically different
Professor and Class, In retrospect, the foundation on which this profession was built by Florence Nightingale must always resonate with every nurse regardless of job title. Based on my personal observation and experiences compassion is on the downward spiral, and this profession has become a business. Notwithstanding, as a fully prepared RN-BSN, the leadership qualities that I learned in Healthcare
Modern nursing is a rewarding, but challenging, career choice. The modern nurse's role is not limited only to assist the doctor in procedures, however. Instead, the contemporary nursing professional takes on a partnership role with both the doctor and patient as advocate caregiver, teacher, researcher, counselor, and case manager. The caregiver role includes those activities that assist the client physically, mentally, and emotionally, while still preserving the client's dignity. In order for a nurse to be an effective caregiver, the patient must be treated in a holistic manner. Within the subject of nursing, there are often times in which different aspects of the practice must be analyzed by using primary research from other scholars. Nursing scholarship is vital to the profession, as we have seen, in order for the modern nurse to remain current with scholarship and practice. At the very core of this paradigm, though, is the manner in which the blend of art and science in nursing will be expressed to others, to the next generation, and through pedagogical theory (Alligood & Tomey, 2002). To do this, however, requires a new approach to the paradigm of nursing leadership strategic thinking, planning and action and above all appropriate integration of a more holistic and multidisciplinary approach to professional nursing.
There is no doubt that the health care system is constantly changing and working to improve its flaws, to the best of its ability. Whether nurses like it or not we are a part of the ever changing health care system. “With more than 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 1). The Institute of Medicine believes that nurses should be active in transforming the profession of nursing, along with the health care system. Regardless, of backgrounds, race, and age all nurses can contribute to the future of the nursing profession. The following paper will discuss the Institute of Medicine’s nursing expectations and recommendations, as well as the opportunity to becoming a clinical nurse instructor.
Nurses are invaluable members of the healthcare team and are often regarded as the most important of all healthcare providers because of the important role they play in patient care (Mahmud & Riesel, 2014). The field of nursing has numerous positive aspects associated with various roles yet not without known challenges. This paper discusses a significant nursing event as well as challenges and positive aspects of the nursing profession as observed by R.S, a 45 year old registered nurse who has spent 10 years practicing as a registered nurse in Canada (Personal communication, October 15, 2017). Research based recommendations for the enlisted challenges are also discussed.