1. Identify the best learning experience you have had this semester. Discuss what happened, what you learned from it, and how it will change your practice in the future.
The organizational needs assessment was the best learning experience I had this semester. Analyzing the situation to understand if it constitutes a need worth investing time and effort to address led to much self-fulfillment. At the outset, it was not very clear what the problems were at the facility. Although the director mentioned a high turnover, there was a need to validate that observation. As such, I had to dig for information, piece them together, and interpret what I discovered. To accomplish this, I needed to gather data from the human resources department. However, the numbers given to me on turnover incidence, retention, and recruitment were meaningless on their own. I had to determine the trends for the past months to see if turnover is on the rise.
Conducting a needs assessment was something I have never done before. As a member of the staff, it was often up to the manager or dean to determine such problems. Following my experience, I realized that part of leadership is monitoring and analyzing information to detect relevant problems and deal with them. In situations where resources are constrained, a needs assessment facilitates the optimum use of such resources, i.e. resolving real and priority issues (Beyea & Slattery, 2006). In this manner, one makes a difference in the workplace.
2. Identify the most challenging situation you faced this semester. Discuss how you handled the situation, what you have learned from it, and how you could have handled the situation differently.
On the other hand, the most challenging situation was determining the most appropriate intervention to alleviate the turnover in the context of a practicum project. There were many contributory factors to turnover reported by the staff including low salary, a high-risk environment, and the tension between the role of nurses and correctional officers. The latter issue was of utmost concern because it often led to nurses feeling they were ineffective and not developing as persons and as professionals. As a student, however, addressing these concerns was unrealistic and for this reason, I felt I was not progressing.
I sought advice from a former mentor back in my undergraduate nursing who I remained friends with, and she suggested that I spend time with the staff and gain their trust before I can determine issues that they are not comfortable discussing openly. I took the advice and eventually, one of the junior staff mentioned the lack of support from more experienced peers. To better understand this issue, I again referred to the literature which led me to consider the creation of a mentorship program.
The situation taught me that to understand the dynamics of a project setting and ensure an appropriate project, it is important to obtain an insider’s view (Newhouse, 2009). This can be done by establishing rapport and interacting with the staff. In future projects, it is important to gain insight on the social relationships among nurses as this is invaluable data guaranteeing the acceptability of a proposed intervention. There may be power relationships that constrain the flow of information elaborating on existing problems and the most appropriate strategies of resolving them.
References
Beyea, S.C., & Slattery, M. (2006). Evidence-based practice in nursing: A guide to successful implementation. Danvers, MA: HCPRo.
Fitzpatrick, J.J., & Kazer, M. (2009). The doctor of nursing practice and clinical nurse leader. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Newhouse, R.P. (2008). Evidence based behavioral practice (EBBP): An exemplar of inter- professional collaboration. Journal of Nursing Administration, 38(10), 414-416. doi: 10.1097/01.NNA.0000338157.48471.1a.
