Experiential Leadership Experience

NURS 490 Nursing leadership

Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to promote leadership in NURS 490W students.  This
assignment will provide students the opportunity to receive credit for leadership roles in progress
or take on a leadership role within the community (University, SON, professional nursing
community or community at large). 
Student Approach to Assignment
I approached this assignment by choosing to participate in the Relay for life organization where I
experienced the shared leadership style and gained an understanding of the leadership role in
organizing. I also provided a reflection on my leadership experience.
Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio
This assignment is included in my portfolio because this type leadership experience was a new
journal for me. Also, leadership plays an important role for nursing that effective leadership in
nursing promotes and motivates teamwork and has a positive influence on growth. I gained more
management skills from this leadership experience. I also have the ability to communicate better,
help the team work together, and delegate responsibilities.
Critical Thinking
 Engages in creative problem solving
In my paper, I participated in the Relay for Life team to reach a five-thousand-dollar fundraising
goal. I joined with the team and come up with ideas to reach our event goal. For example, we
discussed and developed a plan in which we decided to sell food to reach the fundraising goal. I
volunteered to be a cashier, while others preferred to cook the food and to serve at the tables. All
team members were supportive and creative in finding the solutions to reach our goal.
Nursing Practice
 Establishes and/or utilizes outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of care
In my paper, the team used shared leadership to leads each other effectively to achieve the
fundraising goal of five thousand dollars while being accountable to each other. The foundation
fundraising outcome measure that we were looking at was amount raised, which evaluates the
effectiveness of implementing our strategies. For example, the price was right, and the
consumers were willing to buy, or the desserts were decorated beautifully, and the consumer
wanted to taste them. There are similar things in health care. For example, nurses evaluate the
pressure ulcer during patients’ healing, so that the patients are turned in time. Nurses also ensure
they have eaten an abundant of nutrition and have changed their wound dressing frequently.
Communication
  Demonstrates skills in using technology, informatics, and communication devices that
support safe nursing practice

In my paper, all team members communicated well-using technology, informatics, and

communication devices during the fundraising event. For example, we researched on the internet
to find the types of food that we may have the best chance of selling. We also utilized the
smartphones to text and talked to each other to arrange the schedule and kept track of events
through e-mail. Those special high-tech communication tools brought all members together to
support the event and provided effective management. Those skills are useful in the nursing
practice as well. For example, nurses use Arch.com at the computer to send the patients’
condition to doctors to ensure patient safety. Nurses document important patient data through
electronic access to medical records. Nurses also use a language translator on an iPod to obtain
the exact information from the patients’ language to English, which enhance safe nursing
practice.

Leadership
 Assumes a leadership role within one’s scope of practice as a designer, manager, and
coordinator of health care to meet the needs of populations

The foundation of shared leadership is sharing the power and influencing team members while
achieving management goals. In my paper, I was experiencing a shared leadership role by
bearing the responsibility of working together with my team as we led each other to support the
community. Healthcare assumes a shared leadership role to meet the needs of patients as well.
For example, nurses are designers. They discuss and share the information to design a plan for
the easiest way to communicate with patients. They design successful communication
experiences with the patients by speaking with soft voice and finding the simple words that
patients will understand easily. They also design teaching materials for patients to be more
understandable for the elderly by using larger fonts and black ink printable materials. Nurses are
managers that use the shared leadership to motivate the team working effectively. For example,
the nursing manager involves the team members by allowing them to make their own decision
instead of just simply follow of the instructions. This make they feel important and motivates
them to provide patient care. Nurses also are coordinators within a shared leadership because
they position themselves to help each other. For example, some nurses have a great IV insertion
skills and they assist others who have difficulties performing needlestick, while others have great
assessment skills and can give a second opinion on a patients’ condition.

 Initiates community partnerships to establish health promotion goals and implements

strategies to meet those goals
In my paper, the hospital's partners, Sentara Independence hospital (SI) and Sentara Virginia
Beach General Hospital (SVBGH), had established a fundraising event with a goals and
implementation strategies to collect the donation money to support the community in fighting
cancers. They also partnered to promote stroke patient’s health as well. Whenever SI has a
suspected stroke patient, patients will be transferred to SVBGH neuro unit to be monitored by
nurses and doctors with special training. They implement strategies to meet stroke patient health
promotion goals. For example, hospital doctors travel between the SI and SVBGH to assess the
patients, and the neurologists are always on duty at the SVBGH.

 Organizes, manages, and evaluates the development of strategies to promote healthy

communities

In my paper, creating fundraising teams is a great way to promote a healthy community. The
organization had to implement a strategy for action, manages our planning, and evaluate our
team works. For example, we organized ourselves in a steps by steps process. First, we counted
how many people would be involved in the event. Second, we created an event master plan.
Third, we set the date and time. Finally, we implemented the action by selling the food. We
managed the event by tracking each other. For example, when the event location changed, we
immediately notified other members. We also evaluated if the strategies were useful, and we
checked the total amount of funds raised to see if the plan needed to be improved or continued.

 Delegates and supervises the nursing care given by others while retaining accountability
for the quality of care provided
In my paper, we delegated works and supervised the fundraising event with accountability for
each other. For example, we delegated members on the Relay for Life team to prepare desserts,
and the cashier was responsible for accounting for the money correctly. We also supervised all
members together to ensure they were on time for the event for the event and were being
accountable for their position. This applies to patients when nurses to provide the accountability
and quality of care. For example, when nurses delegate the nursing care partners (NCP) to check
the blood glucose test, nurses are being accountable to recheck when the NCP reports the glucose
is too high or low. Also, a nurse as a manager is being accountable to carry out supervisory
responsibilities. For example, when patients are responding unfavorably to treatment, or they are
in a rapidly deteriorating condition, the manager needs to be called on to solve the problems. The
nurses worked well together by making sure to delegate the right jobs for the assistants and by
supervising others to ensure the care was done correctly, safely, and successfully.