NURS 498 Baccalaureate Essentials

Essential II: Basic Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Care and

Patient Safety

During my time at APUS, I was able to meet this particular essential in several ways. For
starters, I was able to grow my organizational and systems leadership skills by
participation in various activities during my course and internships to improve my
organizational and leadership skills. In particular, during my time at APUS I was part of
the class and student leadership bodies which helped to grow my organizational and
leadership skills. In regards to the improvement of quality, I was involved in several
exercises to grow my quality skills. In particular, I was part of the class team that was
involved in quality assurance in both the training and practice sessions that we took part
in. safety is an important part of patient care and in that regard, we learned about various
aspects of ensuring patient safety both during class sessions and in nurse practice sessions
(American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2011). Effective communication is an
essential part of the nursing profession and as such a key element of essential number 2.
During my time at APUS, I was able to grow my communication skills by learning how to
communicate with my peers, trainers, and patients.

Essential III: Scholarship for Evidence-Based Practice

This particular essential is based on the search for knowledge through various scholarship
techniques to enable trainees to identify various evidence-based practice issues and trends
in nursing. To grow our skills in searching for evidence I took part in several assignments
and projects which were geared at identifying evidence-based issues in nursing. In that
regard, I learned how to identify reliable peer-reviewed articles from various academic
sources. This is an important part of identifying authentic evidence-based articles which
nursing trainees can use to grow their knowledge about various aspects. Being able to carry
out research is an important part of the linking theory, practice research. In that regard, I
learned about various nursing theories in class and event went ahead to research to identify
specific practice issues in research. As part of my training in APUS, we learned about
research and how to conduct various kinds of research. In line with that, I was able to write
a research proposal on a specific issue which was followed by the collection of data and
report writing. Also, at APUS I learned how to prepare a research report presentation and
was even involved in a presentation session which is an important part of nursing training.

Essential IV: Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology

For this particular essential I learned a lot at APUS on how to use technology in the process
of delivering quality care to the patients. In particular, we learned a lot about computers
and the various kinds of computer applications and software that are used in basic medical
care as well as in nursing. In particular, I learned how to use computers to write medical
reports as well as patient care reports. Also, I was able to perfect my skills in report writing
and research presentation. Technology is an important element of patient care. For
instance, various kinds of machines such as monitors, computer and even scanners are used
in various aspects of patient care. At APUS we learned the various kinds of monitors that
are used in patient care and part of the training was on how to read and interpret
information displayed on the monitors. In the process of providing quality patient care
huge volumes of data are collected from the patient. In that regard, I learned how to
ethically use patient data for the benefit of the patient while minimizing the likelihood of
using patient data in an unethical way which is likely to infringe upon the rights of patients.
Also, we learned about the ethics of patient care and how to ensure that the rights of
patients are always protected during the process of quality care. This was achieved through
learning in class as well as during nursing practice session in a real patient care setting.

Essential V: Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments

As part of this particular essential, there is a lot I learned during my training at APUS. For
starters, I learned a lot about the various financial and regulatory policies that have a
direct and indirect effect on patient care. In that regard, I learned how to manage finances
effectively during my training at APUS which was achieved through the in-class session as
well during my nursing practice setting in a healthcare setting. I learned how to calculate
cash flow as well as how to create an inventory of all kinds of material and financial
resources allocated and used. Part of this essential involved learning about the various
regulatory policies that apply to nurse practice (Blais, 2015). In that regard, we undertook
both theoretical and practical training on how to become compliant with regulatory
policies of the nursing profession. During the training at APUS, we were exposed to a real-
life patient care environment which helped us to understand the various regulatory aspects
of nursing practice as well as watching them being applied in practice. Part of the training
at APUS was about identifying vulnerable individuals during patient care. For instance, we
learned about the important elements of patient care for patients who have undergone
various kinds of abuse while at the same time ensuring compliance with legal and
organizational requirements.

Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving

Patient Health Outcomes

An important part of being successful in the nursing profession involves learning how to
communicate effectively with other healthcare professionals as well as working
collaboratively with them to ensure positive healthcare outcomes. In that regard, we
learned how to communicate effectively with other healthcare professionals during the
class sessions as well as during the nursing practice sessions. More specifically, we learned
how to use the various forms of communication such as written, oral and visual in the
process of ensuring that the message gets across to the intended parties. Moreover, we
learned how to work well in collaboration with other professionals by doing what is
expected of us as nursing practitioners as well as knowing what to expect from other
healthcare professionals. We learned about collaboration during class sessions as well as
during the nursing practice sessions in a healthcare setting. Part of our training as
healthcare professionals were about setting realistic goals and learning how to work
effectively towards attainment of such goals. This was accomplished through both theory
and practical based training during my time at APUS.
Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health

During my training at APUS, I learned that an important part of being a nursing

practitioner is knowing how to promote health while at the same time preventing disease
and injury across the lifespan. As such we learned about various ways of preventing the
transmission of disease as well as ways of avoiding injuries in our line of work as a
healthcare professional. In particular, we learned about various kinds of preventative
measures for injuries that are common in the workplace of nurses. This was achieved
during class sessions as well as during the nursing practice sessions. Population health is an
important part of promoting the health of the community which is a key duty of nursing
professionals. In that regard, I learned the various aspects of population health such as
epidemiology, disease prevention, and health promotion both in class and in during the
nursing practice sessions (Grace, 2017). During the theory-based training as well as during
the nursing practice sessions at APUS I leaned a lot about the promotion of health as well
as various aspects of avoiding injury and disease in the nursing profession.

Essential VIII: Professionalism and Professional Values

During my training at APUS, I learned that professional values, as well as their associated
behaviors, are an important part of the nursing practice. In that regard, we learned about
the historical, legal and contemporary issues in nursing practice. This was an important
prerequisite in enhancing our development of professionalism and professional values. In
particular, we learned that professionalism involves being accountable for one's actions as
a professional which is an important requirement for nurses since nurses are tasked with
providing quality care to patients which make the difference between life and death
(Marañón and Pera, 2015). Also, observing professionalism and professional values goes a
long way in promoting patient care outcomes. More specifically, we learned about the
professional values which epitomize care and professionalism in nursing. These essential
values which guide nurses in the course of their work and ensures that professionals values,
as well as ethical behavior, are observed during patient care include altruism, autonomy,
human dignity, integrity, and social justice. We learned about these values as well as other
important aspects of professionalism and professional values during theory-based training
as well as during our nursing practice sessions at APUS.

Essential IX: Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice

This particular essential is about ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients through
practices focused outcomes that integrate the skills, attitudes, and knowledge in essential
IVIII during the process of providing quality healthcare to groups, families, individuals,
populations, and communities in a range of settings. More specifically we learned that
knowledge acquisition is important improving the competence of nurses which helps to
ensure the best possible outcome in the process of patient care. In that regard, we learned
that it is important to constantly update our skills as nurses by continually updating our
skills and competencies by researching evidence-based issues in nursing care.