Nursing Program Portfolio - Essay Example

? Capstone Portfolio Capstone Portfolio Within the actual settings of a nursing career, one needs substantial academic and interpersonal skills in order to execute professional requirements competently. Nursing involves dealing with people from diverse social and economic backgrounds. These factors determine the nature of relationships between nurses and clients in a healthcare facility. According to Heartfield and Andre (2011), nurses should equip themselves with relevant skills that will facilitate development of health relationships with their clients. Special academic programs serve the purpose of arming nurses with tailor made skills meant to enhance workplace related competence. Upon acquiring the required theoretical knowledge, nursing students may demonstrate their ability to articulate the acquired skills in duties within actual healthcare facility settings. At this juncture, I will examine my professional and intellectual growth upon completion of the nursing program. A nurse is free to choose any project as long as it addresses practical, real world challenges using the knowledge and skills gained while pursuing their graduate program. A capstone project entails a paper and presentation which uses the nurse’s experience to address a particular challenge identified in a proposal. A capstone program aims to evaluate nurse’s ability to identify a problem, formulate a relevant research question, use correct methods to tackle the research question and identify how their knowledge relates to current scholars and studies. The nurse should also be able to demonstrate the ability to organize information, interpret significance, write a good prose and use evidence and example to develop his study. Capstone portfolio is a benchmark assessment for the program and provides an opportunity for assessment by multiple parties. It help an individual assess himself as a nurse and long time learner and professional (Huba and Freed, 2000) because after graduation, the individual is involved in a process of continuous reflecting, self-assessment and self-guided scholarly and professional growth. When information from your capstone portfolio is used, it provides a forum for assessment by employers or other people from whom the individual seeks specific opportunities. Assessment plan for capstone portfolio is comprehensive as there is minimum requirement (average grade point) to qualify for the program and other qualifications an individual is supposed to meet like the need to provide finger prints, check of criminal records and computer competency. Then in the course of the program there is constant assessment by instructor on the courses undertaken and grades earned in return. In other cases a nurse is expected to pass a certain specified course before they can be allowed to undertake another course. This could also apply in courses where one needs to pass in the theoretical classes before they can be allowed into the field for practical work or internship. Classroom experience provides a basic framework before you are allowed into the field which is used as a forum to assess how good one has gripped the concepts that were taught. Upon completion of the program, I have acknowledged importance of acquiring informed consent from clients during clinical and social care procedures. Professional conduct of nursing involves explicitly defined guidelines concerning ethical practices. In addition, the program emphasizes the importance of nursing professional conduct towards the cultural requirements in a nurse-client relationship. In my practical encounter with geriatrics patients, I have learned that clients may refuse to undertake certain clinical procedures, even if those procedures are beneficial to their wellbeing. Throughout the course, I appreciate the fact that clients have a right to decline treatment. As a nurse, I will only be able to administer clinical procedures after acquiring voluntary and informed consent from a patient. According to Heartfield and Andre (2011), this relates to aspects of ethics and integrity, which featured as key concepts within the first and second objectives of the RCCADNP program. It incorporates of learning related to other university requirements in three additional areas: critical thinking, technological skills and writing proficiency. In critical thinking, professionals work to effect change in individuals, groups and societies by defining, analyzing and solving health problems. It involves asking questions and trying to come up with solutions for these problems. Critical thinking is involved by several processes related to clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breath and logic. A successful health nurse success on assignments leans on his ability to relate and integrate information from several sources to ask questions that expand the depth and breadth of their understanding. A nurse’s aim is to thinks critically, ask questions and solve problems that directly affect their clients, organizations, communities and societies. Critical thinking is very effective as it weighs both the strengths and limitations during decision. Technological skills enables them address social, ethical and human issues related to technological issues involved in human health. Nurses need technology for treatment, presentations and data analysis and information management needed in the course of carrying out their profession. Nurses in the course of capstone portfolio are expected in the context of critical thinking, information literacy and delivery of services to have an understanding of technology in relation to their professionalism and quality of life for individuals, organizations, communities and societies. Writing proficiency is a condition that is necessary for the nursing professions because it is needed in scholarly paper writing which most often follow and assigned way of writing. Some courses offer writing proficiency causes. Portfolio process involves consideration of standards, framework questions for further scholarly enquiry, tutorial work that will introduce the nurse to the style of writing; understanding the portfolio in terms of understanding how to organize the work and present materials, check the criteria to be used for the writing and also the mode of presenting the work. There is need to mention the voices/ literate used in the writing of the paper, critical thinking, information literacy and technology and the location of evidence used in supporting the work done. Currently, I can appreciate the role of dignity within the nursing profession. I acknowledge that emotional feelings and appropriateness of immediate social environment plays a significant role in enhancing patients’ treatment response. On program completion, I will strive to foster dignity in actual relationships by listening and demonstrating a sense of appreciation among the client population. In my professional practice within the pediatrics segment, I would usually involve children and adolescence in care giving programs. Involving them in key decision making processes, including acquisition of informed consent enhances their confidence in the care program. This context fits into the third learning objective of the program, which encourage nurses to develop and maintain patient-centered relationships. I now know that promotion of dignity enhance patient flourishing; hence fostering health relationships characterized by caring emotions. According to Andre and Heartfield (2011), positive emotional feelings enable patients to improve on their mental strength and physical wellbeing. In addition, the program brought into attention the aspect of accountability within the professional nursing field. At one point within the hospital setting, it was necessary to make a decision involving appropriate treatment procedures for an unconscious patient. In this case, the elderly client could not participate in decision making through informed consent. I observed the nurse’s technical expertise in administering relevant clinical procedures for the patient. At that moment, I learned that professional accountability remains as one of the requirements for practicing nurses. According to Andre and Heartfield (2011), nurses ought to keep in touch with relevant professional knowledge in order to make sound clinical decisions in demanding circumstances. This aspect is necessary since patients always assume nurses are in a position to administer clinical and care procedures professionally. Therefore, this program has helped me to acknowledge the fact that nurses surely have the obligation to act appropriately in their duties. Accountability relates to the concept of scientific knowledge and competence among nurses. The program provided an excellent opportunity for considering sub-fields within the nursing profession; which can facilitate desired career development. Andre and Heartfield (2011) say that aspects of dignity, ethics and competence are usually applicable within any clinical field in nursing profession. However, the program enhances development of superior knowledge on elements of integrity, client centeredness and excellence. These qualities could prove useful in segments comprising of patients with special needs. In this case, I can choose to pursue a career in mental health or as a nurse in the operating room, in the process of my career development. Knowledge from the source work will serve as a tool meant to facilitate excellent execution of nursing responsibilities within actual healthcare settings. According to Kincaid (2009), a good essay is a good vacation where the instructor is invited to travel with the writer to a specific destination. The writer plans the route and all the attractions they are to visit along the way without making any assumptions about what their readers have read or they know. Writers are supposed to lead their readers to conclusion by writing their papers with clarity, logic and supporting evidence considering this is science which needs evidence for every theory they put forward. Essays are meant to pursue the readers that the writer has mastered the competency and standards to work professionally as a nurse. The essay describes what you have learnt and the evidence supporting it and also provides the reader with a guide on how to get to the evidence. Kincaid (2009), states that a portfolio should demonstrate the understanding and include: systems, indirect and direct services, ethics and values. Institutional related essays should involve: critical thinking, writing proficiency and technology. Essays should also include evidence which should be clearly presented in the appendix which is clearly labeled to match in-text references. Assignments should be thoroughly revised before they are included in the essay. This may include the instructor’s feedback and a revised copy as a demonstration of progress. One may also choose to include the assignment before and after to show learning, responsiveness and polishing. Field experience in terms of practical, field attachments, internship, volunteering and other activities that may have contributes to the professional understanding and growth could also be included in the essay. Evidence if this maybe contracts, acceptance letters, evidence of meeting set objectives during the internship, field supervision evaluation etc., awards, certificates and contributions to the profession. Portfolios are in the end submitted to the respective instructors who assess and grade them but this does not only end there because they provider the writer or professional an opportunity to connect out there to national groups of scholars, educators and professionals who also fall under the same field and meet the same standards. It also provides the writer with a chance to market himself out there through his academic work and exposes him to chances to further his education by getting scholarly sponsorship to further the educations and grants to further his education by organizations and NGO’s who are impressed by the work done. References Heartfield, M., & Andre, K. (2011). Nursing and Midwifery Portfolios: Evidence of Continuing Competence. Sydney: Elsevier Austrian Publishers. Huba, M. E., & Freed, J.E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campus: Shifting focus from teaching to learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Kincaid, O. S. (2009). Students Guide to Capstone Portfolio: Student’s guide to Capstone Portfolio process. Washington: Western Washington University. Read More