Portfolio: Highlighting the Professional Strengths - Essay Example

Portfolio Table of Contents Running Head: PORTFOLIO Portfolio Table of Contents 2 Portfolio 13 2 How artifacts in the portfolio expresses me as a learner 3 How the portfolio highlights the professional strengths 3 Challenges encountered and how it was overcame 4 Contributions of the course work 4 i). Effective communication 5 ii). Use of clinical reasoning 5 iii). Organizational system and quality leadership 5 iv). Theories of community health and community promotion course 5 v). Patient centered care 6 vi). Leadership experience 6 vii). Inter-professional collaboration 6 Viii). Biochemistry course 6 ix). Information technology 6 Roles 7 Professional growth 8 A.Quality and safety 8 Importance of IHI certificate 8 D. Evidence based practice 9 E. Applied leadership 10 F. Community and population Health 10 Lessons learnt 10 Community diagnosis 10 Change of focus 11 American Museum of Natural History 12 References 13 Professional Summary How artifacts in the portfolio expresses me as a learner The artifacts in my portfolio have details of the progress made towards achieving the BSN degree. It clearly provides information of about the academic aspects of my progress which is a representation of a learner. The program outcomes can also be found in the portfolio which indicates the performance in various assessments, assignments, exams and other graded papers. These are representations of a learner in the healthcare sector (Timmins & Duffy, 2011). Different awards from the community, service, profession and academic hare also present in the portfolio. The presence of such awards represents me as a student as well as a learner. My professional involvement in different nursing programs and activities are also found in the portfolio. This is an indication that I am a nursing professional as any professional must be involved in different nursing programs. My portfolio also has thank you cards from the managers, colleagues and patients. This is a typical representation of a nursing professional. The use of academic papers as evidence of subject is important in term of representing me as a learner. How the portfolio highlights the professional strengths It is also possible to understand my professional strengths through the analysis of the professional artifacts. It has all the information about my membership in different professional organizations. All the academic achievements are also found in the portfolio which is a representation of the professional strengths. My Nursing philosophy as well as the professional nursing statement is present on the portfolio and hence highlighting the major professional strengths. Challenges encountered and how it was overcame During the progression of my program, I was faced with different challenges. Balancing the time for the program and family issues was a challenge. This is considering that the family issues required a considerable amount of time. On the other hand, there were challenges in terms of support from the other stakeholders and colleagues. Time management during the program was a challenge as the program was detailed and yet the time was not enough. It is also important to note that some of the challenges were also from the external sources. All the challenges had negative important on the program and it lead to personal frustrations at times. The challenges were overcome by dividing the time for the program and the family. The family was allocated 4-6 hours while the program was allocated about 8 hours. A lot of family time was scarified in order to meet the demands of the program. On the other hand, the faculty was approached for support. This is considering that the faculty plays an essential role in mentoring the students during their nursing programs. The faculty is easy to approach as they also act as role models for the nursing students (Timmins & Duffy, 2011). The support from the friends was also important in overcoming some of the challenges. This was in form of encouragement in time of frustrations. Contributions of the course work The coursework played an important role in terms of ensuring that the nursing program outcomes are met. The knowledge obtained from the coursework was useful in terms of solving problems. In most cases, the nurses have little time to think of a solution in the case of an emergency. However the knowledge from the course work was useful in handling such situations. The knowledge gained from the course work was also useful in preparing me to handle the nursing program. The preparation played an essential role in ensuring that the program, outcome were achieved. The course work theories were also applied in practice and this played an essential role in ensuring that the outcomes of the program are attained. i). Effective communication The leadership practicum and the community health nurse required me to communicate with stakeholders on a frequent basis and it was useful in improving my communication. ii). Use of clinical reasoning Most of the courses required the use of research in order to solve the problems. This had a positive impact on the clinical reasoning leading to solution to cline problems. The use of research to research to answer the clinical questions greatly contributed to the improvements in patient outcomes. iii). Organizational system and quality leadership Appropriate resources were used when carrying out different activities such as data collection. All the interventions were carried out using evidence based practice and facility protocol hence impacting positively on professionalism. iv). Theories of community health and community promotion course The theories provided the foundation for evidence practice and patient safety which was useful in addressing the aspects of healthcare and the policies involved. v). Patient centered care The knowledge gained was useful in ensuring that all the patients were treated with dignity and respect regardless of their condition. Thos lead to a good relationship with the patients during their treatment. vi). Leadership experience The use of leadership skills were enhanced through the knowledge gained from the community health practicum which required working with the community members and implementing different interventions. vii). Inter-professional collaboration The community health practicum required frequent interaction and communication with the members of the other professionals in order to make different decisions. Viii). Biochemistry course The knowledge of genetics was useful in term of understanding the genetic diseases and creating awareness about the diseases. This included some form of cancer that affects the population. ix). Information technology The use of technology was useful in terms of predicting the probability and likelihood of some of the health issues and events. Roles During the BSN Nursing program, I fulfilled the role of a scientist by collecting scientific data for different illnesses. I was involved in the collection of data about hospital based infections among the patients. This was a problem that was facing more than 50% of the patients who had been admitted at the hospital. On the other hand, implementing the scientific studies for the purposes of improving the health of the patients is also a scientific role. Designing the healthcare outcomes which was part of the program was essential in fulfilling the role of a scientist. I fulfilled the role of a detective by carrying out investigations about the practices in the hospital that contribute to the poor health of the patients. This involved the practices such as the use of equipment and protective clothing as well as the general treatment of the patients who have been admitted at the hospital. This was also aimed at ensuring that improvements are made when treating the patients. I also fulfilled the role of the manager in the healing environment by being in charge of the patients. Managing the needs of the patients admitted at the hospital was useful in ensuring that they are able to recover. At one point, I was in charge of different patients who were recovering after surgery. As a manager in charge of the healing environment I was made in charge of the employees who were maintaining cleanliness at the ward that I was based in. On the other hand, as a manger in the healing environment, I had to consider the healthcare policies and finance regulation for the benefit of the patients. I coordinated different activities with other professional for the benefits of the patients which is an important role of a manger in the healing environment. Advocacy for respect of value and dignity of the patients was also a major task as a manger in the healing environment. Professional growth In terms of personal growth and learning, my skills and knowledge have greatly evolved. I have gained experience in handling the patients practically through translating the theoretical skills to practical knowledge. On the other hand, I have also gained knowledge on how to deal with emergencies by talking the required action within a short period of time. I have gained knowledge and skills on dealing with emotions when handling the patients who are in critical conditions. I have also come to appreciate the work that the nurses do in terms of saving the lives of the patients who are in critical conditions. Before the program, my knowledge, skills, clinical reasoning, judgment leadership and communication were below average. However, after the program I have greatly improved and I believe I have achieved excellent skills in the specific areas. A. Quality and safety Importance of IHI certificate The Institute of Healthcare Improvement plays an essential role in ensuring that the safety of the patients is enhanced. The certificate from the institute is therefore of great important to me in future as a professional nurse. The certificate will be useful in improving on competency so as to ensure that the process of handling the patients is carried outs in a safe manner. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the certificate ensures that a more practical and realistic approach to quality improvement is achieved. The information from the institute is more practical than that found fin the textbooks and other theoretical materials. This will therefore be useful in terms of creating improvements and hence the need for the certificate. It is the duty of the nurse to ensure that they are well equipped with the knowledge required to enhance the safety of the patients (Fineberg, 2012). The certificate has the potential of impacting positively in my future as a nurse by preparing me to deal with challenges in the nursing practice. D. Evidence based practice The primary research is important in terms of the evidence based practice. Evidence based practice relies on the data collected for the purposes of improving the nursing practices. The relevance and believability of the data is useful in ensuring that its application leads to improvement. The relevance of the data determines its ability to deal with the situation at hand. The data must be related to the particular situation under investigation (Bowling, 2014). The believability of the data is also important as it determines its truthfulness in relation to the particular situation. This is considering that the data that is not correct cannot be applied. There are some differences between quality improvement and research. Quality improvement in most cases involves putting in place measures to improve on the procedures within the healthcare facility. Different techniques can be used for the purposes of improving the quality without necessarily using any evidence. On the other hand, research involves studies on a particular aspect of the healthcare system. The study is usually applied when there is a problem in a particular area. During the research evidence has t be collected and the findings can be used for the purposes of recommending for possible solutions to the problems identified. Primary research involves obtaining information directly from the sources and it may involve the use of questionnaires or interviews (Bowling, 2014). Secondary research involves obtaining information from an existing source like journals and books. The experience at the course has improved on my knowledge and skill on evidence based practice through obtaining the new techniques for carrying out the research. I am able to utilize different methods of carrying research and implement the findings. E. Applied leadership Professional collaboration for effective nursing leadership is important in ensuring that the working relationship with the other professionals and stakeholders is improved. The professional collaboration ensures that the nurse is able to understand the needs of the patients as well as the junior employees. It therefore impacts positively on the working relationship with the other personnel. My professional mission statement will involve providing high quality services through understanding the needs of the patients and working closely with the colleagues. The mission will be important in ensuring that service delivery is improved by working with others including the patients. The quality of the services is dependent on the mission and vision of the leader or healthcare personnel at the hospital (Zydziunaite & Suominen, 2013). F. Community and population Health Lessons learnt The community in LA is facing challenges in terms of obesity. The number of both children and adults who are obese is high. This can be attributed to their nutrition as most of the people consume junky food. Community diagnosis In terms of the community diagnosis, most of the community members do not go for check-ups related to obesity. This is despite the availability of screen facilities within the community. The diagnosis was also influenced by lack of adequate information by the community members about obesity. A thorough assessment indicated that cardiac diseases were a major problem I the community and this was as a result of the obesity. The people in the region are also poor with unemployment rates being high. This hinders their ability to purchase healthy food and hence contributing to obesity. I had also obtained information from journals that the people do not have adequate information about obesity and hence leading to ignorance. It is through the information obtained that I came to the conclusion that obesity is a major problem at the community. Change of focus My focus on the community has been evolving and I am also obtaining new information. Initially I thought that the community was ignorant but this has changed after the program and thoroughly understanding the dynamics of the community. After talking to the community members, I learnt that they were not ignorant and this changed my focus. The problem with obesity as I came to learn is contributed by various factors. I have learnt that some of the community members in most cases do not have adequate information about obesity. The perception of the people about obesity is also varied. Most of the community members do not consider obesity as risky. This has therefore impacted negatively on the ability of the people to change diet and engage in physical activities. My focus also changed bout the community as I learnt that poverty is the major issues that affects the ability of the community members to eat a healthy diet. This also includes those with adequate information about obesity. American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History plays an important role in providing information in the science programs. As a nurse, the certificate program will be useful in terms of ensuring that knowledge on genetics, life science and physical science is obtained (Platnick, 2011). Such information can be useful in terms of research and understanding diversity. This certificate will also be useful in understanding nature and various historical aspects that is related to nature. The certificate is also important in learning more about the universe. Such information is important in terms of critical thinking and understanding of the nature of life. The information about evolution can shed more light on the issues of life which is important in nursing. References Timmins, F., & Duffy, A. (2011). Writing Your Nursing Portfolio: A Step-By-Step Guide: A Step-by-step Guide. McGraw-Hill International. Fineberg, H. V. (2012). A successful and sustainable health system—how to get there from here. New England Journal of Medicine, 366(11), 1020-1027. Bowling, A. (2014). Research methods in health. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Zydziunaite, V., & Suominen, T. A. R. J. A. (2013). Leadership styles of nurse managers in ethical dilemmas: Reasons and consequences. Contemporary nurse, 48(2), 150-167. Platnick, N. I. (2011). The world spider catalog, version 12.5. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Online at. Read More