NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community
Sample Answer for NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community Included After Question
Vaccine and immunization legislation.
Nutritional assistance programs for school youths.
Diabetes education for elderly outpatients in a community health clinic.
Reducing the number of re-admits of patients who have had outpatient procedures.
Reducing the number of patient falls on a medical/surgical hospital floor.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
These represent a few community and organizational needs, challenges, and issues that may require and merit the advocacy, skill set, and knowledge of the DNP-prepared nurse. In your role as a DNP-prepared nurse, you may find yourself the champion and advocate for improved health outcomes both at a local and individual patient level to one of a national or global and population-based level. The DNP-prepared nurse is well poised to address and advocate changes not only in a healthcare setting but in a community context to promote positive social change and positive health-based outcomes.
For this Discussion, reflect on those needs, challenges, and issues that may be most important for your community or organization. Why do these needs, challenges, and issues merit the attention of a DNP-prepared nurse?
To prepare:
- Review the Learning Resources for this week and consider those local issues/topics that are most important for your community or organization. Find articles about your community or organization that reflect the need for intervention by a doctorally prepared nurse.
- Reflect on why these local issues/topics merit addressing from your perspective as a DNP-prepared nurse.
- Reflect on your role as the DNP-prepared nurse to address these local issues/topics and consider what type of practice changes or interventions you might recommend to bring about needed change for your community or organization.
By Day 3 of Week 7
Post a response to your Blog in which you describe at least two of the most important needs/challenges/issues in your community or organization. Why are these needs/challenges/issues important? Be specific. Then, recommend at least two practice changes or interventions you would suggest to address these needs/challenges/issues in your community or organization. Be sure to align your role as the DNP-prepared nurse to the competencies identified in the AACN Essentials.
By Day 5 of Week 7
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by suggesting additional strategies your colleague could implement to bring about needed change in their community.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 7 Blog Rubric
Post by Day 3 of Week 7 and Respond by Day 5 of Week 7
To Participate in this Blog:
Week 7 Blog
What’s Coming Up in Module 4?
Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images
In the next module, you will explore and analyze approaches for summarizing peer-reviewed research. You will also contrast which approaches are most helpful in summarizing peer-reviewed research.
Next Module
Week 7: The Doctorally Prepared Nurse: Community of Practice
What is meant by a community of practice?
A community of practice represents a group of individuals who share a common purpose and desire to positively impact their practice and share ideas, perspectives, and lessons learned to enhance the proficiency with which to engage in practice.
Not surprisingly, as a profession, nursing already represents a critical community of practice. Moreover, DNP-prepared nurses are uniquely poised to lead and install changes of a transformative capacity within a community of practice due to their skill set of understanding and engaging in evidence-based practice. As a future DNP-prepared nurse, how do you see yourself engaging with or leading a community of practice?
This week, you will examine community and organizational needs, challenges, and issues. You will analyze the role of the DNP-prepared nurse in addressing these needs, challenges, and issues in your Blog Assignment. You will also consider and recommend practice changes that will meet community and organizational needs, challenges, and issues.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Evaluate community and organization needs, challenges, and issues
- Analyze the role of the DNP-prepared nurse in addressing community and organization needs, challenges, and issues
- Recommend practice changes and interventions that address community and organization needs, challenges, and issues
Learning Resources
Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community
Title: NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community
One organizational issue is that there have been staff shortages in all medical-surgical units lately. Staff shortage has gotten so bad that on New Year’s Day, only two nurses were present in each medical-surgical unit. The charge nurse and a fellow nurse cared for nine patients each. Our agency nurses are not renewing their contracts, and our registry nurses are not signing up to come to work. Nurses at a particular hospital center began quitting their jobs because leaders at the organization neglected to hire adequate nursing staff to care for their patient population (Smith, 2011). An older agency nurse at work who has worked in many different hospitals said that the workload at our facility is heavy compared to other places that she has worked and that staff would stay if the workload gets reduced or the number of patients that staff cares for gets reduced. According to our staffing plan on the unit, each nurse is to be assigned four patients, and the charge nurse is to be assigned two patients. The Department of Health Services (DHS) mandated (in 2005) that one nurse be assigned five patients in a medical-surgical ward (Gordon et al., 2008). The safety of patients is at risk when nurses get assigned too many patients because nurses will probably miss a significant issue with their patients when they cannot provide individualized care to their patients and rush the care they provide. Nurses’ licenses are also at risk if they make a significant mistake that could be fatal. McGillis-Hall, Doran, and Pink (2004) concluded that nurses make fewer medical errors when staffed safely (as cited in Duffield et al., 2011).
Another organizational issue is the burnout of nurses. Burnout differs significantly from stress because its signs and symptoms include being physically and emotionally exhausted and not being motivated to do anything. (Fedele, 2017). Nurses are getting burned out by the increased workload in the medical-surgical departments, and sometimes, they do not take a break to ensure they finish their work on time. Lauder (2001) wrote that sometimes caregivers are so busy caring for others that they neglect themselves. Many new nurses have pondered about ditching their jobs because of dissatisfaction with their profession, burnout from their daily assignments, and frequent work requests from hospital leaders (Flinkman et al., 2008).
DNP-prepared nurses have the training to understand issues that need to be solved and how the problems can be solved. “The existence of real or perceived problems is the impetus for the policy-formulation phase of policy-making” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p.395). Utilizing the AACN DNP Essentials of Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes (Essential Six) is a great way to find a solution to combat staff shortage and burnout of nurses. Essential Six underscores the importance of collaboration across healthcare fields to improve outcomes (AACN, 2006). Since medical-surgical nurses are leaving due to high workloads, then as a DNP-prepared nurse, collaborating with other members of staff in leadership in our organization is needed to look into how many nurses left before the changes of increased workload of nurses got implemented compared to how many nurses left after the increased workload of nurses got implemented to know if that is genuinely the cause why our organization cannot retain medical-surgical nurses which are also leading to staff burnout by them caring for more patients. Based on our findings, the first practice change is to reduce the workload of medical-surgical nurses that got implemented, probably making them quit or get burned out. The second practice change will be to collaborate with managers and charge nurses of medical-surgical units to mandate that all nurses take their break and not miss it, especially since they are unpaid for the break. All medical-surgical managers will educate all staff that they must take their break, and charge nurses will ensure that all staff comply and take their breaks.
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/DNPEssentials.pdf
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.) Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Duffield, C., Diers, D., O’Brien-Pallas, L., Aisbett, C., Roche, M., King, M., & Aisbett, K. (2011). Nursing staffing, nursing workload, the work environment and patient outcomes. Applied Nursing Research: ANR, 24(4), 244-255. doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2009.12.004
Fedele, R. (2017). The rise of burnout: An emerging challenge facing nurses and midwives. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 25(5), 18-23.
Flinkman, M., Laine, M., Leino-Kilpi, H., Hasselhorn, H. -., & Salanterä, S. (2008). Explaining young registered finnish nurses’ intention to leave the profession: A questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45(5), 727-739. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.12.006
Gordon, S., Bretherton, T., Buchanan, J., & Ebrary, I. (2008). Safety in numbers: Nurse-to-patient ratios and the future of health care (1st ed.). Ithaca: ILR Press/Cornell University Press. doi:10.7591/j.ctt7z8mb
Lauder, W. (2001). The utility of self-care theory as a theoretical basis for self-neglect. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34(4), 545-551. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01784.x.
Smith, D. (2011). DC nurses strike for patient safety, fair contract. National Nurse, 107(2), 4. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=104884371&site=eds-live&scope=site
A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community
Title: NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community
I found your write-up on the staff shortages and burn out very interesting. Nursing shortage is a significant matter in healthcare. In the USA, the nursing shortage has continued to bite with increased demand and increasing service need. As our population ages, more nurses are leaving active service through retirement while the aging population requires more nursing care. It is an unfortunate thing to have only two nurses on duty attending to many patients as that contributes to medication errors, omissions of critical challenges and poor patient outcomes (Kelly et al., 2021). Nursing burnout is another huge challenge in the healthcare environment. Burnout can lead to mistakes in care, omission of care and errors. Nurse burnout also contributes to high staff turnover as seen in your workplace (Kelly et al., 2021).
DNP nurses are trained to offer leadership in healthcare systems and contribute to policies that protect both the nurses and the patient interests. In providing adequate leadership within the health care systems, nurse leaders ought to initiate staff support and retention interventions as well as a safe working environment for nurses. Enhancement of collaboration in care environments, providing staff incentives, lobbying for better nursing-patient ratio policies are among additional interventions DNP-prepared nurses can add in to enhance staff comfort and reduce high turnovers.
References
Kelly, L. A., Gee, P. M., & Butler, R. J. (2021). Impact of nurse burnout on organizational and position turnover. Nursing Outlook, 69(1), 96-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.06.008Links to an external site.
Rubric Detail
Select Grid View or List View to change the rubric’s layout.
Name: NURS_8002_Week7_Blog_Rubric
| Excellent
90%–100% |
Good
80%–89% |
Fair
70%–79% |
Poor
0%–69% |
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| Main Posting:
Response to the Blog prompt is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. |
18 (30%) – 20 (33.33%)
Thoroughly responds to the Blog prompt(s). Is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and/or current practice experiences. No less than 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. |
16 (26.67%) – 17 (28.33%)
Responds to most of the Blog prompt(s). Is somewhat reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and/or current practice experiences. 50% of the post has exceptional depth and breadth. |
14 (23.33%) – 15 (25%)
Responds to some of the Blog prompt(s). One to two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. |
0 (0%) – 13 (21.67%)
Does not respond to the Blog prompt(s). Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. |
||
| Main Posting:
Writing |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Written clearly and concisely. Contains no grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Written concisely. May contain one to two grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Written somewhat concisely. May contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
||
| Main Posting:
Timely and full participation |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts main Blog post by due date. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Posts main Discussion by due date. Meets requirements for full participation. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Posts main Blog post by due date. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post main Blog post by due date. |
||
| First Response:
Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective. |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. |
||
| First Response: Writing |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response fully answers faculty questions, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response mostly answers faculty questions, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas. Response is written in standard, edited English. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Response posed in the Blog may lack effective professional communication. Response somewhat answers faculty questions, if posed. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Responses posted in the Blog lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions is missing. |
||
| First Response: Timely and full participation |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Posts by due date. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. |
||
| Second Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective. |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. |
||
| Second Response: Writing |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response fully answers faculty questions, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response mostly answers faculty questions, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas. Response is written in standard, edited English. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Response posed in the Blog may lack effective professional communication. Response somewhat answers faculty questions, if posed. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Responses posted in the Blog lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions is missing. |
||
| Second Response: Timely and full participation |
5 (8.33%) – 5 (8.33%)
Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. |
4 (6.67%) – 4 (6.67%)
Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. |
3 (5%) – 3 (5%)
Posts by due date. |
0 (0%) – 2 (3.33%)
Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. |
||
| Total Points: 60 | ||||||
Name: NURS_8002_Week7_Blog_Rubric
NURS 8002 Blog: The DNP-Prepared Nurse and Their Community Grading Rubric Guidelines
| Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. |
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| Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Application of Course Knowledge –
Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
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| Performance Category | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Interactive Dialogue
Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) |
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Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. |
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| Minus 1 Point | Minus 2 Point | Minus 3 Point | Minus 4 Point | Minus 5 Point | |
| Grammar, Syntax, APA
Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition |
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| 0 points lost | -5 points lost | ||||
| Total Participation Requirements
per discussion thread |
The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. | The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days | |||
| Early Participation Requirement
per discussion thread |
The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. | The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT. |
Also Read: NURS 8002 Blog: How Do You Practice Intra- and Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Practice?