Practicum journal: purpose

PRACTICUM JOURNAL- PURPOSE

Write a journal entry of 750-1,500 words on the subject of purpose, including the following:

Practicum Activities Reflection: Provide observations and thoughts on the activities in your practicum during Weeks 5, 6, & 7.

Application of Leadership: Describe your preceptor’s leadership style. How does this affect the people they lead. Do staff members express feelings of support and helpfulness? Are there examples of dictating rather than leading? Does the leader say or do things designed to “build up” staff or have you seen missed opportunities?

Practicum Project Preparation: Describe your communication plan for your stakeholders. Who will be notified of what and at what time? What education is needed and for whom?

Leadership Video Reflection: Reflect on at least two things you learned from the “Servant Leadership – Issue of Rule” video https://youtu.be/Z8yMNFMp0k8.

Please use the “Leadership Journal Template” to complete this assignment.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite..

RUBRIC

Practicum Activities Reflection

8.75 points

expand Application of Leadership assessment

Application of Leadership

7 points

expand Practicum Project Preparation assessment

Practicum Project Preparation

7 points

expand Leadership Video Reflection assessment

Leadership Video Reflection

7 points

expand Mechanics of Writing (includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, language use) assessment

Mechanics of Writing (includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, language use)

1.75 points

expand Format/Documentation assessment

Format/Documentation

3.5 points

Leadership Journal Template

Name:

Weeks Covering:

Preceptor/Mentor:

Clinical/Practicum Site:

Hours Worked (past 2 weeks):___

Total Hours: ____/150 total of all hours worked up to this point

Practicum Activities Reflection:

Discuss some of your activities with your preceptor/mentor, what projects you are working on, and what observations about leadership you have made during the past two weeks. This does not need to be a step by step diary. Instead, this is a place to reflect on how your observations and activities have compared to what you have learned in your courses thus far.

Application of Leadership:

Each Leadership Journal assignment will include specific questions for you to answer.

Practicum Project Preparation:

Each Leadership Journal assignment will include specific questions for you to answer.

Leadership Video Reflection:

Each Leadership Journal assignment will include specific questions for you to answer.

References

(Please make sure all references are in APA format.)

© 2022. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

Leadership Journal Template

Name:

Weeks Covering: 16 weeks

Preceptor/Mentor: Sylvia Coleman

Clinical/Practicum Site: SFMC

Hours Worked (past two weeks):_36__

Total Hours: __36__/150 total of all hours worked up to this point

Practicum Activities Reflection:

I selected the wound care department as the focus of my practicum because there is a significant communication problem to be resolved. It has been discovered that the department scored poorly with patients in regard to communication. My first activity was to observe the scorecards collected from patients during the last three months at their discharge or from outpatient services. Communication is an essential tool between doctors, nurses, and patients so I had to find the reason for poor communication and the solutions needed to resolve them. It was also discovered that the communication scores dropped after the hospital went through a change of ownership.

The scorecards revealed that the patients were not satisfied with the care, and they complained that the doctors and nurses do not come to ask about their well-being and do not discuss their issues with them. My second activity was communicating with the directors, nurses, and the other hospital staff to know how they communicate with the patients. The patients do not need wound care treatment only, but they require the proper care overall. If the proper care is not given to the patients, the patient flow will decrease in the coming months. The patient satisfaction level is directly related to the number of patients and the department’s reputation. The surveys will continue to be collected throughout the practicum because I want to know the effect of ownership change and staff behavior toward the patients. The ownership change might also affect the staff behavior with the patients. The last three months were proved to be critical for the patients because it was found that there were soar comments about the hospital administration.

I observed that leadership styles are essential in the improvement of communication. Communication with the patients is essential because it brings value to the treatment, and the patient’s satisfaction will be enhanced. I will continue the survey of the patients to know the other impacts. I expect that these activities will help me improve the communication process, and the patients will feel better.

Application of Leadership:

Professional responsibility and power, authenticity, integrity, and emotional intelligence are key factors of multiple leadership styles. During the observation and involvement of the preceptor activities, I felt that these factors were neglected. There was no element of emotional intelligence and authenticity in the leadership styles. During conversation with my preceptor, I realized that she favored the authoritarian leadership style with the patients and department staff. For authoritative leadership to be effective, team members must be given a clear goal to work toward and instructions for getting there. (Alqatawenh, 2018).

Various leadership styles can be implemented in the hospital, especially in the wound care department. The leadership styles are not easily changed altogether, but certain elements can be inserted into them. The first element that should be inserted in the leadership style is professional integrity. Professional integrity means that the patients should discuss the processes with the doctors, and the doctors/preceptors/nurses should give proper time to all the patients.

Professional integrity is one of the essential elements that should be inserted into the leadership styles. The next element that I would like to insert into the leadership styles is authenticity during the treatment. Authenticity in leadership means that all leaders must know their duties and responsibilities. The duty is not merely to admit the patients to the hospital and discharge them. The responsibilities include several factors like the care of patients and the proper administration of wound care treatments. The staff should discuss a patient’s condition with the family and encourage them to be involved in the care. All these elements are necessary for a patient, and if these elements are not provided there will be negative comments on the scorecard (Adi, 2019).

Last but not least, the leadership in hospital management or nursing involves protecting ethical principles. If the practices include ethics, the patients are satisfied; if there is a lack of implementation of the ethical tenets, the complaints will be increased. The principles include autonomy, beneficence, and justice. The leaders should think of these principles, and when the roots of problems and solutions are observed, they will meet a single factor known as communication. The patients have severe complaints about the lack of effective communication that should be resolved (DeConinck, 2018).

Practicum Project Preparation:

I have strong ideas about the project practicum because two essential concepts are involved. These are the leadership styles and the communication improvement. It is already explained that the leadership styles are numerous, and the leaders have to choose the appropriate one. I have planned to present the implementation of transformational and servant leadership within the department. Transformational leadership encourages the employees to learn that they are an essential part of an organization, and they have to work for the betterment of the organization. One of the essential elements that the project has made me learn is that effective leadership is essential in the success of leadership. The project has a massive role in my career because the practical observations are different from the theoretical concepts.

I have read a lot about leadership inefficiency and the lack of implementation of leadership styles. The project has made me learn that the situation exists in reality, and it helps me identify the real problems and solutions. I have learned different leadership styles like transformational and servant leadership, which I expect to implement in my career. Both the leadership styles are essential in the project, and the hospital management should learn them to the maximum extent (Gandolfi, 2018).

Leadership Video Reflection:

Servant leadership is an essential leadership style that many previous leaders observed in the past. The video was quite informational because it provided the lessons regarding servant leaders and the characteristics that should be present. The first thing that I have learned and am impressed with is that the leaders should understand that they are the servants of the public. They are appointed in the vital position of serving the people instead of giving them the orders. The leaders should learn that there is a differentiation between giving orders and leading the people through serving. The other aspect that I have learned from the servant leadership video is the power of a leader to listen and heal the patients. It is not only about the patients but the employees and customers. If the leader cannot listen to the employees, they do not have the leader’s personality. The leaders should always be concerned about the problems of the public and should resolve them (Nursing, 2016).

References

Alqatawenh, A. S. (2018). Transformational leadership style and its relationship with change management. Verslas: teorija ir praktika, 19(1), 17-24. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=772622.

DeConinck, J. B., Moss, H. K., & Deconinck, M. B. (2018). The relationship between servant leadership perceived organizational support, performance, and turnover among business-to-business salespeople. Global J Management and Marketing, 2(1), 38-52. https://www.igbr.org/wp-content/Journals/2018/GJMM_Vol_2_No_1_2018.pdf

Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2018). Leadership, leadership styles, and servant leadership. Journal of Management Research, 18(4), 261-269. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340940468_Leadership_Leadership_Styles_and_Servant_Leadership

Adi, K. R. (2019, October). Transformational leadership and team performance: the role of innovation in Indonesia property agent industry. In 2018 International Conference on Islamic Economics and Business (ICONIES 2018) (pp. 334-338). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/iconies-18.2019.67

Nursing, A. G.-. (2016, October 10). Servant Leadership – The Issue Of Power [cc] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8yMNFMp0k8&feature=youtu.be

© 2022. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

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Practicum Journal: Authority- Week 5

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Practicum Journal: Authority- Week 5

Leadership Journal Template

Name:

Weeks Covering: 16 weeks

Preceptor/Mentor: Sylvia Coleman

Clinical/Practicum Site: SFMC

Hours Worked (past two weeks):_40__

Total Hours: __76__/150 total of all hours worked up to this point

Practicum Activities Reflection

The problem of poor communication in the wound management department has majorly affected the patient perceptions about the services provided. Thus, during these weeks, it was important to identify all the stakeholders in this department in order to determine the major causes of the communication problems. The stakeholders are the patients, the hospital administration, and the healthcare professionals working in this department. The problems seen in this department can thus be attributed the hospital administration and the healthcare professionals because the patients complain of the lack of communication, lack of patient oriented services, and lack of proper follow-up.

The scorecards depicted that the patients have been having more complaints about the services in the last three months. This is a time where a change in management has happened due to new ownership. Thus, the management has a critical role to ensure that the patients get the right services. The healthcare professionals work in an environment that is influenced by the leadership they are receiving. Without proper interactions between the administration and the healthcare professionals, it is difficult to establish a culture of proper communication for efficient patient care (Haroon & Malik, 2018).

Application of Leadership

The process of bringing change in any situation requires that the leadership follows the right processes. One of the most important aspects is to understand the process of change (Harrison et al., 2021). By going through the scorecards the problem of poor communication was a problem that will affect both the patients and the hospital. The patients will develop a negative attitude and no longer require to access these services in the same facility. In the end, the hospital will experience reduction in its income. Thus, it is important for any leader to understand the process of change and know that there is no initiative that is the same as the other. All change processes are as a result of particular conditions and the end result is better results.

The process of change is carried out over time and thus, establishes a new culture in the organization. To bring the right aspects of change in the wound management department, it is important that the right preparations are made (Augustsson et al., 2019). Thus, there is a need to have a change manager who is focused on preparing the organization and the employees for the change. The healthcare professionals need to understand the impending need for transition and also the role they have to play during the change process. The implementation process is the second step in achieving change. The changes executed to enhance communication in the wound management department should be aligned with the vision statement. Through this, the leadership is able to bring better leadership and support to enhance communication performance, patient satisfaction, and healthcare professionals’ engagement in the process of change.

The process of change management aligns with the strategic management principles because it helps to leverage on the strengths (Khan et al., 2018). Working to establish the best ways of enhancing communication helps to bring out the strengths of the wound management department. Thus, change management utilizes the competitive advantages of the department to drive better communication and patient satisfaction. The change management process remains flexible because strategy management is a continuous process. Thus, the wound department should be prepared to make changes in the communication process until there are effective results.

Practicum Project Preparation:

The goals of the project is to enhance communication in the wound management department. The organization mission is to provide the right care for all the patients at all times. The vision is to become an oasis of hope for all the people. Thus, the adoption of change management in the wound management department is an effective strategy of ensuring that the services offered are effective in meeting the needs of the patients. It is important to ensure that all the changes being made align with the vision and the mission of the organization. It is easier for the organization to move forward in the right direction even when facing change because there is an understanding of where it is going and why (Rosenbaum et al., 2018). Thus, the mission and the vision of the organization serve as the guidelines to the changes that must be adopted in order to reach the goals that have been set.

Leadership Video Reflection

The “Servant Leadership” video provides great insights about leadership. First, leadership is not about being served or providing rules that are to be followed by the others. Leadership is about influencing the people positively to follow given aspects that the leader believes are essential for the growth of the organization. The second insight is that leadership and power are intertwined. A leader needs to understand how to effectively use the power they have been granted to bring the best changes. Instead of drowning in power and becoming unapproachable, the leaders should use the power to bring organization in better performance (Kamalakannan, 2021).

References

Augustsson, H., Churruca, K., & Braithwaite, J. (2019). Mapping the use of soft systems methodology for change management in healthcare: a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 9(4), e026028. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/4/e026028.abstract

Haroon, H., & Malik, H. D. (2018). The impact of organizational communication on organizational performance. Journal of research in social sciences, 6(2), 140-151. https://www.proquest.com/openview/fb2cf0d250bb9f36fb0dc0bc7e704fe6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2030756

Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where do models for change management, improvement and implementation meet? A systematic review of the applications of change management models in healthcare. Journal of healthcare leadership, 13, 85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7966357/

Kamalakannan, R. (2021). Ethical Leadership and its Influences on Organizational Performance. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 4069-4081. https://www.annalsofrscb.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/2959

Khan, S., Vandermorris, A., Shepherd, J., Begun, J. W., Lanham, H. J., Uhl-Bien, M., & Berta, W. (2018). Embracing uncertainty, managing complexity: applying complexity thinking principles to transformation efforts in healthcare systems. BMC health services research, 18(1), 1-8. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-018-2994-0

Rosenbaum, D., More, E., & Steane, P. (2018). Planned organisational change management: Forward to the past? An exploratory literature review. Journal of Organizational Change Management. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JOCM-06-2015-0089/full/html

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