Learners must maintain a reflective journal integrating self-reflection and inquiry demonstrated in the current Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) course.

General Requirements:

Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:

• Download the \”Reflective Journal Template,\” located in the DNP PI Workspace, for submission.
• A minimum of three peer-reviewed references published within the last 5 years is required.
• Doctoral learners are required to use the current APA style for their essay writing assignments. The current APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center.
• This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric before beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
• You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Course Materials if you need assistance.

Directions: 

Each week, contribute 150-200 words (1,250-2,000 words total) to reflect and journal the professional practice, skills, and responses used in approaching or achieving the course objectives in the course syllabus and the AACN Essentials Doctoral Education of Advanced Practice (2006). Describe examples of your accomplishments or challenges experienced while taking the course. Align at least three of the AACN DNP Essentials to these experiences as provided in the \”Reflective Journal Template.\” Discuss additional resources discovered and new abilities that have influenced more optimal learning outcomes in the course. Lastly, describe and conclude how the competencies were approached or accomplished in this course.

In addition to personal reflections about the course, the journal must reflect on at least three of the following AACN DNP Essentials:

• Essential I: Scientific Underpinnings for Practice
• Essential III: Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice
• Essential IV: Information Systems/Technology and Patient Care Technology for the Improvement and Transformation of Health Care
• Essential V: Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care
• Essential VI: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes
• Essential VII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation\’s Health
• Essential VIII: Advanced Nursing Practice

Submit your reflective journal to both the course faculty using the course assignment dropbox and upload it into the Typhon Tracking System under the corresponding course section at the end of the course. Learners must submit this deliverable in Typhon and the LMS. Failure to submit in both locations can result in an Incomplete for the course.

Expert Answer and Explanation

Reflection

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) published the essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice last in 2006 (AACN, 2011). The essentials address the core foundational competencies in all ANP roles. However, the focus and depth of the essentials depend on the nursing role a student has partaken in. For instance, a student-focused on nursing leadership would improve their knowledge in systems and organizational leadership. DNP graduates should always reflect and document the essentials they have achieved in the course of their learning. The purpose of this assignment is to describe the essentials and reflect on how the course has helped achieve them.

Achievements and Challenges

I have achieved a lot since I started the course. One of the skills I have achieved in designing and evaluating quality improvement practices that can improve the target population’s health. Newman (2017) notes that the overall quality improvement in healthcare settings can improve the reliability and cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery systems, thus enhancing patient outcomes. In my prospectus, I focused on improving the health of patients with diabetes and are obese. A study by Ahmed et al. (2017) showed that the readmission rate is high among patients with diabetes and are obese. Hence, my program aimed to help the patients improve their body weight and reduce readmission rates and other comorbidities related to obesity. I also improved my leadership skills during the course. The skills helped me design and advocate for various policies that impact the health of patients. I improved my communication skills which can help me further advocate for care policies. Thelen (2020) reports that communication is essential when it comes to policy advocacy. The author argues that nursing leaders should have proper communication skills to effectively communicate their policies to stakeholders.

Another accomplishment is using nursing theories in improving patient care. I have learned various nursing theories that have improved my theoretical knowledge in nursing care. I learned that environment is a vital aspect of nursing care, and thus nurses should always ensure that healthcare settings contribute to the betterment of the patient health. Lastly, I have also accomplished much when it comes to the development and evaluation of research methodologies. I developed a research methodology for my DNP prospectus draft, which has improved my research methods knowledge. However, I also experienced challenges during the course. The main was analyzing data using SPSS. As a DNP graduate, I am supposed to know to analyze data using technological instruments. However, I found it so challenging to analyze data using SPSS. Another challenge was finding the right sources for my literature review.

Resources Discovered and New Abilities

I discovered various resources that I can use to improve patient care. One of the resources was the American Nursing Association. The ANA always publishes various resources that can be useful to nurses in the research and ANP sectors. The CDC is another vital resource I discovered in the course. It publishes resources about various diseases and innervations and can be vital for ANPs.

AACN Essentials for DNP

Essential 1: Scientific Underpinnings for Practice

According to AACN (2011), the DNP program should apply terminal academic activities to prepare students for nursing practice. After the program, a nurse should know the laws and principles governing the well-being, life process, and optimal functioning of a human being when sick or well. The nurse should also know the nursing processes or actions used to positively affect changes in their health status after completing the program. I achieved this essential by learning various nursing theories that I would use to explain the functioning of human beings in either a healthy or sick state. One of the theories I have learned in the course is Environmental Theory by Florence Nightingale. According to Ribeiro et al. (2020), the theory argues that nurses can understand how to apply patient environment to help improve patient recovery. Another theory is the transpersonal theory by Jean Watson. The theory notes that nurses should use problem-solving skills to make decisions and urge nurses to always express their feelings.

Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking

Sfantou et al. (2017) argue that leadership is an important aspect of ANP. The authors note that effective nursing leadership can lead to effective, quality, and safe care. The AACN also recognizes the importance of leadership in nursing. The organization notes that nursing leadership is required to improve health and patient outcomes. The organization also notes that DNP graduates must-know principles of nursing management, including practical and conceptual strategies for improving productivity while providing quality care. I have improved my leadership skills in this course. Some of the leadership theories I have learned improved my leadership skills include transactional leadership, servant leadership, and democratic leadership. Different leadership theories are needed for different nursing aspects of leadership. For instance, a leader who wants to change a nursing organization should utilize a transactional leadership model (Amestoy et al., 2017). Democratic leadership can be used when making decisions regarding a policy where every stakeholder will vote for it, and the majority’s decision will be followed.

Essential III: Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice

This essential is focused on research and scholarship. The essential focuses on improving DNP graduates’ knowledge in appraising evidence-based literature using analytical methods to identify and implement evidence-based practices. The DNP also prepares graduates to develop and implement processes used in evaluating practice patterns, outcomes of practice, and the healthcare environment. After completing the program, a DNP graduate should evaluate quality improvement methodologies, apply research findings in care provision, and use research methods and information technology properly. I achieved this essential by attending various scholarly activities and designing the DNP prospectus and the ten strategic points. These activities allowed me to learn research methodologies and tools I can use to evaluate various nursing practices. I can currently collect data and analysis to identify important findings that can be applied to improve the quality and safety of nursing care.

Conclusion

I accomplished all the competencies for this DNP program. For instance, I translated nursing science and other disciplines into practice through the DNP prospectus draft. In this activity, I collected data, analyzed it, and used it to recommend an intervention to help the patient with diabetes and are obese. I demonstrated clinical judgment by assessing my clinical site and identifying the care problems among obese patients with diabetes. I provided patient-centered care by ensuring readmission rates were reduced among patients with diabetes. Overall, I learned that the essentials of nursing are vital for a DNP student, and thus we must all strive to achieve all the essentials.

References

Ahmed, A., AlBuraikan, D., ALMuqbil, B., AlJohi, W., Alanazi, W., & AlRasheed, B. (2017). Readmissions and emergency department visits after bariatric surgery at Saudi Arabian hospital: the rates, reasons, and risk factors. Obesity Facts, 10(5), 432-443. https://doi.org/10.1159/000456667

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2011). The essentials of master’s education in nursing. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/MastersEssentials11.pdf

Amestoy, S. C., Trindade, L. D. L., Silva, G. T. R. D., Santos, B. P. D., Reis, V. R. D. S. S., & Ferreira, V. B. (2017). Leadership in nursing: from teaching to practice in a hospital environment. Escola Anna Nery, 21. https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-EAN-2016-0276

Newman, S. (2017). Language-games and quality improvement in healthcare in England. Open Medicine Journal, 4(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874220301704010073

Ribeiro, O. M. P. L., Martins, M. M. F. P. D. S., Trindade, L. D. L., Fassarella, C. S., Silva, J. M. A. V. D., & Faria, A. D. C. A. (2020). 200 years of Florence Nightingale: contributions to the professional practice of nurses in hospitals. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0179

Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare settings: a systematic review. In Healthcare (Vol. 5, No. 4, p. 73). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare5040073

Thelen, P. D. (2020). Internal communicators’ understanding of the definition and importance of employee advocacy. Public Relations Review, 46(4), 101946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101946

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