NR 351 Discussion AACN BSN Essentials and Your Future Practice

The AACN BSN Essential that I believe to be most important in my future professional nursing practice is VI. Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes. According to the AACN Essential of Baccalaureate Education (2008), “Effective communication and collaboration among health professionals is imperative to providing patient-centered care” (p. 22).

In the discussion for week one, I selected communication as one of the most important core competencies. I recognized the importance of collaboration and communication then, and still believe it to be true for many reasons. While there are numerous studies for evidence-based practice, safety, quality improvement, informatics, and professionalism, none of these would be an effective part of the health care system without successful communication and collaboration. Communication and collaboration improve quality in nursing by connecting the core competencies of nursing.

As I stated in the discussion for week three, “Collaboration is the action of working with someone to produce or create something. Communication is the imparting or exchanging of information or news” (Wells, 2020). With an ever-changing patient population, health care team members need to be effective in both areas. According to Hood (2018), “increased cultural diversity and immigration will force all health care providers to become more adept at delivering culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate services” (p. 582). Providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services necessitates efficient collaboration and communication.

Lastly, I believe collaboration and communication to be extremely important while providing patient care. This encompasses education, communicating what is being done to the patient, and obtaining informed consent. According to Wolfe-Braun (2015), “Studies have shown that this approach builds trust, increases patient satisfaction with health care and results in a higher degree of professional fulfillment for the physician.” I can remember what it’s like to be a patient myself and I hope to make my patients as comfortable and educated as possible while caring for them.

References:

Hood, L. J. (2018). Leddy & Pepper’s professional nursing (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

Wells, K. (2017, November 29). Collaboration vs. Communication: Why the Difference Matters. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from Field Service Digital website: https://fsd.servicemax.com/2017/11/29/collaboration-vs-communication-the-difference-matters/Links to an external site.

Wolf-Braun, B., & Wilke, H.-J. (2015). Patient autonomy and informed consent-ethical and legal issues. PubMed Central, 50(3). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25850648Links to an external site.

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The AACN BSN Essential that I have selected to be of high importance in my future professional nursing practice is Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes. I chose this because “effective communication and collaboration among health professionals is imperative to providing patient-centered care” (AACN, 2008, p. 22) and, according to the Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies, the nurse of the future, “understands what each health team member uniquely provides in terms of patient care” (p. 34). To achieve this end I will observe, as Tex Winter (assistant coach of the Chicago Bulls basketball team during the mid-1980s, and pioneer of the triangle offense), how each team member can best contribute to success because when we focus on working together, as healthcare providers, we are in the most optimal position to care for our patients in a holistic manner (Harris, 2019).

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. http://www.aacnnursing.org/Education-Resources/AACN

Harris, K. (2019). Collaborating for best-practice holistic care. Beginnings, 39(6), 24.

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing Initiative. (2010). Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies^© Registered Nurse. Retrieved from http://www.mass.edu/nahi/documents/NOFRNCompetencies_updated_March2016.pdf

Each essential is important but I have a special interest in effective communication. I selected Essential IV: Interpersonal Communication and Collaboration for improving Patient Health Outcomes because I know how important it is to have strong communication skills in the nursing profession. I have struggled with poor communication in many aspects of my career and moving forward, I want to be the best communicator that I can be. I try to be kind and brief as well as effective. Patient safety depends heavily on good communication. “Building a safer healthcare system has become the focus of all health professions” (2008).

According to the AACN, having strong communication skills and collaborating among health care professionals is paramount to providing patient-centered, safe care (2008).

AACN states also that by incorporating communication and collaboration as well as employing teamwork in your approach to healthcare, can allow professionals to deliver high quality and safe patient care (2008).

Communication is the core of my practice as a circulator. Changes are frequent within our scheduling of cases and surgeon preference cards. In addition, each patient and their families have individual concerns and needs. I always inform my charge nurse of delays because I know this can have a spiral effect on our daily schedule. I aim to keep my patients updated on any delays as well.

Continuous improvement in communication is essential in all aspects of nursing. There is always room for improvement. Moving forward in my career, I will educate myself and strive to not just communicate but lead by example in the way I communicate. My passion is to have everyone communicate effectively and have a smooth, problem free, time efficient work flow, there-by providing a safe patient environment. Passions, according to Hood, “are described as activities, ideas, and topics that can elicit emotions” (Hood, 2008). Perceiving the world as having opportunities, instead of obstacles allows you to focus on your own abilities, rather than limitations” (Hood, 2018). I like to say that you are in charge of what you focus on. You can focus on the good and build yourself up, or focus on the negative or what is missing and fall into despair. I choose to do my best and constantly find ways to improve my communication. Each day, I find new ways to improve my communication because each day brings interactions between myself and others.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/baccessentials08.pdf

Hood, L. J. Leddy and Pepper’s Professional Nursing (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA Wolters Kluwer

I agree with you about struggling with communication. I myself have struggled with effective communication on both a personal level and from leadership during my nursing career. Optimal safe care can not be provided without effective communication from all levels of healthcare. In PACU, we communicate on many different levels from educating our patients and their caregiver, receiving report from a CRNA, giving report to a floor nurse, and informing our team when we are having problems with a recovering patient. Even with effective communication, I agree there is always room for improvement in order to provide safe care to our patients because when we do not communicate information correctly or forget to communicate important information, it opens the door for mistakes to be made. Good luck to you as you continue on your journey to improve how you communicate with others.

I believe all the nine essentials are important and go hand in hand but for my future professional nursing, I will pick Essential VIII- Professionalism and Professional Values which according to AACN (p .4)” its the professionalism is the inherent values of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, and social justice which are fundamental to the discipline of nursing.” Also, the Massachusetts Nurse of Future (p.14) explains professionalism as the “accountability for the delivery of standard-based nursing care that is consistent with moral, altruistic, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles”

This will improve my quality in my future professional because no matter what height I reach in my future nursing, I still want to be able to care for patients whom we see in their lowest and still make them feel dignifies and respected, I will like to be autonomous, be able to deliver nursing care that is consistent with moral, legal, ethical and humanistic.
Many nurses forget these fundamental standard-based nursing care as we improve ourselves and gather more experience. Some nurse does not empathize with patients anymore because to them they have seen it all.

I have a case on my floor now about a man that was COVID positive and his prognosis was bad. The patient’s family wanted the patient to get all the care possible so they made him full code but the attending physician thought its a waste of time and resources which I get because of the limited resources. When the patient was desaturating, one of the residents at the night shift went ahead and defiled the attending physician and intubated the patient. I asked the resident why he did what he did and he said: “if that patient were to be me, even though I have a little chance of survival I will still want to be given that little chance”. I believe the patient would have died now if the resident did not have empathy and even if the patient died eventually he was still given the little chance he had and also given a few days to live.
Professional values and professionalism will help me be a better a nurse in my future professionalism

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/baccessentials08.pdf
Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies© Registered Nursehttp://www.mass.edu/nahi/documents/NOFRNCompetencies_updated_March2016.pdf.

NR 351 Discussion AACN BSN Essentials and Your Future Practice