Emerging Scholars Literature Review
A mentor is defined as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher or an influential senior sponsor or supporter. In the nursing field, a nurse’s skill level and confidence can greatly increase when under the supervision of a mentor. The nurse would be well advised and confident to make thoroughly thought out decisions or in other words create a phenomenal leader. Not only that, but they can prosper and not feel threatened in such a fast paced environment. Good mentorship can also help with retention of nurses in the field. It is a well-known fact that nurses eat their young, meaning that nurses who have been in the field longer do not embrace or take the time to help out nurses who are new to the profession. In review of the literature it is proven through many studies that when nurses advise each other it makes for a better work environment and nurses who are able to educate each other leading to confidence and much improved nursing professional.
A program known as The International Nursing Leadership Educational Partnership offers a chance for RN-BSN students to develop their leadership skills by doing service learning projects. The goal of the program is to provide a global opportunity for participants to demonstrate their developing leadership skills through formal presentation internationally; while also teaching what they know to other nursing staff, students and various health care professionals. Students presented to professional nursing staff in the United Kingdom on the Health care system in the United States.(Caputi, 2014) Participants of the United Kingdom were surveyed and noted that, “having dialogue with their visiting nursing peers had a significant impact and increased their understanding of clinical nursing care within the United States.”(Caputi, 2014, p. 79) Students of the United States felt that they had more confidence and could potentially lead others. This mentorship style although not one on one, was effective for both parties involved. While the United States students were able to teach and expand on their leadership roles the United Kingdom students were able to understand a different healthcare system other than their own, which they could potentially incorporate some ideas from to make their system work effectively.
Critically Thinking in nursing can be a challenge on its own. If the student is not taught how to do it, it is a great disservice to them and their future patients. It is a skill that is used all throughout every nurse’s career. The Clinical Portfolio: A Success Story in Critical Thinking discusses how nursing professors; after attending a conference where they were lectured on the use of the Caputi Model for Clinical Education which uses the Clinical Activity Portfolio (CAP) to help create critical thinking learning objectives to strengthen the use of it in the clinical setting which was not strong at the school of choice.
Objectives of the portfolio were designed by professors so that students would critically think by using reflection, prioritizing, comparing, analyzing, and application. Activities in the Clinical Activity Portfolio were to create a patient profile, complete a laboratory work profile, complete a teaching plan, just to name a few. Professors noted that by the end of the semester the students asked higher- level questions and engaged in critical thinking discussions with each other. The students themselves noted that they were better able to apply what they learned in the classroom to the clinical setting. To further prove the effectiveness of the study, the professors re administered an exam which the students took before entrance to the program. They usually take this exam in the third semester of the program but it was given to then in the second. The students scored 72.7% while the national average on the exam is 70.3%.(Caputi, 2014). Mentorship has a chain effect; the professors were taught about a model which could be potentially help increase critical thinking in their school. They themselves were mentored by other nursing professionals and took that information back to mentor and increase the learning capacity of their students.
Reference
Caputi, L. (Ed.). (2014). Innovations in Nursing Education: Building the Future of Nursing. Baltimore: National League for Nursing.
Mount Sinai Blogs
February 17th, 2014 on the MICU unit started off normally. My nurse manager, Mr. Rivera and myself began by making rounds which, he or the Clinical Coordinator take turns doing daily. One of the patients was being successfully weaned off the respirator, while others were not doing well, as per word of the nurses who took part in the discussions about the patient’s care with their Healthcare Provider and family.
After rounds we sat in his office where he checked emails and made some phone calls. One call came in about a patient that was being transferred into the unit. Mr. Rivera was telling whoever was on the line with him that they were currently cleaning the bed and getting the room ready for the patient, but that he had not received any information about the patient as of yet. The caller on the line whom I assumed is another nurse manager begun to lament to Mr. Rivera about the patient’s family and warning him that they were a lot to deal with. He took the information into account where after speaking with the nurse manager we proceeded to read other nurse’s documentation on incidents with the family and he realized it would truly be a handful
We also completed some of the budget requirements for that month. He showed me how it was done and let me know where the money went. For instance he has a yearly amount but does the budget monthly, which consists of payroll for RN’s, PCA’s, and BA’s. He was also responsible for supplies used on the floor. This month he was over budget due to all the snow, so many employees called out around this time and also for vacation pay. We had to explain where each penny over budget was allocated to.
I learned a lot and had a good experience especially when doing the budget. I felt included and got a greater comprehension of the many hats that managers wear. To do the job effectively, I think managers must have good time management and effective leadership skills.
February 24, 2014.
Since we had library orientation that morning, when I arrived on the floor rounds had already been completed and Mr. Rivera was sitting at his desk clearing out his mailbox to provide room for more emails. He informed me that we would be attending a CLABSI meeting today which they have monthly, where Nurse Mangers and doctors come together to discuss how they could further decrease the patient’s risk.
We arrived at the meeting early to get good seats around the conference table. During the meeting, staff discussed ways in which I decrease Central Line infections. They showed photos of central lines that were not put in place properly leaving the site vulnerable to infection. They also discussed the infection link starting from the OR where they were not using the CERRO caps to protect the lines and how that could be rectified. A committee was put in place to discuss and investigate patients with recent infections, and how they would go about caring for the patient and learning from the experience of it.
This experience showed me how well the staff collaborates with each other. I was greatly impressed with the effectiveness and outcome of it all. The staff was all polite with each other and extremely professional. Leadership skills were showed in numerous ways. All the staff at the meeting has many employees under them so they now have to take the information learned here and address it on their unit further. They are taking the time to make a better work environment and facility.
