NURS 6341: Specialty in Clinical Nursing | Week 6

A common characteristic found in all great teachers is a love of their subject, an obvious satisfaction found in arousing this love in their students, and an ability to convince them that what they are being taught is deadly serious.

—J. Epstein

Think about what you see and what you note as you engage in clinical activities in your practicum setting. From your observations, how do the nurses who are regarded as “experts” provide quality care? In what ways do they bring both a telescopic and a wide-angle view of their patients and their specialty to their nursing practice? NURS 6341: Week 6: Advancing Skills in Specialties of Interest Paper

This week you continue to advance your awareness in your specialty of interest by exploring how the physical, emotional, and social dimensions, also known as the “biopsychosocial science,” of illness and recovery are woven together in the application of highly skilled care. As a nurse with advanced knowledge, you reflect on how you negotiate these multiple dimensions and nuanced requirements, and as a nurse educator, how you will present or develop them in others.

 

Learning Objectives – NURS 6341: Week 6: Advancing Skills in Specialties of Interest Paper

Students will:

• Analyze biopsychosocial strategies that improve patient care
• Analyze current research literature for applicability to specialty areas of interest
• Evaluate a practicum experience in the context of quality*
• Analyze opportunities for integrating quality measures into the nursing classroom*
• Construct a detailed practicum log**

* You continue working on the Assignment related to this Learning Objective, first introduced in Week 4 and submitted in Week 7.

** You continue working on the assignment related to this Learning Objective, first introduced in Week 1 and submitted in Week 7.

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Benner, P., Tanner, C., & Chesla, C. (2009). Expertise in nursing practice: Caring, clinical judgment, and ethics (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

• • Chapter 4, “Proficiency: A Transition to Expertise” (pp. 103–135)

The authors continue to present the stages of nursing practice development by outlining the characteristics of proficiency and how the leap from competent to proficient nursing is transformative in six major ways. As with the previous stages, consider this process from your own experience and observation of nurses in your practicum setting.

• • Chapter 5, “Expert Practice” (pp. 137–169)

This chapter completes the presentation of the stages of nursing practice. As you read, bring to mind expert nurses in your specialty area of interest and characteristics of their skilled performance.

• Chapter 1 is one of three chapters in Expertise in Nursing Practice written by contributors other than the authors. Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus are brothers who have developed a model of skill acquisition. In this chapter they explain their model and its five stages—novice, advanced beginner, competence, proficient, and expert— and its application and implications for development of nursing practice. Note the conclusion that experiential learning is essential for progressing from novice to expert in any field and consider how this practicum may advance your nursing practice.

Sadigh, M. R., Phd. (2013, April 01). Development of the Biopsychosocial Model of Medicine. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/2013/04/mhst2-1304.html

This brief presentation explains the concept of the biopsychosocial model—how physical, psychological, and social factors interplay in both the development and treatment of disease.

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Discussion: Applying Biopsychosocial Science to Improve Patient Quality of Care

“We had a patient that was in the OR, and I’d gotten word that he had been … in the CCU beforehand, had a really poor heart….I was coming into work that evening and had received word that his family was sitting … in our waiting room. So I thought I’d go out and meet them.… They were like stressed to the max … [and] proceeded to tell me this whole story about what this poor man had gone through….[I]t was like they were just looking for this release valve and I gave it to them, and they seemed to appreciate that, and I think at that point we kind of clicked.”

—(Benner, Tanner, and Chesla, 2009, p. 142)

In this excerpt taken from your course text, the nurse describes her interactions with the patient’s family as a significant aspect of providing quality patient care. From her first interaction with both the family and the patient, she has an intuitive grasp of what is needed to calm the worries of the family as a system.

Consider examples such as these from your course text, practicum setting, and previous clinical experiences. Also reflect on your own experiences or observations of nurses engaged in patient care in which the larger impact on the family, or the community (the clinical staff or a broader group) was not as strongly considered or not acknowledged at all.

In this Discussion, you exchange views with your colleagues on the concept of quality patient care that is based on biopsychosocial knowledge.

To Prepare

• Review the article, “Biopsychosocial Model” and examples from the text reading that demonstrate its application. Reflect on your previous clinical experiences or those during your current practicum, and identify situations in which you used biopsychosocial knowledge when working with a patient.
• Reflect on your practicum experience through the lens of the biopsychosocial knowledge. How have you applied your advanced skill and knowledge when working with patients, families, or communities (clinical or others)? What specific biopsychosocial strategies have you used or could use to ensure or improve quality care in your practice?
• Conduct further research to locate evidence-based biopsychosocial strategies that improve quality care for patients, families, and communities.

 

By Day 3

Post an explanation of three biopsychosocial strategies* you use or may use to improve quality care for a patient, a family, and community. Explain how each strategy aids the individual/group by describing specific examples from your practicum and current literature.

* To meet the requirements of this Discussion, you must identify at least three strategies: one for the patient, one for the family, and one for the community.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one of the following approaches:

• Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.
• Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
• Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. NURS 6341: Week 6: Advancing Skills in Specialties of Interest Paper.

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFO 

Advancing Skills in Specialties of Interest

Introduction

If you’re interested in a certain area of nursing, you may want to consider enrolling in a specialized course. It could open doors for you professionally and give your resume some extra oomph. Here are some tips on how to do so:

Improving skills in other areas of nursing can help you become a better nurse overall.

As you can see, having a specialization in nursing can help you become a better nurse overall. You may be able to advance your career, earn more money and take on more responsibility. You may also learn new skills that will help you become an even better nurse down the road.

If a certain area of nursing interests you, enrolling in a specialized course can be a great way to learn more.

If you’re interested in a certain area of nursing, enrolling in a specialized course can be a great way to learn more. Specialized courses are offered online or in person, and they allow students to learn about the specialty through lectures, classes and reading materials. However, you will still need to gain experience on the job by completing assignments for your instructor (and then passing certification exams).

Hospitals and clinics may be looking for nurses with certain specializations on their resumes

As you’re applying for jobs, it’s important to highlight your specializations on your resume. In fact, hospitals and clinics are looking for nurses with certain specializations on their resumes.

• Specialty-specific nursing skills: These would include things like critical care, advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). These skills can make you more marketable in the job market because they demonstrate that you have experience working with patients who require these types of services. They also help build a strong resume—and don’t forget that these types of positions often lead to higher wages!

• Knowledge base: Your knowledge base needs should include a broad array of topics related to healthcare—from anatomy and physiology to pharmacology and psychosocial aspects of caregiving—so that future employers know exactly what kind of nurse they’re hiring when interviewing potential employees like yourself.* Teamwork skills: Working as part of a team is critical in today’s fast-paced environment where nurses must keep up with ever-changing regulations while simultaneously providing excellent patient care.* Communication skills: Whether communicating face-to-face with families or electronically via email/text message; being able to effectively communicate effectively at all times during your shift will go far towards helping improve patient outcomes since this means less time spent doing paperwork which could otherwise be spent providing direct patient contact instead

Joining the medical society for the speciality you’re interested in can be a great way to network.

Joining the medical society for the speciality you’re interested in can be a great way to network. You’ll be able to meet other professionals in your field, and they will have valuable insight into what’s going on within their specialty.

You’ll also learn more about the benefits of doing so, as well as how it relates to current research and developments. And if there are any trends or developments that seem interesting, then this is an excellent opportunity for you to ask questions!

Volunteering can be an excellent way to learn new skills and try out nursing specializations to see if they interest you.

Volunteering can be an excellent way to learn new skills and try out nursing specializations to see if they interest you. Volunteering gives you the chance to try out a new specialty without committing to it; it also gives you a chance to network with people in the field, which can help determine whether or not this is something that interests you.

Volunteering also gives nurses an opportunity for self-reflection about their current practice roles or goals for their future careers, which often leads them down paths toward making career changes.

A specialty can open doors and improve career prospects

• Specializations can help you get a job. A specialty is often a step towards advancing your career, and it’s not just about getting that first promotion. You’ll probably be able to use your knowledge of one field to land another position in the same industry or even at another company; this is especially true if you want to move from entry-level jobs into management positions.

• Specializations can help you advance in your career. Once you’ve worked hard on developing an expertise in one area (such as marketing), there are plenty of opportunities for advancement within that field—and even outside it! For example, if someone has been doing advertising for years but never realized their dream of working in fashion design until now—well…they could still do both!

Conclusion

The best way to get started with a specialty is by researching your options. You might also want to talk with people who have experience in that field and ask them what their experiences have been like. In addition, there are many organizations out there that focus on educating nurses interested in specific areas of nursing care, so these groups can also be a great resource for exploring new careers within the nursing world!