Midsemester Self-Review and Analysis

2 Course Clinical Objectives and 2 Personal Objectives so far in the course; relate your progress on these objectives to your work in your specific clinical site:

2 clinical course objectives:

1. Leadership skills-I feel I have met this goal because of the knowledge and wisdom that has been passed on to me by my preceptor. My preceptor has truly inspired me to be a great leader. I have learned that effective leadership involves loyalty, respect, trust, and effective listening. A leader must be self motivated and committed to whatever change or situation that takes place in their department. An effective leader also motivates, educates, and empowers others to see that vision and give them opportunities to express their feelings about the change.
For example, The ED department at DRMC is currently trying to be a level 3 trauma center and in order for them to achieve this goal, they must first be up to date and compliant with the trauma documentation. My preceptor has educated the staff on the items that are being overlooked or not documented like hourly vital signs. He posts the trauma checklist on all the computers to remind the staff. He also offers suggestions in ways to keep improvement and encourages feedback. He also recognizes champions who are documenting 100% in front of their peers and ask those champions to assist him in helping the other staff members improve in their documentation. As a result of this effective leadership, they are currently 100% on their trauma documentation.

2. Communication-I feel I have met this goal because I effectively communicate with my preceptor during all my clinicals. I ask questions and give my emergency expertise when it is appropriate. My preceptor respects my 9 year experience as an emergency room nurse and he is always asking my opinion about the flow of the ED and ways to improve patient satisfaction. My preceptor has also shown me how to de-escalate situations and effectively communicate in group meetings.

2 personal objectives:

1. One of my personal objectives was to be able to identify the effectiveness of managerial decision making in health care settings. I have successfully observed the effectiveness of decision making by my preceptor on several occassions. We all know that emergency rooms can be chaotic because you never know what is going to happen and my preceptor actually has order to this chaotic department. His willingness to step in and help out in critical situations has actually increased the moral and attitude of the department. Everyone works together as a team and he is always ready to make split second decisions effectively.
For example, A patient presented to the ED with chest pain and there were no available beds. There were patients waiting to go the floor and the triage nurse was backed up as well. My preceptor immediately stepped in and assessed the chest pain patient, performed the ekg, and started taking the admit patients upstairs to create empty rooms for the patients in triage. The staff was very appreciative.

2. Another one of my personal objectives was to be able to familiarize myself with the clinical facility, personnel, policies, procedures, and the goals and philosophy of the agency by the end of the second week of clinicals. I actually met this goal the first week of clinicals. The staff has been very friendly and cooperative. Administration kindly acknowledge me when I go to meetings and my preceptor has shown me the policy and procedures in the ED, especially their Core Measures. DRMC is Commited to Excellence in Service and they use a team centered approach by collaborating with one another in order to increase patient safety and satisfaction.
For example, I attended a meeting with all of the directors of the hospital in regards to the flow of patients in the hospital and the reasons for delay. The directors received constructive criticism from one another and they respected each others opinion. They focused on a common vision to solve this problem and ended the meeting with a positive attitude to improve the flow of ED and improve patient care.

An overall review of your personal objectives and relection on how you have/have not accomplished them, support either with reasons and /or examples:

So far my clinical experience with my preceptor has been rewarding. I feel I have successfully accomplished most of my personal objectives as evidenced by the ones listed above. I have 16 more hours of clinicals because I have not been able to do 8 hour days. I am looking forward to completing my change project and my preceptor has been very supportive with my project.

Statement and discussion of one way these items have fostered your grown as a professional nurse.

I have learnt so much about leadership and the effectiveness of managerial decision making from my preceptor. I have been a staff nurse for 9 years and I never understood the decision making of certain managers, especially when it involved staffing. I know have the knowledge about understaffing and overstaffing as related to budgeting. I understand that leaders must be committed to their staff, loyal, respectful and communicate effectively. A leader must be an advocate for their staff. Just as the bedside nurse is the voice for their patients, the manager is the voice for their employees. I feel this class as empowered me to be a better nurse and to continue my education as a nurse professional. I am going to pursue my master's degree and maybe even my doctorate degree. I may even want to go into management one day. This has truly been a wonderful experience.






Statement and discussion of one way these items have fostered your growth as a professional nurse.