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WGU Professional Roles and Values Assignment – Task 1 Passed
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Professional Roles and Values (C 304)
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Nursing Roles and Values

Name College of Health Professions, Western Governor’s University Instructor’s Name Date

Nursing Roles and Values There are many nursing theories in the history of healthcare, and they have guided the nursing practice over the years, helping us evolve and improve the standards of nursing care that we deliver to our patients. Nursing theories are have concepts that are knowledge and experience based that are the background and definition of nursing practice. Nursing Theory The nursing theory that has influenced my goals and values as a nurse is the Environmental Theory of Florence Nightingale. This theory focuses on the patient’s surrounding environment and incorporates it into their nursing care plan. The environmental theory focuses on using the patient’s environment to help them recover and recuperate. The emphasis on the patient’s environment is crucial because it can have a positive impact on the patient’s recovery. Some of the essential elements of Nightingale’s environmental theory are fresh clean water, fresh air and proper ventilation, proper and sufficient nutrition, direct sunlight, and reduction of noise around the patient. Nightingale proposed the environmental theory to emphasize that if these factors are lacking, it can delay the patient’s recovery (Cherry, 2019). Nightingale’s theory fits my professional practice as I practice and pay close attention to these factors daily in my nursing career. The most important part of my daily nursing assessments includes making sure that my patient’s rooms are clean and has proper lighting which is essential for patients that are at an increased risk of falls. For my patients that are diagnosed with Dementia I assure that the noise level around their rooms is to the minimal possible as it affects their mood and overall health. Proper ventilation and sufficient nutrition are a factor that I focus on for all my patients that I care for as I believe and through evidence-based

There are significant differences when comparing the two theorists and their contributions to the field of nursing, these differences can be seen in their ideals and work ethics. Nightingale focused on the factors environmental factors that aided in patient’s recovery while Breckenridge focused on the community and their need for healthcare. Breckenridge proved that even in the poorly resourced environment where there is lack of proper running water, heat and electricity, nursing services can have a substantial positive impact on the health of individuals and their community (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2015). While Nightingale’s work focused on promoting environmental factors such as good ventilation and lighting, clean water, and proper nutrition as a major contributor to patients’ recovery and overall health shows that even though both the theorists had different views for nursing, they were able to successfully accomplish their goals and setting the benchmark for nursing at a new level. Even though Nightingale and Breckenridge had different ideas and contributions to nursing both the theorists influence my professional nursing practice daily. I adhere by Nightingale’s theory of focusing on the environmental factors for better patient outcome, I use this theory daily to help me in caring for my patients, I focus on proper ventilation, adequate nutrition and most importantly on proper hand hygiene with each patient encounter as I know that these factors influence and affect the care of nursing being delivered to patients. I also incorporate Breckenridge’s theory of community nursing as I focus on delivering the resources that are needed for my patients as they go back home in their communities. I refer then and provide them with essential programs that are available in our community for the continuity of care that is needed. State Board of Nursing and American Nurses Association

One of the major differences between the State Board of Nursing and The American Nurses Association is that the Board of Nursing is an organization that represents the nurses in a given state (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). The Board of Nursing is responsible for nursing licensure, disciplinary actions and revoking nursing licenses, the board of nursing enforces the laws and rules of nursing. The American Nurses Association on the other hand is an organization that represents professional board of nurses throughout the United States of America (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). The American Nurses Association advocates for nurses, establishing standards, code of ethics, scope of practice and it also aids healthcare reform and protecting and reporting criminal healthcare practices (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015). Both these organizations influence my nursing practice as the laws, rules, and regulations that they have put in place help and guide me in my nursing practice daily. Through these two organizations I know what is safe for me to practice as a nurse and what is not, it keeps me in check and guides me to be able to practice within my scope. It also keeps me obligated to be up to date with my nursing license and continuing education. I feel safe and well protected as a nurse because of organizations like the State Board of Nursing and American Nurses Association that help me in keeping my nursing practice professional and up to the standard that is set by nursing organizations in our country. The requirements for professional license renewal in the State of Washington is that you must complete your continuing competency hours every three years which includes 45 hours of continuing education and 531 hours of active practice (Washington State Nurses Association, 2016). In the state of Washington nurses are required to renew their license every two years by their birthday to keep their license active. They are required to pay a fee of $120 for renewal and if the renewal date has past then a late fee will apply (Washington State Nurses Association,

safe and quality healthcare services. When I administer medications to my patients, I feel confident knowing that the FDA has done extensive research and collective relevant data to ensure that the mediations are safe to be administered to our population. The CMS provides an essential insight to my nursing practice as it provides me with the most current evidence-based practice data to promote quality and most effective medical care to my patients. As a patient advocate, patient safety is one of the key components that I need to consider for my patient. If I patient has requested to use an alternative therapy, it is my duty as a nurse to give them all the necessary information that they need to be able to make an informed decision. I believe as a patient advocate; I must make sure that my patients are fully aware of the benefits and the risk of the alternative therapy and that they fully understand the pros and cons of the alternative therapy. The Nurse Practice Act in Washington State The Nurse Practice Act in Washington state serves the purpose of defining standards of nursing practice or conduct and to identify the professional responsibilities of registered nurses in health care settings (Washington State Department of Health, n.). The Washington State Nurse Practice Act ensures that upon entering the practice of nursing, everyone assumes a measure of responsibility and public trust and the obligation that comes with it to follow the ethical and professional standards of the nursing practice (Washington State Department of Health, n.). The registered nurse is accountable and responsible for the quality of nursing care that is delivered to patients. The scope of practice of a registered nurse in Washington state is includes administering treatments, medications, tests, assessing patients, setting goals, planning, and implementing care to patients (Carlson, 2019). The registered nurses in the state of Washington can delegate care to

qualified health care professionals like LPN’s, MA’s, and CNA’s. Registered nurses can practice independently in the state of Washington, and they do not require supervision by another nurse or health care worker if the nurse is practicing withing her scope (Carlson, 2019). As a registered nurse you could delegate task to your health care team members if the task delegated is within the scope of practice for that individual. There are certain elements of nursing that cannot be delegated to another health care team member e., providing teaching to a patient, assessing, and evaluating a patient as these tasks are specific to a registered nurse’s scope of practice (Washington State Legislature, 2020).

Application of Nursing Roles in Professional Practice The conceptual model by the nursing program at Western Governor’s University (WGU) defines the nurse as a scientist as someone who,” …. participates in scientific inquiry to inform healthcare decisions and critiques, disseminates and implements evidence to influence practice” (WGU Knowledge Center, 2016). As a nurse, we apply the role of being a scientist in our everyday work as we assess our patients and based on the physical and clinical findings adjust the plan of care. As nurses, we interpret lab and imaging results to decide and prioritize care for our patients as needed. One of our biggest roles as nurses is to use and apply evidence based medical research to our nursing practice which also signifies our role as a scientist. To apply the role as a detective as stated in the WGU’s conceptual model, “The nurse uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to detect subtle changes and deviations from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes” (WGU Knowledge Center, 2016). I think that as nurses we are working as detectives daily in many distinct aspects, I see myself working as a detective as I investigate and scrub patient’s chart that are on pain

Accountability) is followed, and that patient’s health and safety is the topmost priority. As a nurse these are the framework of my profession, and it is my duty and an obligation that I stand for these attributes as it justifies and represents every nurse and this profession. The second provision that states nurse owes the same duties to self as to others including promoting health and safety, maintain competence and continue personal and professional growth influences my nursing practice too. It was emphasized in during every class in nursing school that self-care is as equally important as providing care to your patients because if you are not physically, mentally, and emotionally well then you are of no help to your patients and at a risk of caregiver fatigue and burnout. I know as a nurse that to be competent and to have professional growth I must keep up with the latest evidence-based practice in my field of nursing. I also must continue my education and keep my license and certifications current to be compliant with the law and to be able to practice as a nurse. A common clinical error that I see happen at my workplace is the administration of the wrong immunization for infants. I think that this immunization error can be avoided if the nurse that is responsible for administering the vaccine follows all the six rights of medication/injection administration and does the 3 checks before administering the vaccine. I also believe that if the nurses are not rushed and overloaded with tasks that they need to complete, errors of this nature can be avoided. Although I also think that nurses should be periodically trained and educated on the different immunizations and the age group population they are recommended for, this will help in reducing the number of vaccine errors that occur. Leadership Qualities that Represent Excellence in Nursing The leadership qualities that represent excellence in nursing, I believe is having the ability to be a good team player, a mentor, problem solver and have excellent communicating

skills. These qualities represent a leader that can lead a team into the future of nursing and create a benchmark for the others to follow. These leadership qualities are important for a leader at the bedside as it is important to be a team player, nursing is about working as a team without the help and support of your team members your job becomes difficult to manage as things are constantly changing around you. Being a mentor as a leader at the bedside is an asset to the team, as you grow towards becoming an effective leader you take on the responsibility of mentoring the new nurses and helping them develop and grow in their career thus creating a brighter future for their nursing careers. Having a nurse leader at the bedside who is a problem solver is integral in nursing, it is a problem- solving process as we assess, plan, implement and evaluate our patients and the care we provide daily. It is an important quality to possess as a bedside nurse leader to be able to problem solve as you care for your patients. Having effective communicating skills is essential for a bedside nurse leader, excellent communication skills has shown many benefits like contributing to the feeling of safety, individualized patient care, love, and confidence. It is a building block between the relationship of a nurse and a patient. Leadership qualities such as being a team player, a mentor, being a problem solver and having excellent communicating skills are needed within a nursing or interdisciplinary team as it is anywhere else in the healthcare industry. I think that one of the most looked for quality in a nurse that will be part of a nursing team is to be a team player. A nursing team or an interdisciplinary team cannot effectively function without having nurses that believe in teamwork. It minimizes the risk of adverse events which is essential for patient safety and when a nursing team works together as a team to accomplish common goals it improves patient care also provides it team members with job satisfaction. A mentor as a nurse is also valuable in a

through evidence-based practice. As a new nurse I have felt more confident and supported by my team members at work as they are always there to guide me and direct me to the proper resources that I need to professionally grow as a nurse. I believe that a good positive work environment with great leaders, management and team members can help you grow as a nurse critically, personally, and professionally.

References Boards of Nursing. (n.). Washington State Board of Nursing. Retrieved from: allboardofnursing/washington-board-nursing/ Carlson, D. (2019). Registered Nurse and License Practical Nurse Scope of Practice. Retrieved from Department of Health: doh.wa/Portals/1/Documents/6000/NCAO13.pdf Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. (2019). Contemporary Nursing. [Vitalsource learning resource]. Available from wgu.vitalsource/#/books/9780323554206/cfi/6/8!/4/4@0: Gonzalo, A. (2019, September 12). Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring. Retrieved from: nurseslabs/jean-watsons-philosophy-theory-transpersonal-caring/ Richardson, L. (2016, August 27). Aligning FDA and CMS Review. Retrieved from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: rwjf/en/library/research/2015/08/aligning- fda-and-cms-review–recent-initiatives-have-sought-to-c Washington State Department of Health. (n.). Nursing Commission. Retrieved from Department of Health:

doh.wa/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/NursingCommission/Commissi on Information Washington State Nurses Association. (2016, January). Nursing Practice. Retrieved from Washington State Nurses Association: wsna/nursing practice/continuing- competency WGU Knowledge Center. (2016). Nursing Programs Conceptual Model. Retrieved from: cm.wgu/t5/Nursing-Student-Handbook/Nursing-Programs-Conceptual- Model/ta-p/19 Washington State Legislature. (2020). Registered nurse–Activities allowed–Delegation of tasks. Retrieved from: app.leg.wa/RCW/default.aspx? cite=18. Winkelstein, W. (2009, March). Florence Nightingale: Founder of Modern Nursing and Hospital Epidemiology. Available from journals.lww/epidem/Fulltext/2009/03000/Florence_Nightingale__Founder_o f_Modern_Nursing.25
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Nursing Roles and Values
There are many nursing theories in the history of healthcare, and they have guided the
nursing practice over the years, helping us evolve and improve the standards of nursing care that
we deliver to our patients. Nursing theories are have concepts that are knowledge and experience
based that are the background and definition of nursing practice.
Nursing Theory
The nursing theory that has influenced my goals and values as a nurse is the
Environmental Theory of Florence Nightingale. This theory focuses on the patient’s surrounding
environment and incorporates it into their nursing care plan. The environmental theory focuses
on using the patient’s environment to help them recover and recuperate. The emphasis on the
patient’s environment is crucial because it can have a positive impact on the patient’s recovery.
Some of the essential elements of Nightingale’s environmental theory are fresh clean water, fresh
air and proper ventilation, proper and sufficient nutrition, direct sunlight, and reduction of noise
around the patient. Nightingale proposed the environmental theory to emphasize that if these
factors are lacking, it can delay the patient’s recovery (Cherry, 2019).
Nightingale’s theory fits my professional practice as I practice and pay close attention to
these factors daily in my nursing career. The most important part of my daily nursing
assessments includes making sure that my patient’s rooms are clean and has proper lighting
which is essential for patients that are at an increased risk of falls. For my patients that are
diagnosed with Dementia I assure that the noise level around their rooms is to the minimal
possible as it affects their mood and overall health. Proper ventilation and sufficient nutrition are
a factor that I focus on for all my patients that I care for as I believe and through evidence-based
3
practice it is known that proper ventilation and sufficient nutrition is considered part of good
nursing practice.
Historical Nursing Figures
The two historical nursing figures that had hugely contributed to the field of nursing are
Florence Nightingale and Mary Breckenridge. One of the major concepts of nursing and
healthcare was pioneered by Nightingale, she emphasized the importance of handwashing and
practicing hygiene when caring for patients while she cared for the wounded soldiers at British
army hospitals (Cherry, 2019). As Nightingale led her team of nursing staff during the Crimean
War, she used her knowledge and experiences to improve the care of the wounded. She was the
founder of the nursing practice which focused on cleanliness and sanitization which has changed
the medical practice and its approach entirety (Cherry, 2019). Nightingale was one of the first
nurses in history to implement proper hand washing techniques to her nursing team and led the
way to improved patient outcomes and a drop in patient fatality rates to 2% in the hospital wards
in Turkey (Winkelstein, 2009).
Looking at the achievements of the second historical nursing theorists Mary
Breckenridge, who made a remarkable point of proving the value of community health nursing.
She established the Frontier Nursing Service in Hayden, Kentucky in a small five room cabin
where she was faced with many challenges such as lack of water supply and sewage disposal
(Stanhope and Lancaster, 2015). Despite these challenges she managed to attract physicians and
nurses to medical the much needed medical, dental, and nursing care to the rural and poor
community of Hayden, Kentucky. Breckenridge established an important and vital healthcare
service for the rural community of Kentucky (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2015).
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There are significant differences when comparing the two theorists and their
contributions to the field of nursing, these differences can be seen in their ideals and work ethics.
Nightingale focused on the factors environmental factors that aided in patient’s recovery while
Breckenridge focused on the community and their need for healthcare. Breckenridge proved that
even in the poorly resourced environment where there is lack of proper running water, heat and
electricity, nursing services can have a substantial positive impact on the health of individuals
and their community (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2015). While Nightingale’s work focused on
promoting environmental factors such as good ventilation and lighting, clean water, and proper
nutrition as a major contributor to patients’ recovery and overall health shows that even though
both the theorists had different views for nursing, they were able to successfully accomplish their
goals and setting the benchmark for nursing at a new level.
Even though Nightingale and Breckenridge had different ideas and contributions to
nursing both the theorists influence my professional nursing practice daily. I adhere by
Nightingale’s theory of focusing on the environmental factors for better patient outcome, I use
this theory daily to help me in caring for my patients, I focus on proper ventilation, adequate
nutrition and most importantly on proper hand hygiene with each patient encounter as I know
that these factors influence and affect the care of nursing being delivered to patients. I also
incorporate Breckenridge’s theory of community nursing as I focus on delivering the resources
that are needed for my patients as they go back home in their communities. I refer then and
provide them with essential programs that are available in our community for the continuity of
care that is needed.
State Board of Nursing and American Nurses Association
5
One of the major differences between the State Board of Nursing and The American
Nurses Association is that the Board of Nursing is an organization that represents the nurses in a
given state (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). The Board of Nursing is responsible for nursing licensure,
disciplinary actions and revoking nursing licenses, the board of nursing enforces the laws and
rules of nursing. The American Nurses Association on the other hand is an organization that
represents professional board of nurses throughout the United States of America (Cherry &
Jacob, 2014). The American Nurses Association advocates for nurses, establishing standards,
code of ethics, scope of practice and it also aids healthcare reform and protecting and reporting
criminal healthcare practices (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015).
Both these organizations influence my nursing practice as the laws, rules, and regulations
that they have put in place help and guide me in my nursing practice daily. Through these two
organizations I know what is safe for me to practice as a nurse and what is not, it keeps me in
check and guides me to be able to practice within my scope. It also keeps me obligated to be up
to date with my nursing license and continuing education. I feel safe and well protected as a
nurse because of organizations like the State Board of Nursing and American Nurses Association
that help me in keeping my nursing practice professional and up to the standard that is set by
nursing organizations in our country.
The requirements for professional license renewal in the State of Washington is that you
must complete your continuing competency hours every three years which includes 45 hours of
continuing education and 531 hours of active practice (Washington State Nurses Association,
2016). In the state of Washington nurses are required to renew their license every two years by
their birthday to keep their license active. They are required to pay a fee of $120 for renewal and
if the renewal date has past then a late fee will apply (Washington State Nurses Association,
6
2016). The consequences of failure to maintain your nursing license is the state of Washington is
that depending how late you are renewing your license you will be required to pay a late fee of
$50 to $70 together with your renewal fee of $120.
The registered nursing license requirements between a compact state versus a non-
compact state can vary depending on where you got your nursing license. I got my license in
Washington state which is a non-compact state meaning that if a nurse from other state moved to
Washington state to practice nursing, the nurse would have to apply by endorsement. The nurse
would also have to provide verification from the first state where he or she was issued a license.
It simply means that if you are licensed as an RN in a compact state, you can go and work in
another compact state with your current license. If you are an RN in non-compact state then you
would be required to meet the requirements of the state you are transferring to, which could
mean completing the required training and paying the licensing fee per state requirement.
FDA and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) regulate important but distinct aspects of healthcare. The FDA is primarily
responsible for drugs, medical devices and biological products beginning from the early
marketing phase to duration of a products life cycle (Richardson, 2016). The FDA is responsible
for monitoring the safety and the effective use of products (Richardson, 2016). CMS however is
primarily responsible for reimbursement for healthcare products and services for Medicare and
Medicaid. One of the major missions for CMS is to ensure effective and up to date healthcare
coverage for its clients (Richardson, 2016).
Both the FDA and CMS have an impact on my nursing practice as it gives me a piece of
mind knowing that the two agencies are working behind the scenes to ensure that patients receive
7
safe and quality healthcare services. When I administer medications to my patients, I feel
confident knowing that the FDA has done extensive research and collective relevant data to
ensure that the mediations are safe to be administered to our population. The CMS provides an
essential insight to my nursing practice as it provides me with the most current evidence-based
practice data to promote quality and most effective medical care to my patients.
As a patient advocate, patient safety is one of the key components that I need to consider
for my patient. If I patient has requested to use an alternative therapy, it is my duty as a nurse to
give them all the necessary information that they need to be able to make an informed decision. I
believe as a patient advocate; I must make sure that my patients are fully aware of the benefits
and the risk of the alternative therapy and that they fully understand the pros and cons of the
alternative therapy.
The Nurse Practice Act in Washington State
The Nurse Practice Act in Washington state serves the purpose of defining standards of
nursing practice or conduct and to identify the professional responsibilities of registered nurses
in health care settings (Washington State Department of Health, n.d.). The Washington State
Nurse Practice Act ensures that upon entering the practice of nursing, everyone assumes a
measure of responsibility and public trust and the obligation that comes with it to follow the
ethical and professional standards of the nursing practice (Washington State Department of
Health, n.d.). The registered nurse is accountable and responsible for the quality of nursing care
that is delivered to patients.
The scope of practice of a registered nurse in Washington state is includes administering
treatments, medications, tests, assessing patients, setting goals, planning, and implementing care
to patients (Carlson, 2019). The registered nurses in the state of Washington can delegate care to
8
qualified health care professionals like LPN’s, MA’s, and CNA’s. Registered nurses can practice
independently in the state of Washington, and they do not require supervision by another nurse or
health care worker if the nurse is practicing withing her scope (Carlson, 2019).
As a registered nurse you could delegate task to your health care team members if the
task delegated is within the scope of practice for that individual. There are certain elements of
nursing that cannot be delegated to another health care team member e.g., providing teaching to a
patient, assessing, and evaluating a patient as these tasks are specific to a registered nurse’s scope
of practice (Washington State Legislature, 2020) .

Application of Nursing Roles in Professional Practice
The conceptual model by the nursing program at Western Governor’s University (WGU)
defines the nurse as a scientist as someone who,” …. participates in scientific inquiry to inform
healthcare decisions and critiques, disseminates and implements evidence to influence practice”
(WGU Knowledge Center, 2016). As a nurse, we apply the role of being a scientist in our
everyday work as we assess our patients and based on the physical and clinical findings adjust
the plan of care. As nurses, we interpret lab and imaging results to decide and prioritize care for
our patients as needed. One of our biggest roles as nurses is to use and apply evidence based
medical research to our nursing practice which also signifies our role as a scientist.
To apply the role as a detective as stated in the WGU’s conceptual model, “The nurse
uses clinical imagination coupled with nursing science to detect subtle changes and deviations
from expected patterns of being to prevent or control adverse outcomes” (WGU Knowledge
Center, 2016). I think that as nurses we are working as detectives daily in many distinct aspects, I
see myself working as a detective as I investigate and scrub patient’s chart that are on pain
9
medications. Since the laws are strict for patients that are on chronic pain management program,
they must monitor closely for any discrepancies that would raise a red flag as it is important to
monitor them for their own safety.
Lastly working as a manager of the healing environment as stated in the WGU’s
conceptual model, “… the nurse creates, coordinates, and advocates for a respectful,
interdisciplinary environment that promotes optimal well-being and affirms the dignity of the
human experience” (WGU Knowledge Center, 2016). One of the most essential roles nurses play
is working as a manager of the healing environment. As a nurse I work as a manager of the
healing environment daily from triaging a patient that needs medical services urgently and then
connecting them to the referral coordinators to help them coordinate their referrals through their
insurance for their specialist appointments, all the care that is needed by the patient is
coordinated through me to ensure all their needs are met.
American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics
The 2 provisions from the American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics that stands
out to me is provision 3, that the nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health,
and safety of the patient. The second provision that I chose is provision 5, that states that the
nurse owes the same duties to self as to others. including the responsibility to promote health and
safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue
personal and professional growth. I feel that the provision to promote, advocate for, protect the
rights, health and safety of the patient has a profound influence on my nursing career. These are
the qualities that defines the role of a nurse, in my everyday nursing duties I ensure that I
advocate for my patients and be their voice among the other healthcare team members, I protect
the rights of the patient by ensuring that the law of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and
10
Accountability) is followed, and that patient’s health and safety is the topmost priority. As a nurse
these are the framework of my profession, and it is my duty and an obligation that I stand for
these attributes as it justifies and represents every nurse and this profession. The second
provision that states nurse owes the same duties to self as to others including promoting health
and safety, maintain competence and continue personal and professional growth influences my
nursing practice too. It was emphasized in during every class in nursing school that self-care is as
equally important as providing care to your patients because if you are not physically, mentally,
and emotionally well then you are of no help to your patients and at a risk of caregiver fatigue
and burnout. I know as a nurse that to be competent and to have professional growth I must keep
up with the latest evidence-based practice in my field of nursing. I also must continue my
education and keep my license and certifications current to be compliant with the law and to be
able to practice as a nurse.
A common clinical error that I see happen at my workplace is the administration of the
wrong immunization for infants. I think that this immunization error can be avoided if the nurse
that is responsible for administering the vaccine follows all the six rights of medication/injection
administration and does the 3 checks before administering the vaccine. I also believe that if the
nurses are not rushed and overloaded with tasks that they need to complete, errors of this nature
can be avoided. Although I also think that nurses should be periodically trained and educated on
the different immunizations and the age group population they are recommended for, this will
help in reducing the number of vaccine errors that occur.
Leadership Qualities that Represent Excellence in Nursing
The leadership qualities that represent excellence in nursing, I believe is having the
ability to be a good team player, a mentor, problem solver and have excellent communicating
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skills. These qualities represent a leader that can lead a team into the future of nursing and create
a benchmark for the others to follow.
These leadership qualities are important for a leader at the bedside as it is important to be
a team player, nursing is about working as a team without the help and support of your team
members your job becomes difficult to manage as things are constantly changing around you.
Being a mentor as a leader at the bedside is an asset to the team, as you grow towards becoming
an effective leader you take on the responsibility of mentoring the new nurses and helping them
develop and grow in their career thus creating a brighter future for their nursing careers. Having
a nurse leader at the bedside who is a problem solver is integral in nursing, it is a problem-
solving process as we assess, plan, implement and evaluate our patients and the care we provide
daily. It is an important quality to possess as a bedside nurse leader to be able to problem solve as
you care for your patients. Having effective communicating skills is essential for a bedside nurse
leader, excellent communication skills has shown many benefits like contributing to the feeling
of safety, individualized patient care, love, and confidence. It is a building block between the
relationship of a nurse and a patient.
Leadership qualities such as being a team player, a mentor, being a problem solver and
having excellent communicating skills are needed within a nursing or interdisciplinary team as it
is anywhere else in the healthcare industry. I think that one of the most looked for quality in a
nurse that will be part of a nursing team is to be a team player. A nursing team or an
interdisciplinary team cannot effectively function without having nurses that believe in
teamwork. It minimizes the risk of adverse events which is essential for patient safety and when
a nursing team works together as a team to accomplish common goals it improves patient care
also provides it team members with job satisfaction. A mentor as a nurse is also valuable in a
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nursing or an interdisciplinary team as you guide and mentor anyone that is new in the team and
help them bring out their strengths and ideas to the team which allows the team to build a
stronger foundation and work better together. Having a problem solver in a nursing team or
interdisciplinary team goes a long way, I have seen that having a nurse in the team that can
produce a solution for problematic situations is a big asset to the team. It gives the team a boost
of morale and confidence to know that problems will be resolved and thus giving the team the
ability to provide exceptional patient care without worrying about the challenges. Lastly, every
nursing team and interdisciplinary team needs nurses with excellent communication skills.
Having the ability to communicate effectively is important not only to establish a good patient
relationship but to have a good relationship between the team members that you are working
with. Effective communication between the team members and physicians in a nursing team
helps in reducing errors and protects patients from potential harm and it can also help the team in
responding quickly to critical situations that need to be addressed for a better patient care
experience and outcome.
A strong positive work environment is important as it impacts nursing leadership,
decision making and professional development. Looking at nursing leadership and decision
making, it is particularly important in situations when an urgent response is called as we need the
guidance and support in critical situations which helps create a positive work atmosphere for the
nursing team and the other healthcare team members. As a nurse having to know that important
decisions and great leadership is there to back us up helps us to focus our attention in providing
good patient care and giving patients the time and resources, they need to recuperate.
Professional development has a significant impact on our work environment especially in the
field of nursing as we are constantly learning and adapting to new techniques and clinical skills
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through evidence-based practice. As a new nurse I have felt more confident and supported by my
team members at work as they are always there to guide me and direct me to the proper resources
that I need to professionally grow as a nurse. I believe that a good positive work environment
with great leaders, management and team members can help you grow as a nurse critically,
personally, and professionally.
References
Boards of Nursing. (n.d.). Washington State Board of Nursing. Retrieved from:
https://www.allboardofnursing.com/washington-board-nursing/
Carlson, D. (2019). Registered Nurse and License Practical Nurse Scope of Practice. Retrieved
from Department of Health:
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/6000/NCAO13.pdf
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. (2019). Contemporary Nursing. [Vitalsource learning resource].
Available from https://wgu.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780323554206/cfi/6/8!/4/4@0:0
Gonzalo, A. (2019, September 12). Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring. Retrieved from:
https://nurseslabs.com/jean-watsons-philosophy-theory-transpersonal-caring/
Richardson, L. (2016, August 27). Aligning FDA and CMS Review. Retrieved from Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation: https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2015/08/aligning-
fda-and-cms-review–recent-initiatives-have-sought-to-c.html
Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Nursing Commission. Retrieved from
Department of Health:
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https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/NursingCommission/Commissi
on Information
Washington State Nurses Association. (2016, January). Nursing Practice. Retrieved from
Washington State Nurses Association: https://www.wsna.org/nursing practice/continuing-
competency
WGU Knowledge Center. (2016). Nursing Programs Conceptual Model. Retrieved from:
https://cm.wgu.edu/t5/Nursing-Student-Handbook/Nursing-Programs-Conceptual-
Model/ta-p/19 Washington State Legislature. (2020). Registered nurse–Activities
allowed–Delegation of tasks. Retrieved from: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?
cite=18.79.260
Winkelstein, W. (2009, March). Florence Nightingale: Founder of Modern Nursing and Hospital
Epidemiology. Available from
https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2009/03000/Florence_Nightingale__Founder_o
f_Modern_Nursing.25.aspx

WGU Professional Roles and Values Assignment – Task 1 Passed