Registered Nurses (RN) in all areas and levels of practice have to deal with ethical, leadership and scope of practice issues every day. Sometimes, the issues encountered are relatively straightforward and easy to deal with. At other times, however, the issues may be extremely complex, perplexing and difficult to resolve. In either case, there is always a risk that an ethical, leadership and scope of practice issues may not be handled well and a good moral outcome not achieved. Because of this risk (in addition to other considerations such as the demands of ethical professional conduct generally), it is imperative that all RN’s – regardless of their years of experience and areas of practice – are well informed about the kinds of ethical, leadership and scope of practice issues that may arise in nursing practice. It is also imperative RN’s have the knowledge, skills and ‘right attitude’ necessary to be able to respond to the issues at hand in an appropriate, ethically warranted and just manner.

Course Objectives assessed:

1. Critically apply relevant legal and ethical principles to future health care practice situations at the level of a beginning Registered Nurse
2. Interpret, analyse and apply the nursing scope of practice in health related scenarios
3. Examine clinical leadership principles in nursing practice
4. Engage in critical discussion which explores the relationship between professional identity, role conflict and role boundaries
5. Interpret, analyse and explain professional formation through linking theoretical concepts of caring to clinical practice environments and lifelong learning.
6. Apply exemplary communication in digital technologies and therapeutic relationships working with, and leading inter-professional teams in care decision making practices

Task information

Task detail In this assignment, you will investigate and collate information to prepare a presentation and essay relating to a contemporary professional practice issue that has the potential to impact on the transition process into the role of a registered nurse in clinical practice. You will draw on relevant, credible literature to support strategies to address this issue and you will apply and contextualise knowledge and understanding of professional nursing issues in clinical practice.

You must choose one Topic relating to professional nursing issues from the following:

Topic 1

Ekta is in her second month working as a graduate registered nurse in a paediatric oncology unit. She was very excited to be offered this area of practice as she felt that paediatrics was her strength, and she particularly wanted to become an expert in paediatric oncology chemotherapy. At the moment she is not so sure, as she is struggling with the demands of worried and (what she thinks are) overly sensitive parents, and is also feeling more and more out of her depth in relation to correct medication administration procedures and policies.

Using quality evidence, discuss the importance of intra-professional communication in nursing teams in a paediatric oncology setting. (include: teamwork and team leaders)

By leading a scenario based critical discussion about Ekta’s concerns, develop strategies that Ekta as a Graduate Registered Nurse can use as collaborative nursing team member that will address the concerns. (Include in your discussion: person centred care & critical reflection)

Topic 2

As a graduate Registered Nurse in a mental Health setting, Victoria was always keen to understand the patient’s perspective. She was very interested in the plight of Mrs Mary Brown Taylor, & worked hard to develop a trusting relationship with her. This elderly lady was admitted with acute depression, mild malnutrition and dehydration, sleep deprivation and a general loss of affect that impacted on her ability to self care. Mrs Taylor lived in her own home that was now surrounded with high rise apartments and town houses. A general fear for her own safety left Mrs Taylor a prisoner in her own home, where she was often too frightened to venture out to buy food or to pay her bills. Mrs Taylor said that ‘she had no family to speak of’ & her husband, siblings and friends had all died or were in nursing homes too far away to visit.

Since the admission, & Mrs Taylor’s appetite and uninterrupted sleep, resulted in a distinct improvement in her affect & ability to self care. Mrs Taylor expressed a desire to go home. At  the ward meeting, however the health care team were concerned about her returning to the environment that primarily led to her admission in the first place. As Victoria had developed such a strong rapport, she was asked to develop a discharge plan with Mrs Taylor that would address her ability to self care & to consider ways to address her psychological and social needs.

Using quality evidence, discuss the importance of the nurse patient therapeutic relationship in a mental health setting when discharge planning. (include: trust)

By leading a scenario based critical discussion develop strategies that Victoria, as a transitioning graduate registered nurse, could use to ensure that Mrs Taylors’ learning needs are accurately assessed and met so as she can confidently return to her home. (Include as part of your discussion consideration of: learning needs assessment & developmental stage considerations).

Your assignment is to be developed as a presentation (with audio) and an associated essay for submission.

Suggested steps to complete the assessment:

1. Review the evidence base on your chosen question by conducting a search of the library databases or other credible sources for relevant, contemporary evidence to help answer your chosen question.
2. Critically evaluate the literature you find by providing a synthesis of the key evidence. Remember a critical evaluation is more than merely describing the literature. This requires you to evaluate what is good and bad about the body of literature you found relating to your chosen question.
3. From your critical evaluation identify at least three potential strategies to address the issue.
4. Summarise the significance of the strategies and provide a rationale for your decisions.

Discuss the implications for you as a graduate in clinical practice.

There is no specific order in which you need to do the 2 parts of this assignment. You can prepare them in any order, that is, you may choose to do your research and prepare your presentation first, then write your essay or, alternately, write your essay first and record your presentation after. Remember that the presentation is a short summary of your reseach into the topic and NOT a recording of your entire essay.