Nursing History
The purpose of this course project is for learners to explore how living nurses are making nursing history, apply lessons from nursing history, and analyze the impact of this project on nursing history today.
Outcomes:
This project enables the student to meet the following outcomes:
- Apply lessons from nursing history to today’s professional nursing practice.
- Analyze the impact of nursing history on professional nursing roles today and in the future.
Directions:
- The Reflection Paper be a typed paper in APA format including:
Double-spaced, font and type size consistent with APA manual
Title Page adheres to APA standards.
Content and headings as below and on the rubric:Introduction (include Introduction content, but no heading)
Reflection on Learning from Nurse’s Answers
Insight Gained from Conversation Regarding Leadership, Provision of Care, and/or Evidence-Based Practice
Analysis of the Impact of Nursing History on Professional Practice Today and in the Future
ConclusionLength: Approximately 3 double-spaced pages excluding Title Page; 800-1000 words required in the body of the paper.
No citations or references. No Reference page needed.
Excellent mechanics of scholarly writing including spelling, grammar, structure, paragraphing, and punctuation. - Uploaded is the conversation with the selected nurse and template to be used, please use it with your own ideas
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Reflection Paper
Nursing History
Reflection Paper
Type your one paragraph introduction here, and remove all yellow highlighted instructions from all pages of this template. The introduction should clearly identify each of the three main content areas (Hint: you can find these as the headings below) that this paper will include.
Reflection on Learning from Nurse’s Answers
In this section of the paper, provide depth by reflecting on your learning from the answers provided by the nurse in your Conversation. Remember that reflection is an activity that involves your deep thought about your Conversation experience and the nurse’s answers. Think about the experiences that the nurse shared as well as your learning from those answers.
Information in this section should be two to four well developed paragraphs for a total of 800-1000 words in the entire paper (excluding the Title Page). Writing should be well organized, logical, and clear. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be correct throughout the paper.
Insight Gained from Conversation Regarding Leadership, Provision of Care, and/or Evidence-Based Practice
This section of the Reflection Paper focuses on insight that you gained from the Conversation. Depth is expected as you explain your insight and reasons why. You may select leadership, provision of care, and/or evidence-based practice as your focus in this section; clearly identify which of the three choices you select. You may select more than one of those topics, but no additional points will be earned for choosing more than one. Your choice should be guided by the answers provided by the nurse in your Conversation.
Information in this section should be two to four well developed paragraphs for a total of 800-1000 words in the entire paper (excluding the Title Page). Writing should be well organized, logical, and clear. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be correct throughout the paper.
Analysis of Impact of Nursing History on Professional Practice Today and in the Future
In this section, you will analyze the impact that nursing history has on professional nursing practice today and in the future. Writing in a clear and thorough manner, delineate the impact today versus the impact you anticipate in the future; both today and the future must be covered well in this section of the paper.
Information in this section should be two to four well developed paragraphs for a total of 800-1000 words in the entire paper (excluding the Title Page). Writing should be well organized, logical, and clear. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be correct throughout the paper.
Conclusion
Provide a Conclusion as the final portion of your paper. Write a summary of the three main sections (headings) in your paper that is complete yet concise. End the Conclusion with a concluding statement tying the parts of your paper together as a whole.
Information in this section should be one well developed paragraph for a total of 800-1000 words in the entire paper (excluding the Title Page). Writing should be well organized, logical, and clear. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation should be correct throughout the paper. There are no References page or citations in this paper.
Conversation With the Selected Nurse Template
Introduction:
Student Introduction and Statement of Purpose (
20 points)
(Interviewer): Hi, my name is — and I am a nursing student at —. The main reason for this conversation is for me to gain more understanding into your experience a registered nurse from the time you started as a nurse, what changed from when you started as a nurse and now, what has improved in the quality of nursing practice during your career, and recent evidence-based practice based on how we provide care. Am so glad you agreed to this conversation. I would like to get to know you more. How would you like me to address you?
Selected Nurse Introduction (20 points)
(Interviewee): Hello –, my name is –, you can call me –. Am an Assistant Director of Nursing here at –. This is my 20th year as a registered nurse and mostly in long term care facilities. I was born and raised in –, went to nursing school in –, obtained registered nurse/Midwife certificate and license, and worked for 5 years before moving here 15 years ago. I took my NCLEX shortly after I got to this country and started working as a registered nurse not less than 6 months after. I will be glad to share my experience and answer any questions you may have.
Selected Nurse States Verbal Permission for Conversation and Submission (25 points)
Student: Do you agree to this recorded conversation and submission to my instructor for grading purposes?
Selected nurse: Yes. I agree with this recorded conversation and submission to your instructor for grading purposes.
Questions and Answers
Question 1
Student: What are your favorite memories of nursing school from your Student days?
Selected Nurse: My favorite memories of nursing school is my first clinical experience. The clinical instructor took us to the general hospital and showed us around the wards. I loved the way the nurses looked so beautiful in their white gowns. I cherish that moment.
Student: Yes, the nurses look immaculate in their whites back home. I also trained as a registered nurse in Nigeria before coming here and clinical experience was also one of my favorite moments, but I think what topped it for me was on the day of my capping ceremony. I felt on top of the world having the cap pinned to my head in front of family and friends.
Question 2
Student: How did your first year of RN practice compare to your nursing practice today?
Selected Nurse: As a new nurse it was not an easy process for me. I migrated to America when there was a shortage of nurses, so it was a bit easy to get a job which I did. It was hard getting used to the system even though I had six weeks of orientation. It was like starting afresh, very challenging working with people of different tribes, orientations, races, religions, and values. I learned to develop excellent communication skills and strict work etiquette while following nursing principles. It helped solidify my foundation so now work has been easy for me and not as though as it was when I first started coupled with experience gained over the years.
Student: Good to know am not alone. At first, I used to be afraid that people will think I was not competent being that my training was different but just like my first D.O.N thought me, “practice makes perfect”. I worked hard and anything I don’t know I ask questions and thankfully the nurses don’t hesitate to answer politely. The positive energy around nurses I worked with carried through to me and now I can say I do things with more ease than I used to.
Question 3
Student: What were some nursing practices that you used in your earlier years that are no longer used today? Why are they no longer used?
Selected Nurse: I believe most of the nursing practices we used 15 years ago were still used today except the computer system. Now we document everything with Point Click Care app. We don’t have that then. We used paper documentation for our MAR and TAR but with the initiation of Point Click Care, documentation has been made easy. Why? Because the app is already prefilled, so you don’t miss anything. For example, when you are passing meds, if you don’t sign any given medication, it will turn red once it is overdue reminding you to give it. So, if you don’t want your data to keep showing you gave medications at the wrong time, then you must pass your meds at the right time. Also, if it is not yet time to give any medication, you cannot sign it. I remember those days nurses use to get in trouble because they were caught signing medications they have not yet given. We also have had some improvements when it comes to doctors orders, we used to wait for the doctors to come in and write orders and sometimes it will take time to get the order but now with phone orders and telemedicine, healthcare has been made easy.
Student: I know, I recently got a job as a per diem nurse in this nursing facility they still use paper documentation, it was very tough for me because I already started with Point Click Care system. I sat down hours upon hours writing and it felt like I am back home in our nurses’ station writing and documenting. The computer has really made things easy when it comes to nursing.
Question 4
Student: How have specific persons or events significantly impacted your practice over the years?
Selected Nurse: The person that most impacted my nursing practice was the first DON that hired me as an RN, she gave me a chance to be a good nurse. Discrimination was very pronounced when I first started, and it impacted me negatively. The way my coworkers treated me did not help the condition, but one day she called me to her office and gave me a bit of advice like a daughter, she told me she noticed the way I am struggling but she can see beyond that, that I have a purpose to fulfill and that I should look beyond what is happening now because it gets better. She also told me that I should look towards why I became a nurse and how I ended up in this country, “it wasn’t an accident” she said. After that talk that day, I became determined to stay and focus on my job. My determination became a success, I became acquainted with the system and my coworkers became a blessing now look at where I am.
Student: The event that impacted my practice was the day I found out I passed NCLEX, one of our family friend who is a nurse practitioner was present that day, she gave one advice, that I don’t have to stop here, there is more, I need to continue with my education with the zeal I used to study for NCLEX and pass. She said, “it helps to keep the fire burning”. I thought about it and I decided to pursue that idea and now it is yielding profit. Now am learning new things every day and am proud to share it among my fellow colleagues and patients.
Question 5
Student: How have you impacted the nursing practice of others?
Selected Nurse: As an Assistant Director of Nursing I believe I have impacted the nursing practice of others in so many ways. As an educator, I encourage staff to acquire more knowledge because no knowledge is a waste. They need to constantly update themselves to new knowledge and information that will help them to improve on how they deliver care to their patients. I use my experience to advocate, teach, support, and deliver outstanding care and support to patients, their families, and my staff. As you already know that I constantly motivate and train my staff to be the best of themselves and I respect everyone equally. Through in-service, the staffs can correct their mistakes and improve practice.
Student: I believe making an impact should be out priority, as a new nurse who is also in school for my BSN, I have on several occasions introduced what I learned in school to my unit and everyone often adapt to it. I noticed on so many occasions, staff like to be loud when conflict happens, and one by one I have called the staff to my office to discuss why they should handle conflicts in calmness. Now everyone noticed the unit is gradually becoming calmer in the face of conflicts. I have introduced simulations with the help of our DON and ADON and it has been successful.
Question 6
Student: What contributions have you made to nursing in the areas of leadership, provision of care, and/or evidence-based practice?
Student: The first time I came to the facility, the facility was on focus and most staff believed the facility will be closed. I started orienting and training the staff over and over. I made a lot of changes which some of the staff did not like but in the end, we passed the survey. When I teach staff what to do, I explain why the thing needs to be done and the desired outcome. After the care is provided, I will follow up, involving the nurse so she will see the outcome as it pans out. That way, the nurse will watch and see the evidence of the practice provided. For example, nurses play a key role in helping to prevent illness before it happens by adhering to evidence-based infection-control policies. This includes keeping the healthcare environment clean, wearing personal protective clothing, using barrier precautions, and practicing correct handwashing. Although nurses are busy with many responsibilities, the time it takes to control infection is well worth the effort and that where I come in, to make sure every care is the way it should.
Student: New research and evidence are available on an ongoing basis and am learning to adapt to that change. The contributions I have made to nursing in the areas of leadership, provision of care, and evidence-based practice involve the communication of changes in a patient’s status, orienting, training, and onboarding new nurses and soft skills that improve patient interaction. Although we are using more evidence-based practice, there is still some room for improvement. Often, old practices may need to change if new research overturns the principles behind them.
Question 7
Chekwube Orabasili: What challenges in today’s nursing can be improved using lessons from the past?
Selected Nurse: Often the innovative work of nurses goes undocumented, unreported, and unacknowledged and as a result, makes the discovery of our history more difficult. Innovation that takes place in a single health delivery system by nurses and, through systematically gathering evidence, will be used to raise the profile of the profession within the system as well as provide a means to disseminate such practices more widely. If nurses are to maximize their contributions, they need to document their endeavors in peer-reviewed journals. Such publications will facilitate discovery, provide assurance of scientific diligence, and offer a mechanism to contribute to systematic reviews and meta-analysis, thereby informing policy choices. Increasingly, nurses are pursuing post-graduate degrees, so there is a growing knowledge of lessons from the past and how it can be used to improve skills and learning. Leadership should encourage their team to work as part of a strategy toward raising the profession’s visibility and policy presence as well as a means of acknowledging contributions that individuals and teams of nurses are making.
Student: I believe the challenges in today’s nursing that can be improved using lessons from the past include; staffing, long working hours, workplace hazards, workplace violence, bullying, and harassment. Short staffing in hospital settings is a top concern for nurses today. To help make up for staffing shortages, nurses are often required to work long shifts and long hours leading them to burn out. We need an advocate to help improve these challenges and fight for nurses.
Question 8
Student: Who is your favorite famous Nurse from nursing history?
Student: Clara Barton is my favorite nurse from nursing history. She founded the American Red cross.
Student: My favorite nurse has always been and will always be Florence Nightingale, the mother of nursing.
Question 9
Student: How do you use that famous Nurse’s examples in your own practice?
Selected Nurse: Born Clarissa Harlowe Barton, she was a pioneering American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not then very formalized and she did not attend nursing school, she provided self-taught nursing care, risking her life to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field during the Civil War. She became a role model for me and because of her, I joined the red cross society of Nigeria and here in the United States. I became a nurse educator and a teacher through learning about her life as a teacher. Update on nursing research has also helped me to improve my quality as a nurse.
Student: Nice! I didn’t know all that about Clara Barton. But now I know. Thank you. For me, not only did Florence Nightingale improve the standards of the nursing profession; she also enhanced the hospitals in which they worked. While working in a filthy facility during the Crimean War, Nightingale made recommendations for sanitary improvements and established standards for clean and safe hospitals which has impacted me as a nurse to work hard toward improving the cleanliness and safety of my patients. I love that she gave nursing the honor that we enjoy today and am grateful to her that I can stand tall and say I am proud to be a nurse.
Question 10
Student: Based on your nursing past, what advice would you give to the new Nurse today?
Student: The best advice I will give to the new nurse today is to never stop learning. Technology and the profession continue to grow and expand, grow with it. You are a valued asset for the lives you touch. To be the most effective and greatest value for each patient is to keep your knowledge fresh. Treat all as you would treat yourself.
Student: Adding to what you said, my advice would be, as a new nurse, you don’t know everything or always do everything exactly right at first. So, give yourself time, learn from everything, and don’t sweat. With experience, practice makes perfect. Documentation is what proves you provided care so don’t forget to document any care you provided.
Optional Question
Student: What professional set objectives have you achieved?
Selected Nurse: As a new nurse, my first objective was to acquire my BSN even though I do not want to further my education anymore due to personal reasons, getting through that milestone was a dream come through.
Selected Nurse: Great objective! My very first objective was to pass NCLEX and get my license in order to be a patient-focused and empathetic registered nurse. I would like to bring with me to any organization I work, and experience, care, and extensive knowledge to help improve the lives of my patients.
Conclusion:
Gratitude (20 points)
Student: Thank you so much —for participating in this interview and for creating time to share your ideas and experiences with me. I learned a lot in just these few minutes and the knowledge I acquired mean so much to me I appreciate every right way you have impacted my life and my profession. It was so nice of you to permit with my instructor to use this interview for grading purposes. Once again, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Selected Nurse: Anytime. Glad I could be of assistance. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime you have questions. Have a good day.
Summary (20 points)
Student: The selected nurse who is my Assistant Director of Nursing at my workplace, was interviewed by me and I learned she was born in —, became a Registered Nurse/Midwifery in — before migrating to the United States of America five years later. Her favorite memories of nursing school are her first clinical experience. Her transition from her country to the USA was not smooth but she learned to adapt through support from her leader. From this interview, I got to know she is an educator, advocate and a motivator who has a passion for helping the patients, families, and staffs just like her role model from the history of nursing, Clara Barton contributed to her passion for helping the poor. I also got to know that she an accomplished and goal-oriented nurse who has contributed positively to nursing history. Her conversation uncovered certain practices previously used in nursing that can be implemented to change our system of caregiving. We further discussed how nursing is evolving which is demanding us to update ourselves to get newer information on how to use an evidence-based approach to deliver care. We concluded on how she is impacting the practices of others through her diverse ways of caregiving. She advised us as new nurses to never stop learning, grow with the change of technology. Finally, she was thanked by me and appreciated for participating in the conversation.