Professional Identity and Stewardship - Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview

Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview

Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer Interview

Interview a fellow peer in your class who works in a different health discipline than you. Begin your interview with the following questions:

What is your role as a health care team member? Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview
How do you define professionalism and how does professional responsibility influence your work?
Do you consider leaders in your organization stewards of health care? Why or Why not?
Is it important to you that leaders exercise professional advocacy and authenticity as well as power and influence when working with colleagues? Why or why not?
In 500-750 words, summarize your interview and share your impressions of your peer’s responses.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

This paper will review an interview that was conducted on a fellow peer that works in a different health discipline than the author who is also enrolled in the same leadership class at Grand Canyon University. A total of four questions were asked and include; what is your role as a health care team member? How do you define professionalism and how does professional responsibility influence your work? Do you consider leaders in your organization stewards of health care? Is it important to you that leaders exercise professional advocacy and authenticity as well as power and influence when working with colleagues? Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview. Not every person will answer these questions the same so it’s important to review how others respond to these questions.

Health Care Team Member Role

T.M. is a registered nurse that works as a case manager at an outpatient Oncology clinic in La Jolla California. The typical patient population consists of patients with brain tumors and metastatic cancers and this is often the last treatment option before hospice. T.M seems to be very passionate about her job in oncology and stated that, “oncology has a very special place in my heart as a health care team member” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

“Oncology specialty is the reason why I pursued nursing” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018). The author was impressed with the dedication that T.M has for oncology. Due to this sometimes being the last step before hospice for these patients the author deeply admires her love for her position. This can be a very difficult time for these patients and having a compassionate nurse that deeply loves what they do can have a huge impact on them.

Professionalism

T.M. stated that, “professionalism pertains to how an individual conducts and presents themselves to others” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018). Furthermore, “it pertains to one’s appearance, behavior, and competence” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018). “It starts with looking neat, being reliable and getting to work on time, being accountable for their actions, and maintaining an ethical practice” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018).

“As a nurse I have taken a pledge to do no harm, maintain confidentiality, and continue to serve to those in my care” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018). The author took a similar pledge and thinks that this pledge should show in the professionalism of all nurses. Professionalism can have different meanings to people but the author agrees with what T.M. has included in what she thinks professionalism is. How a person acts to how they look can impact the way a person views a nurse’s professionalism Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Stewards of Health Care

T.M. believes that the leaders in her organization are stewards of health. “They are engaged and committed to their profession and their team members” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018). “They advocate for patient and nursing safety, patient and employee satisfaction, and enhancement of collaborative practice for doctors and nurses” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018).

Leaders can be stewards of health care for many reasons. They can influence staff and patients and are always looking for ways to improve safety as well as improving the personal development of staff. For the profession, the focus will be on refining the roles, creating positive and healthy practice environments, and upgrading regulation and standards to support the future work of the nurse” (Haase-Herrick, 2005, p. 115). “In stewardship of the self, nurse leadership will develop a sound cadre of future nurse leaders, engage in continual learning, and role model balance” (Haase-Herrick, 2005, p. 115). Having leaders that are stewards of health care can foster the development of other great leaders. Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Leadership

When in a leadership position it’s important that leaders possess certain skills and characteristics. T.M. expressed that skills of a leader are very important. “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a leader exercising professional advocacy, authenticity, power, and influence when working with colleagues” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018). She also expressed that, “strong leaders need to be authentic in their motives, expressing of feelings, and need to show genuine care towards their team members as well as collaborate not only with their team members but with other disciplines” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

T.M. concluded with, “they foster growth and inspire team members to commit to their cause” (T. Macare, personal interview, Feb. 22, 2018), which the author strongly agrees with. Leaders can have an immense impact on their team members as well as other team members that they interact with. They can lead other by the example that they set.

Conclusion

Depending on what a person’s role is as a health care team member there will be different answers to these questions. Professionalism and leadership will not be viewed as the same thing by every person. T.M has a strong understanding of what professionalism and leadership is. She’s very passionate about her role as a nurse and feels that she has great leaders that are committed to their team. Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

References

Haase-Herrick, K. (2005). The opportunities of stewardship. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/naqjournal/Abstract/2005/04000/The_Opportunities_of_Stewardship.3.aspx

Macare, T. (2018, February 22). Personal interview.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

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—–Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part II: Leadership Interview

Interview a person in a formal position of leadership within your organization (e.g., a supervisor, a manager, a director). Begin your interview with the following questions:

What is your role as a health care team member?
How do you define professionalism and how does professional responsibility influence your work?
Do you consider yourself a steward of health care? Why or Why not?
Is it important to you that leaders exercise professional advocacy and authenticity as well as power and influence when working with colleagues? Why or why not? Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.
In 500-750 words, summarize your interview and share your impressions of the leader’s responses.

Compare and contrast responses provided by your peer (in Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer Interview assignment) with those provided by the leader. Share your impressions of their differences and similarities.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

Introduction

In early March 2020, I interviewed with M.K, a registered nurse working in a nursing home. The interview was broadly classified into four sections which will be discussed in this paper. M.K is a pleasurable person and it is easy to see why she would choose to work with the frail in society. Her compassion and empathy towards people and not just toward patients make her much suitable for her type of work. Additionally, M.K was not hesitant to discuss her background (which will not be included in this interview summary) which made it all the more clear on her choice of career path. The following section of this paper summarizes the interview replies from the interviewee Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

What is your Role as a Health Care Team Member?

M.K stated that her role was that of an RN working in a nursing home. Her main job is to care for the needs of senior patients. At the most basic, she ensures that her patients maintain acceptable personal hygiene levels; receive proper nutrition; have clean beds, and all prescribed medications are taken and treatment sought for any illnesses. Advanced responsibilities include drawing blood, administering medication, giving IVs, and monitoring vital signs (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020; McCloskey, Donovan, Stewart, et al., 2015) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

M.K also stated that she oversees the activities of licensed practical nurses and nursing aides and assistants working in the nursing home (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020; Backhaus, Verbeek, Rossum, et al., 2015). She also oversees the medical histories of patients as well as the overall health of the patients. She does this to ensure that the individual needs of each patient are met with the best possible care. Some of these duties are those that she only can do and cannot delegate to the LPNs or nursing assistants and include consulting with the patient’s supervising doctor, monitoring the blood sugar levels, administering oxygen to patients, and commencing intravenous infusions (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

How do you define professionalism and how does professional responsibility influence your work?

M.K first pointed out that professionalism goes beyond politeness and wearing a uniform. She said that professionalism to her means encompassing a set of values that enable elevation of quality of patient care. These values also improve on the judgments, standards, and methods that guide her and her team daily. A professional environment helps her team to develop skills that prove to be valuable to not only the individuals but also the team as a whole (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020; Tanaka, Taketomi, Yonemitsu, et al., 2016) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Professional responsibility has influenced M.K’s work by first propelling her to pursue a higher education level; she believes that by so doing, she creates further opportunities to enhance her core values of professionalism. Besides furthering her education, professionalism has sharpened her cognitive skills in that she focuses on continuous learning on professional conduct and proceeds to apply the same in her workplace. This has helped her make decisions and prioritizes what is important in an effective way Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Do you consider leaders in your organization stewards of health care? Why or Why not?

M.K pointed out that she considers leaders in her organization as healthcare stewards. “Stewardship in nursing calls for new care delivery models and the evolving nature of the nurses’ work needs to be addressed in every aspect.”( M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020) Leaders at her workplace continuously work at collaborating with other professionals in the nursing home care industry to improve the work environment not just for the particular nursing home she works, but every nursing home in the US (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020; Manojlovich & Ketefian, 2016). Management at the nursing home she works often visits other homes for benchmarking purposes. Additionally, the nursing home is in the process of seeking international accreditation in service delivery Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Other than benchmarking, the leadership at M.K’s workplace, leaders attend and participate in dialogues that aim at improving safety of patients as well as their organizational staff; meeting the needs of the aging workforce in the industry; increasing autonomy for NP; increasing respect for professional nurses’ contribution to the field; clarifying the nurses’ caring work, and enhancing the collaborative practice of the healthcare multidisciplinary team (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Is it important to you that leaders exercise professional advocacy and authenticity as well as power and influence when working with colleagues? Why or why not?

To answer this question, M.K stated that ‘influence cannot exist outside of advocacy and for a leader to be effective in change advocacy as well as for better communities, individuals, and society a large; leaders have to be engaged and also engage with colleagues.” (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview. She went further and said that influence can be viewed as the power that a person exerts to bring about a change and more so, a positive change that affects the nursing profession and advances the importance of nursing in healthcare. (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020).

M.K also stated that it is important for leaders to stand up and advocate for a moral good; voicing the needs, challenges, and concerns of disadvantaged people; and collaborating with groups and individuals alike who need assistance in their preferences and rights (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020; Shillam & MacL1an, 2018) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

Comparison of Peer versus Leader’s Perspectives

M.K stated that she goes a step further to ensure that her team works in cohesion. To achieve that, she ensures every team member has a voice by allowing for open communication void of criticism. M.K stated that her main reason for doing the leadership class was to better improve work cohesion at the nursing home (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020). On the other hand, A.B focuses more on patient-centered care that involves patients in decision making.

M.K also stated that she tries on all occasions, to align her attitude with the organization’s wider goals as well as with practical standards (M.K, personal interview, March 4, 2020). A.B on the other hand, believes that although meeting organizational goals and ensuring that all facility staff members are aware of the said goals is critical in the success of a healthcare facility, the focus should be on patient satisfaction first. When patients are cared for in a manner that allows their participation, then better outcomes are realized. These outcomes would lead to better success for the organization. Consequently, when an organization performance improves, employees are motivated to work which again improves on patient satisfaction Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

At the end of the interview it was clear that M.K has a passion for her job. She has taken to pursuing further education to make her a better leader and one that advocates for the disadvantaged. Also, M.K. views professionalism as a critical component of enhanced patient care delivery and better collaboration within her team. Her main drive on self-improvement is to improve the lives of others, a noble and admirable path to take. A.B on the other hand is more focused on involving patients in decision-making and in all levels of their care and treatment as the best way to achieve optimal patient outcomes. The two interviews depict a common ground as regards professionalism and the characteristics that are deemed of importance for a leader to possess Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

References

Backhaus, R., Verbeek, H., van Rossum, E., Capezuti, E., & Hamers, J. P. (2015). Future distinguishing competencies of baccalaureate-educated registered nurses in nursing homes. Geriatric Nursing, 36(6), 438-444.

Manojlovich, M., & Ketefian, S. (2016). The effects of organizational culture on nursing professionalism: Implications for health resource planning. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research Archive, 33(4) Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.

McCloskey, R., Donovan, C., Stewart, C., & Donovan, A. (2015). How registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and resident aides spend time in nursing homes: An observational study. International journal of nursing studies, 52(9), 1475-1483.

Shillam, C. R., & MacLean, L. (2018). Leadership Influence: A Core Foundation for Advocacy. Nursing administration quarterly, 42(2), 150-153.

Tanaka, M., Taketomi, K., Yonemitsu, Y., & Kawamoto, R. (2016). Professional behaviours and factors contributing to nursing professionalism among nurse managers. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(1), 12-20 Professional Identity and Stewardship – Part I: Peer & Part II: Leadership Interview.