Objective 5: Collaborate in the design, management, and coordination of care.

Nursing is a profession that requires interaction and teamwork within nursing and with all other healthcare providers. Because nurses understand that the client is a whole person it is imperative that we know and understand how and with whom we should collaborate to gain the best possible outcomes.

I am aware of, but do not fully understand, the organizational structure of a hospital or other healthcare organizations. I know that a great deal of planning and coordination are necessary for day-to-day staffing. Additionally, because of the rapidly changing healthcare environment, continuing education and infrastructure improvements have a large impact on how care is designed, managed and coordinated. Technology can be positive or negative, depending on how it is implemented and applied. Patients’ expectations and needs are changing as they are shaped by their experiences and increasing use of the internet. At this point I am much more aware of how much I don’t know and understand about design, management and coordination of healthcare. I look forward to the day when I will be able to be an asset to the healthcare team that I will be working with for the best possible outcomes for my patients.

As I gain experience in a hospital environment much of what I have read about will make more sense.

R E L E V A N T   W O R K   S A M P L E S

1) Lesson Plan for Basic Nutrition: Lesson plan for a class about nutrition given at St. Peter’s Hospital In-patient Mental Health Unit. I designed this lesson as a class that the patients could attend if they so desired. My goal was to make it interactive, fun and practical and help them understand the link between good eating habits and wellness of body, mind and soul.

View a PDF of my paper

2) Strong Bonds Poster and Paper: This poster and paper details my Community Health clinical group findings about the Army’s Strong Bonds Program. We were asked by COL J. Hollandsworth, Chief, Army Health Nursing Service, who was one of the original designers of the program, to compare the original Strong Bonds program with the program as it is currently delivered. She is planning to use our findings as background to conduct a research study at Fort Lewis in the near future that will establish the reliability and validity of the present program to ensure congressional funding in the future. Evidence-based practices need ongoing research to determine continued best practice. If the Strong Bonds Program is to remain effective any changes must be carefully designed, implemented and evaluated.

View a PDF of the poster [3.5 mb]
View a PDF of the paper

3) AA meeting: We have learned that we should always try to consider where our patients will be in five years when planning care for a particular shift. This means that beyond their immediate needs we must be able to guide them into lifelong good habits. I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting to discover what that organization could do for a patient in need.

View a PDF of the paper