The two SMART goals chosen for this paper are "Ethical Leadership" and "Nurse Mentoring." The informational expert chosen to be interviewed is an RN in a psychiatric facility who works with patients that are mentally challenged. Some are violent, so it is important to fully mentor new nurses, and to provide ethical leadership notwithstanding the difficulty in providing care for mentally unsound individuals.
Collaborative Nursing
The two SMART goals chosen for this assignment are Ethical Leadership in nursing and Nurse Mentoring. These SMART goals are both vitally important to the nurse in any context, because healthcare situations demand ethical approaches and mentoring is always a valuable component of nursing practice. As to Nurse Mentoring, this is a process that should not be limited to recent graduates of nursing schools but in fact should be conducted throughout a nurse's career as new procedures and technologies are introduced to the field of nurse care.
Ethical Leadership
Ethics is a term that is used often in business and other genres. It is used so often that perhaps in some cases it becomes watered down. But in any healthcare environment the need for wholly ethical practices by nurses -- and all healthcare professionals -- is absolutely vital. This society is weary from news of ethical breakdowns in government and business, so the nursing field must be absolutely committed to providing ethical leadership.
Peer-Reviewed Article: In a scholarly article in the journal Nursing Ethics the authors point out that while ethical leadership is "…critical to enhancing ethical healthcare practice," many nurses do not feel that they have the support of their supervisors and other key leaders (Storch, et al., 2013). The problem is related to the fact that ethical leadership just isn't discussed or evaluated as often as perhaps it should. In this peer-reviewed piece, the authors researched articles on ethical leadership in Nursing Ethics and found that there were only twelve articles specific to ethical leadership over a twenty-year period (Storch, 152). That translates to less than one article on ethical leadership in Nursing Ethics each year since 1996.
Credible Website: In the Website titled "Reflections on Nursing Leadership" (published by Sigma Theta Tau International) the publishers offer research on a myriad of healthcare and nursing issues. The article on the home page ("Helping nurses make ethical decisions") is by Tesfamicael Ghebrehiwet (RN / PHD at the International Council of Nurses). He points to the fact that nurses "…daily fact ethical dilemmas related to life and death" and hence nurses must fully understand their code of ethics and apply those best practices every hour of every day.
Informational Expert: The person interviewed for this assignment is an RN at maximum-security psychiatric state hospital. Her name is Eileen, and she has worked at this facility for 8 years. Asked about ethical leadership among the nursing staff, she said:
"Ethics is on the minds of every nurse in the building, because we are serving mentally ill inmates, mentally disordered offenders, and some of our patients are here because they were found incompetent to stand trial. Still others have been found not guilty by reason of insanity, so you get a clear picture of who we are dealing with." Has she seen unethical practices? "When a violent patient threatens a staff member or nurse, it is totally ethical to subdue that person without harming him, if possible. And yet, sometimes when a nurse is threatened or actually attacked by an inmate, there is the natural urge to retaliate. Still, we have a code of ethics and when a nurse violates that code there are repercussions from our supervisors."
Do Eileen's superiors teach or demonstrate ethical leadership? "Yes, we have bi-monthly classes on ethical leadership that each nurse is expected to demonstrate. The classes are mandatory and the state brings in expert consultants to instruct and update us on ethical issues in an institution like ours."
Goal 2: Nursing Mentoring
The authors of a peer-reviewed article in Nursing Education Perspectives (Cottingham, et al., 2011) assert that in addition to the critical shortage of nurses, there is also a growing number of nurses who will be leaving their positions because of: a) a lack of appreciation from their superiors; b) a "diminished sense of value within the organization"; and c) a "lack of professional stimulation" (Cottingham, 250). The problem related to a lack of stimulation could be (and should be) remedied with ongoing and inspirational mentoring programs. Nurses should be incorporated "…at all levels in the mentoring process," Cottingham concludes (255).
Credible Website: The Truckee Meadows Community College Website (www.tmcc.edu) presents thorough details on the mentoring program that is available to nursing students at the college. As part of the education of nursing students, Truckee Meadows recruits experienced nurse practitioners who are "enthusiastic, friendly…caring and understanding…" to mentor beginning students. One whole component of the nursing program at TMCC revolves around learning to be "…an effective mentor" in the field of nursing. This is a worthy Website.
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