Assessing the problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations

The assessment requirements, outlined below, correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, note the additional requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.

• Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.
  • Summarize the problem you’ll explore.
  • Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to work with during your practicum.
  • Provide context, data, or information that substantiates the presence of the problem and its significance and relevance to the patient, family, or population.
  • Explain why this problem is relevant to your practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
• Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
  • Note whether the authors provide supporting evidence from the literature that’s consistent with what you see in your nursing practice.
  • Explain how you would know if the data are unreliable.
  • Describe what the literature says about barriers to the implementation of evidence-based practice in addressing the problem you’ve defined.
  • Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of nursing standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
  • Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
  • Describe what the literature says about a nursing theory or conceptual framework that might frame and guide your actions during your practicum.
• Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
  • Describe research that has tested the effectiveness of these standards and/or policies in improving patient, family, or population outcomes for this problem.
  • Describe current literature on the role of nurses in policy making to improve outcomes, prevent illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
  • Describe the effects of local, state, and federal policies or legislation on your nursing scope of practice, within the context of this problem.
• Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
  • Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership strategies.
  • Define the role that you anticipate leadership must play in addressing the problem.
  • Describe collaboration and communication strategies that you anticipate will be needed to address the problem.
  • Describe the change management strategies that you anticipate will be required to address the problem.
  • Document the time spent (your practicum hours) with these individuals or group in the Capella Academic Portal Volunteer Experience Form.
• Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
• Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
• • Format: Format your paper using APA style. APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is provided to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Be sure to include:
    • A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
    • Appropriate section headings.
  • Length: Your paper should be approximately 5–7 pages in length, not including the reference page.
  • Supporting evidence: Cite at least five sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than five years old. Provide in-text citations and references in APA format.
  • Proofreading: Proofread your paper, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on its substance.
  • Context: Nurses in all professional roles work to effect positive patient outcomes and improve organizational processes. Professional nurses are leaders in problem identification, planning, and strategy implementation—skills that directly affect patient care or organizational effectiveness.

    Too often, change agents jump to a conclusion that an intervention will promote the envisioned improvement. Instead, the ideal approach is to determine which interventions are appropriate, based on an assessment and review of credible evidence. Interventions could be patient-facing or involve a change in policy and process. In this assessment, you’ll identify and make the case for your practicum focus area, then explore it in depth from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective.