Accountability is an essential component of professional nursing practice. As nurses, accountability is needed in order for our patients and their families to feel safe and cared for, as well as for employers to be confident in our ability to maintain competencies and provide safe patient care. Accountability is defined as one’s willingness to accept responsibility of his or her actions (Merriam-Webster. (2019). Professional accountability means that one understands his or her scope of practice and delivers appropriate care within these set scopes. If an error is made, in order to remain professionally accountable, it is our duty to report said error no matter how big or small.

     Professional accountability also means that we, as professional nurses, will meet and maintain our competencies. We will have knowledge and practice according to our state’s nurse practice act and we abide by the eight ethical principles of nursing which include; autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, justice, nonmaleficence, privacy and confidentiality, respect, and veracity (Grand Canyon University. (2018)). These ethical principles lay out our duties and responsibilities as nurses. We must do no harm, respect a person’s choices, outweigh risk vs benefit to each individual patient’s situation, keep our promises, keep patient information confidential, be honest, and have truthful full disclosure to our patients (Grand Canyon University. (2018)).

     Through the above examples, we are able to demonstrate professional accountability to our state board of nursing, our employer, and most importantly to our patients in the community we serve. By having the characteristics of professional accountability, we are held to a high standard and this is the reason nursing is one of the most trusted professions.

 

For this assignment, perform a complete head-to-toe assessment on one of your chosen participants. Your analysis should include the following:

• Topical headings to delineate systems.
• For any system for which you do not have equipment, explain how you would do the assessment.
• Detailed review of each system with normal and abnormal findings, along with normal laboratory findings for client age.
• An analysis of age-specific risk reduction, health screen, and immunizations.
• Your expectation of normal findings and what might indicate abnormal findings in your review of systems.
• The differential diagnosis (disease) associated with possible abnormal findings.
• A plan of care (including nursing diagnosis, interventions, evaluation).
• Client and age-appropriate evidenced based practice strategies for health promotion.
• Pharmacological treatments that can be used to address health issues for this client.

Provide your answers in a 6- to 7-page Microsoft Word document.

Support your responses with examples.

On a separate references page, cite all sources using APA format.

• Use this APA Citation Helper as a convenient reference for properly citing resources.

  

Strategic planning within organizations provides a plethora of benefits to the organization including meeting goals specified in the plan and contributing to the long-term success of an organization. For this assignment, select either your own organization or one you know enough about to complete a series of assignments related to strategic planning for a proposal you would like to implement.

Once you have selected the organization, identify a strategic goal through preforming a SWOT analysis within your sphere of influence. For example, if you are not currently in a management or leadership position, it is acceptable to focus on a more focused area of your organization you are currently able to impact, if you are a nurse, perhaps you see opportunities to improve communication process OR Nursing shortage in your department.

QUESTION

Consider the following guiding questions as you complete the SWOT Analysis:

What are the recognized strengths of your identified area Strengths (Internal/Execution)?

What does your identified area do better than other companies?

What unique capabilities or resources does you identified area possess?

What do other companies consider to be your strength?

What are the recognized weaknesses of your identified area (Internal/Execution)?

What do competitors do better than your identified area?

What areas can be improved at your current position?

What do other companies consider to be your weakness?

What trends or conditions impact the company in a positive way?

What opportunities exist for the identified area (External/Environment)?

What trends or conditions impact the identified area in a negative way?

What is the competition doing that may have an impact on your identified area?

Does your identified area have solid financial support?

What impact does your weakness have on the threats your identified area faces (External/Environment)?

These questions are samples of what you need to address in the SWOT Analysis. Using the SWOT analysis results, develop at least one strategic goal. Submit both the completed SWOT analysis document and the strategic goal.

 

You will engage with and interview a nurse leader in person. You should begin thinking about this activity as soon as possible and identify how you will identify and gain access to the interview. You may include photos, graphs, or charts.

1. Choose a nurse leader who holds a leadership nursing position in their organization who have direct reports (they supervise other employees). Examples of this include Director of Nursing, Director, Unit Manager. *You may not be employed in the same facility as your interviewee or shadow during personal work hours* (If special accommodations need to be made, approval by your instructor is required first). 
2. Develop an interview guide before conducting the interview. Identify information that you want to know before the interview and plan clarifying questions. You must include at least one question about technology/informatics.
3. Conduct an interview regarding their professional role in the organization, and a current health care issue that is of interest to you (ethics, conflict management, budget, staffing, culture of safety, “just culture”, career advancement, quality improvement, etc.). Identify the name of the organization and use names of all involved (no anonymity).
4. Prepare a written report of the interview.