Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties

You have probably seen one or more of the many inspirational posters about decisions. A visual such as a forked road or a street sign is typically pictured, along with a quote designed to inspire.

Decisions are often not so easily inspired. Perhaps you discovered this when choosing a specialty within the MSN program. This decision is a critical part of your plan for success, and you no doubt want to get it right. This is yet another area where your network can help, as well as other sources of information that can help you make an informed choice.

To Prepare:

• Reflect on your decision to pursue a specialty within the MSN program, including your professional and academic goals as they relate to your program/specialization. (specialty: Mental Health Nurse Practitioner)

Post an explanation of your choice of a nursing specialty within the program. Describe any difficulties you had (or are having) in making your choice, and the factors that drove/are driving your decision. Identify at least one professional organization affiliated with your chosen specialty and provide details on becoming a member.

In this assignment, students will review a microbial journal article.

Choose one article from a primary scientific literature source that uses a microbe as a model organism/system and write a comprehensive summary of the study that answers the following questions: (SSIs is the organism or system I choose) 

Choose one article from a primary scientific literature source that uses a microbe as a model organism/system.
NOTE: Many free articles may be obtained from http://www.pubmed.gov or visit the WCU library.

Write a summary of the study that includes:

1. Why did the scientists perform the study (i.e., description of background)?
2. What was the hypothesis (or hypotheses) under investigation?
3. What were the major results and did they support or negate the hypothesis? Which key techniques were used to achieve these results?
4. Why are the results significant and do they point to further/future studies? In other words, why does this article matter and what should or could be done next?
5. Why did you choose this particular article to review? Was it interesting, informative, clearly written, or none of the above?

Compose your review in APA format and include:

• A title page 
• Answers to the questions above in paragraph format (5 pages written) no cover page 
• A reference page with the reference for your article and any other sources used in your review.

Compare the physical assessment of a child to that of an adult. In   addition to describing the similar/different aspects of the physical   assessment, explain how the nurse would offer instruction during the   assessment, how communication would be adapted to offer explanations,   and what strategies the nurse would use to encourage engagement.

  

Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation

Assume you are a nurse manager on a unit where a new nursing documentation system is to be implemented. You want to ensure that the system will be usable and acceptable for the nurses impacted. You realize a nurse leader must be on the implementation team.

To Prepare:

· Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and reflect on the scenario presented.

· Consider the benefits and challenges associated with involving a nurse leader on an implementation team for health information technology.

The Assignment: (2-3 pages)

In preparation of filling this role, develop a 2- to 3-page role description for a graduate-level nurse to guide his/her participation on the implementation team. The role description should be based on the SDLC stages and tasks and should clearly define how this individual will participate in and impact each of the following steps:

· Planning and requirements definition

· Analysis

· Design of the new system

· Implementation

· Post-implementation support

 Stakeholder support is necessary for a successful change proposal project implementation. Consider your internal stakeholders, such as the facility, unit or health care setting where the change process is situated, and your external stakeholders, like an individual or group outside the health care setting. Why is their support necessary to the success of your project, and how you will go about securing that support?