Topic 2/T

Identify an experience where you had to assess the needs, interests, and goals of a patient with an ethnic background, different from yours, that resulted in a positive learning experience. How did you turn the situation into a positive learning experience? Did you personally have to deal with any stereotypical beliefs?

When I was working in SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit), I was assigned to a patient who was admitted to ICU after an episode of bradycardia and loss of consciousness on the medical surgical floor. A rapid response was initiated and she was intubated and brought to our unit. She was Haitian and came from a very different ethnic background. At the time I was not familiar with their culture or beliefs nor did I know her health history and what originally brought her to the hospital or the reason for her admission.

After a couple days of being assigned to her and taking care of her and her family, I began to understand a little more. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous year and had undergone chemotherapy which unfortunately was unsuccessful. The cancer had spread throughout her body including her esophagus which was later found out to be the reason for the intubation. A tumor had attached itself to her airway and she was unable to breath on her own. 

I instantly became attached to the patient and family and enjoyed learning about their culture and belief system. Many people including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals couldn’t understand why a patient who was terminal would want everything done and continue aggressive treatment. Many gave up on her and the family which is why I believe they requested that I take care of her every shift I worked. Special arrangements were made between the family and my director to accommodate their wishes. 

Each shift I worked, I took care of her. Her daughter and her husband never left her side other than for bathing or other emergent matters that couldn’t be handled without them. Eventually the primary physicians would stop rounding on her daily and healthcare professional started discussing her prognosis, treatment and plan of care. No one understood why we were continuing to treat this individual as they called the treatment “futile”. 

As time went on, the hospital decided to call in Risk Management as they had a different belief and understanding regarding by patient’s wishes and medical management. This is when I realized I did, I understood her and her family and knew I needed to be her patient advocate and her voice. I fought for her treatment and plan of care which was aggressive not palliative. She expressed to me she wanted to live, even if it meant her last days were spent in the hospital. She would lay there and listen to her children laugh and tell stories about their day and her husband’s voice telling her how much he loved her. She was a mother of 10 and had the most beautiful family I had ever met. 

Before I met her, I may have had the same thoughts and comments as the other healthcare professionals. However, once I got to know her and her family as well as their cultural beliefs and background, I understood her. This was more than a positive learning experience it changed my life, my outlook and opened my eyes to cultural diversity and understanding. 

  This term paper applies the Buchbinder & Shanks (2012) textbook to lead HCA303 students through a process of self-reflection, personal assessment, and professional development planning. The term paper is designed to engage students in better understanding and articulating professional interests, strengths, and areas for further learning and development in preparation for managing and leading health care organizations in the future. The term paper is structured into nine sections, with word count guidelines provided in each section. APA formatting is required. Term paper milestone deadlines, by module, are as follows: • Read and familiarize yourself with the term paper assignment in Module 1 • Begin researching and organizing non-textbook references for the term paper in Module 2 • Proposed non-textbook term paper reference list is due to the Dropbox by no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 4 • A draft of the first four sections of the term paper is due to the Dropbox by no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 5  

 Section 1: Organizational Settings Below are 25 categories of organizational settings in the health industry. In about 100 focused and concisely written words, (a) rank the top three according to your interest for the organization setting of a future health care management position and (b) explain why you chose your first, second, and third choices.  

 • Community hospitals • Health systems/integrated delivery networks • Academic medical centers • Physician practices • Outpatient diagnostic facilities • Surgery centers • Urgent care centers • Health information systems • Insurance/managed care companies • Continuing care retirement communities • Nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities • Assisted living facilities • Pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies • Medical devices/equipment companies • Federally qualified health centers • Home health care • Hospice care • Dental offices • Government agencies • Public health • International health care development • Consulting • Higher education • Professional associations • Entrepreneurship  

 Section 2: Leadership Apply the leadership concepts in Chapter 2 (e.g., competencies, models, styles, protocols, responsibilities) in answering the following three items in a total of about 400 words. Incorporate at least two references above and beyond the textbook, and cite both the textbook and your external references using APA style. (a) Think about a situation where you (or an organizational leader you are familiar with) were highly effective as a leader. Apply leadership concepts from Chapter 2 in explaining your (or the selected leader’s) effectiveness. You may write about yourself, a leader in the health industry, or a leader from outside the health industry. (b) Think about a situation where you (or an organizational leader you are familiar with) were ineffective as a leader. Apply leadership concepts from Chapter 2 in explaining your (or the selected leader’s) ineffectiveness. You may write about yourself, a leader in the health industry, or a leader from outside the health industry. (c) State and describe three personal leadership development goals.  

 Section 3: Motivation Apply the motivation concepts in Chapter 3 in answering the following three items in a total of about 400 words. Incorporate at least two references above and beyond the textbook, and cite both the textbook and your external references using APA style. The external references cited in this section will very likely be different from those in the previous section. (a) What motivates you? (b) What demotivates you? (c) As a health care manager, what will be your approach to increasing employee engagement and motivation in your organization?  

 Section 4: Cognition and Organizational Behavior Apply the concepts in Chapter 4 in answering the following item in a total of about 150 words. Incorporate at least one reference above and beyond the textbook, and cite both the textbook and your external reference(s) using APA style. Discuss the role of cognition (thinking, reasoning) in promoting organizational change and learning. In what ways could you, as a manager, use cognition to improve communication and teamwork?