For some, advocacy might conjure images of speaking at a congressional hearing or soliciting petition signatures at library entrances. Yet, social workers engage in advocacy as an agent of social change in numerous ways: 

• Case advocacy—When a social worker addresses the lack of services or resources at the micro level, educates the client about available resources and programs, or fights for clients’ rights
• Legislative advocacy—When a social worker addresses a policy gap at the macro level and provides information and suggestions to legislators in order to close that gap
• Community advocacy—When a social worker represents the needs of a community at the mezzo level by engaging in group-oriented activities, such as holding a town meeting to educate the neighborhood about a particular issue they are facing

Reflecting as a social worker, what are the benefits to engaging in an act of advocacy? Are there risks associated with being an advocate? Do the risks ever outweigh the need to advocate for what is just?

Throughout this term, you have been asked to engage in an act of advocacy. For this Discussion, you will reflect on the advocacy in which you engaged and discuss both risks and values related to advocacy.

By Day 3

Post:

• Describe the advocacy in which you engaged this term.
• Explain how the concepts from this week’s resources apply to the act of advocacy in which you engaged.
• Describe potential risks that you considered or that may exist for a social worker who serves as an advocate.

In APA format with references noted

                        Respond to this post with a positive response :

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Use  references

                                                  Main Post 

Throughout my years as an ICU nurse, critical thinking has become a skill that I utilize on a daily basis in my clinical practice. Not only are critical thinking skills a part of my daily practice, but I also observe my colleagues putting their critical thinking skills to use in their every day clinical practice. One example of critical thinking skills being used in ICU clinical practice is when multiple drips are being titrated on a patient that is extremely ill. As an ICU nurse, it is essential and vital that you utilize critical thinking skills when choosing which drip to titrate up or down or which drip to start or stop. Another instance where I have observed critical thinking skills being used in the ICU is when I would attend a rapid response on one of the medical floors. As the critical care nurse, I must use my critical thinking skills to choose the right lab tests to run, determine what might be going on with the patient that is in distress, and choose the right treatment pathway.

 

I try to improve my clinical competence in every way I can, especially by employing my critical thinking strategies. Some of the strategies I use most often include listening, continuing to learn every chance I get, and explaining to my colleagues why I came to a specific conclusion. I use the strategy of listening to improve my clinical competence because it helps me find new solutions to everyday problems that I might face in the ICU. Learning helps improve my clinical competence because it makes me a better ICU nurse. The more I learn, the more proficient I can become. I like to explain my rationale for the conclusion I came to because another colleague might have something important to add that would aid in solving the problem at hand. 

 

Clinical scholarship is defined as an approach that enables evidence-based nursing and the development of best practices to meet the needs of clients efficiently and effectively (Stanley et al., 1999). 

Critical thinking is defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment (Benner, Hughes, & Stuphen, 2008, p. [Page 120]). 

Clinical practice is defined as either the field of principal professional clinical activity (Wilkes, Mannix, & Jackson, 2013).

 

After reviewing the definitions of clinical scholarship, critical thinking, and clinical practice I was able to see how each term is interconnected. In order to have a clinical scholarship like approach in clinical practice, it is essential that critical thinking tools be utilized. The development of the best practices in clinical nursing practice will not occur if there is no critical thinking involved in the process (Wilkes, Mannix, & Jackson, 2013).

These three terms should be looked at as a single unit; one cannot exist without the other. 

 

 

 

Benner, P., Hughes, R. G., & Stuphen, M. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality: An 

 

               Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses.Rockville, MD. 

 

Stanley, J., PhD, Keating, S. B., EdD, Edwardson, S., PhD, Easley, C. E., PhD, Alichnie, 

 

               C., PhD, & Edwards, J., PhD. (1999, March 15). Defining Scholarship for the 

               

               Discipline of Nursing. Retrieved December 31, 2018, from

 

               https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-

 

               Papers/Defining-Scholarship 

 

Wilkes, L., Mannix, J., & Jackson, D. (2013). Practicing nurses perspectives of clinical 

 

scholarship: a qualitative study. BMC nursing, 12(1), 21. doi:10.1186/1472-6955-

 

Post your week 14 discussion questions here.

People of Irish Heritage.

People of Italian Heritage.

People of Puerto Rican Heritage.

Read chapter 23, 33 and 34 of the class textbook and review the attached PowerPoint presentations.  Read content chapter 33 and 34 in Davis Plus Online Website.  Once done answer the following questions;

1.  Discuss the organization and the family role in every one of the heritages mentioned about and how they affect (positively or negatively) the delivery of health care.

2.  Identify sociocultural variables within the Irish, Italian and Puerto Rican heritage and mention some examples.

 A minimum of 2 replies to any of your peers sustained with the appropriate references must be posted.  Only the assignment must be attached in a word document in the forum, replies do not.  References must be no older than 5 years.  A minimum of 700 words is required.  Please follow the instructions on how to present the first page and the name of the assignment when you post should be Week 14 discussion questions.

 

1. Mrs. Elle, 80 years of age, is a female patient who is diagnosed with end-stage cancer of the small intestine. She is currently receiving comfort measures only in hospice. She has gangrene of her right foot and has a history of diabetes controlled with oral agents. She is confused and the physician has determined that she is unable to make her own informed decisions. The hospice nurse, not realizing that the weekly order for CBC and renal profile had been discontinued, obtained the labs and sent them to the nearby laboratory for processing. The abnormal lab results obtained later that day revealed that the patient needed a blood transfusion. The hospice nurse updated the patient’s medical power of attorney who was distressed at the report. The patient’s wishes were to die peacefully and to not have to undergo an amputation of her right foot. But if the patient receives the blood transfusion, she may live long enough to need the amputation. The patient’s physician had previously informed the medical power of attorney that the patient would most likely not be able to survive the amputation. The patient’s medical power of attorney had made the request to cease all labs so that the patient would receive comfort measures until she died. The patient has no complaint of shortness of breath or discomfort. 

1. What ethical dilemma exists?
2. Who are the stakeholders and what gains or losses do each have?
3. What strategies should the hospice nurse take to resolve the ethical dilemma?

2. The nurse receives a 12-year-old girl from the operating room after an emergent appendectomy due to ruptured appendix. Upon arrival to the postanesthesia care unit, the patient is drowsy, but arousable to voice; she was extubated in the operating room and is receiving oxygen by facemask at 40%. She has two peripheral IVs in her left arm that are infusing Lactated Ringers solution at 100 mL/hr. A nasogastric tube is attached to low constant suction, and a small amount of aspirate is noted. She has a urinary catheter that is draining clear, yellow urine. Her abdominal dressing is dry and intact. Upon arousal, she complains of abdominal pain.  

1. What NANDA-approved nursing diagnoses may be relevant to this patient?
2. Once the nursing diagnoses are determined, what steps does the nurse take to complete the Planning Phase of the Nursing Process?
3. What is the difference between nursing diagnoses and collaborative problems?

 

understanding of scholarly writing.

Document: Introduction to Scholarly Writing: Tips for Success (PDF)

This document, which accompanies the media program of the same title, provides resources for improving your scholarly writing and critical-thinking skills.

Document: Stages in Critical Reading of Research Articles (Word document)

This chart describes the purpose of, and questions for, six stages of critically reading research articles. Focus on the many activities and questions that make up the critical reading process. Begin to consider the journal articles and books you read in terms of these criteria.

Document: APA Basics Checklist: Citations, Reference List, and Style (PDF)

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012c). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence. Baltimore, MD: Author. 

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

Learning to be a scholarly writer will enhance your writing skills and increase your ability to succeed as an online learner as well as in your professional life. This media program will introduce you to the key concepts of scholarly writing. 

Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012d). Introduction to scholarly writing: Tips for success. Baltimore, MD: Author. 

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.

This media program presents tips for becoming a scholarly writer, including how to identify fears related to scholarly writing and connect with resources to improve writing skills. 

Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript

Document: Course Media Credits (PDF)

Discussion: Using the Walden Library

Where can you find evidence to inform your thoughts and scholarly writing? Throughout your degree program, you will use the research literature to explore ideas, guide your thinking, and gain new insights. As you search the research literature, it is important to use resources that are peer-reviewed and from scholarly journals. You may already have some favorite online resources and databases that you use or have found useful in the past. For this Discussion, you explore databases available through the Walden Library.

To prepare:

• Review the information presented in the Learning Resources for using the Walden Library, searching the databases, and evaluating online resources.
• Begin searching for a peer-reviewed article that pertains to your practice area and is of particular interest to you.
• Identify the database that you used to search for a peer-reviewed article in your area of practice and interest.
• Reflect on your experience with searching the database. Did you note any difficulties when searching for an article? What steps/strategies did you find helpful for locating a peer-reviewed article? Would this database be useful to your colleagues? Would you recommend this database?
• Once you have select your peer-reviewed article, evaluate its strengths and weaknesses in terms of scholarly writing, bias, opinion, quality of evidence, and appropriateness to its target audience.

By Day 3

Post a brief summary of your peer-reviewed article, the database you located your article in, your database searching experience, key words utilized in the search, and analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the article.

Support your Discussion assignment with specific resources used in its preparation using APA formatting. You are asked to provide a reference for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.