Quite often, nurse leaders are faced with ethical dilemmas, such as those associated with choices between competing needs and limited resources. Resources are finite, and competition for those resources occurs daily in all organizations.

For example, the use of 12-hour shifts has been a strategy to retain nurses. However, evidence suggests that as nurses work more hours in a shift, they commit more errors. How do effective leaders find a balance between the needs of the organization and the needs of ensuring quality, effective, and safe patient care?

In this Discussion, you will reflect on a national healthcare issue and examine how competing needs may impact the development of polices to address that issue.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and think about the national healthcare issue/stressor you previously selected for study in Module 1.
• Reflect on the competing needs in healthcare delivery as they pertain to the national healthcare issue/stressor you previously examined.

Post an explanation of how competing needs, such as the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients, may impact the development of policy. Then, describe any specific competing needs that may impact the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected. What are the impacts, and how might policy address these competing needs? Be specific and provide examples.

QSEN Competency

The six files below are from the QSEN work that has been done and they represent the competencies that exist for QSEN:

1. Evidence-Based Practice Competency
2. Health Informatics Competency
3. Patient-Centered Care Competency
4. Quality Improvement Competency
5. Safety Competency
6. Teamwork and Collaboration Competency

Instructions:

1. Read one (1) of the competency summaries above.
2. Discuss how QSEN is dealing with the problems that were originally identified in the book, ‘To err is human’. You need not write a report only a summary of what catches your eye as a good idea and what you want to share with your colleagues.
3. Answer the questions as thoroughly and concisely as possible. Mimimum 1 page full content.
   • Be sure to reference any works that you utilize in answering the questions (Be sure that references (at least 1) are in APA format).

Introduction:

The major assignment in this course is a Professional Nursing Paper focusing on core competencies that are essential for nursing practice. These Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies (NOFNCC) as discussed in Chapter 1 of the textbook* were developed after an extensive review of competency based education, current practice and educational standards, projected healthcare needs, and current literature (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, 2010). The NOFNCC were designed to ensure the delivery of safe, quality, patient-centered care by nurses with diverse levels of education in all patient care settings (Fater, Weatherford, Ready, Finn & Tangney, 2014).

Paper Focus:

The purpose of this assignment is for NUR 3825 students to research NOFNCC as they relate to a chosen clinical area. Compare and contrast 3 of the NOFNCC as each relates to the responsibilities, opportunities, and expectations of the BSN in the clinical area after the degree is earned.

Requirements:

This paper will evidence student competency in developing and writing a professional nursing paper to include:

• APA format – use 6th APA Style textbook, resources listed under the APA/ Writing Center tab on CANVAS, and others you may find that support your success
• Use of 3rd person for this formal paper, it is not a personal essay
• Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax as required with APA format
• Appropriate reference citing to avoid plagiarism and maintain academic integrity
• Minimum of 5 current references and may include your textbook
  • References should be from peer-reviewed professional journals,nursing texts, and refereed materials only (online peer-refereed journals are acceptable).  References from printed nursing journals, publications, and books found in the nursing section of Valencia College Library are acceptable.
  • Use of professional nursing databases (CINAHL, Ovid, Science Direct, ProQuest) is expected. Librarian contact information and tutorials are included in CANVAS under the APA/Writing Center module.
  • Internet sources must be professional sources(peer-reviewed nursing journals, government-maintained health websites, etc.) and MUST be properly referenced.
  • Google and Wikipedia are not considered professional research. However, Google Scholar does provide professional resources.
• Paper length of 3-4 pages.  (A three page paper is to be 3 full pages).  No paper is to be longer than 4 pages.  The 3-4 page length does NOT include the REQUIRED title page and reference page(s). So your paper should be 5-7 pages INCLUDING a cover page and reference page.
• Use Times New Roman 12 point font, double space, with 1 inch margins
• Submission of paper as doc or docx file and includes submission label requirements
  • Late submissions will be penalized according to policy.
  • Papers will be graded per rubric online and returned online

References:

Fater, K. H., Weatherford, B., Ready, R. W., Finn, K., & Tangney, B. (2014). Expanding nurse of the future nursing core competencies across the academic-practice transition: A pilot study. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(8), 366-372. doi: 10.3928/00220124-20140716-03

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. (2010). Creativity and connections: Building the framework for the future of nursing education and practice.  Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies. Retrieved from http://www.mass.edu/currentinit/documents/NursingCoreCompetencies.pdf (Links to an external site.)

*A NOFNCC graphic can be found on page 7 of your NUR 3825 L&P textbook.

Assignment: Regulation for Nursing Practice Staff Development Meeting

Nursing is a very highly regulated profession. There are over 100 boards of nursing and national nursing associations throughout the United States and its territories. Their existence helps regulate, inform, and promote the nursing profession. With such numbers, it can be difficult to distinguish between BONs and nursing associations, and overwhelming to consider various benefits and options offered by each.

Both boards of nursing and national nursing associations have significant impacts on the nurse practitioner profession and scope of practice. Understanding these differences helps lend credence to your expertise as a professional. In this Assignment, you will practice the application of such expertise by communicating a comparison of boards of nursing and professional nurse associations. You will also share an analysis of your state board of nursing.

To Prepare:

• Assume that you are leading a staff development meeting on regulation for nursing practice at your healthcare organization or agency.
• Review the NCSBN and ANA websites to prepare for your presentation.

The Assignment: (8- to 9-slide PowerPoint presentation)

Develop a 8- to 9-slide PowerPoint Presentation that addresses the following:

• Describe the differences between a board of nursing and a professional nurse association.
• Describe the board for your specific region/area.
  • Who is on the board?
  • How does one become a member of the board?
• Describe at least one state regulation related to general nurse scope of practice.
  • How does this regulation influence the nurse’s role?
  • How does this regulation influence delivery, cost, and access to healthcare?
• Describe at least one state regulation related to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs).
  • How does this regulation influence the nurse’s role?
  • How does this regulation influence delivery, cost, and access to healthcare?
• Include Speaker Notes on Each Slide (except on the title page and reference page)