Critical Reflection On Nursing 5403

CRITICAL REFLECTION JOURNAL

Upon reflective exploration of my 16 week journey regarding the overall critical reflection of Nursing 5403 also referred to as Organizational Theory or Administration I, I find that I have a more sound and in depth theoretical understanding of key leadership and nursing administrative concepts and processes. This course has increased my knowledge base in regards to organizational design, augmented my awareness of healthcare administrative concepts, and strengthened my understanding of management concepts and processes. This educational experience has revealed imperative and insightful examples and practices used to become a more efficient, effective and formative leader. I have increased my usage of
many of these concepts to improve my leadership skills and practice, to “walk the walk”, in my daily work /life regimen. I will examine, evaluate, and reflect on the core information covered in this course by dividing the methods of delivery into three main presentation categories: written, oral, and online. The written presentation format was used to deliver the five discussion board questions and leadership instrument paper results. The discussion board allowed the opportunity to explore management concepts and practices from various perspectives. The leadership instrument paper allowed in depth exploration of variety of traits, theories, and practices important to leaders.
I found both of these learning experiences very enlightening and beneficial to my overall managerial acumen. Northhouse (2013), explained on the sixteen types and styles of leadership, which had a major impact on my overall viewpoints regarding humans and management in our administrative worlds today. I was able to identify and relate the diverse leadership styles and types in a positive way and glean insightful understanding of different people and their leadership potential. The discussion board gave me free range to strengthen my self-expressive abilities and interact with my peers. The leadership instrument paper allowed for self-analysis with specific references to key leadership ideals and concepts. I feel both assignments gave me insight into my leadership strengths, weaknesses, foci, and desires which will in turn assist me in becoming a successful consistent leader. Oral presentations were used by both the students and the professor to teach assigned lessons. The dyad presentations were completed within the professor assigned groups. The organizational culture assignment was individually completed by each student. Dr.
Junious, our professor, presented multiple management and leadership topics during the 16-week timeframe of our course work. The dyad group assignments allowed the students to work as a team, increase/ improve communication skills, and strengthen public speaking skills. The organizational culture assignment enriched my understanding of my department’s culture and fostered a new understanding and more tolerable acceptance of the different personalities which shapes my department and company. The professor guided topics allowed me to glean current knowledge on trends in nursing leadership and introduced new variables regarding emotional intelligence. One of the crucial components from our main source, Roussell (2013) which I have used on a consistent basis are the power listing tools known as, “AMPP”, which stands for: ask, mirror, paraphrase, and prime. Consistent usage of these tools has empowered my ability to extract important information in a judicious manner, which has resulted in workflow improvement and increased productivity in my current position. The online method was used to complete our online certificate training for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) leadership and quality courses. Both of these certificate online courses were very informative and educational. I gained excellent training from these online courses. The information presented in this online self-study gave illuminating examples, and reinforced positive and evidence based methods of leadership and analytical procedures. My goal is to complete at least eight of the other courses listed on this website to strengthen my inner self to produce stronger leadership abilities and increase process awareness. Overall, the knowledge, skills, and experience gleaned from my enrollment and participation in this class has enhanced my understanding of organizational processes and essential, effective leadership traits. I truly enjoyed my time in this course, it was interesting and informative. The educational experience has stimulated and supported both professional and personal growth in my life. The traits and theoretical evidence based practices illustrated within our resources reinforced my thoughts that great leaders are formed and not born.

References
Northhouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Roussel, L. (2013). Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.