NHS5004 Collaboration, Communication, & Case Analysis for Health Care Master's Learners
Assessment 1
Preparation
Health care leaders often find that resolving a problem in delivering safe, high-quality health care requires the combined effort of a number of agencies, departments, and individuals.
For this assessment, identify a quality-related situation or problem relevant to your professional practice or area of interest that requires the collaborative effort of several departments and individuals to resolve. You will assume the role of team leader and draft a proposal for the organization's executive leadership that outlines why this interprofessional team is necessary, who should take part in the collaboration, how the team will function, and how progress will be reported.
A project proposal should identify the situation or problem, identify the causes or contributing factors, present a plan of action, provide details about the plan, and provide reasons why the plan should be undertaken.
Note: Remember, you can submit all or a portion of your draft to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version of your proposal for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback if you plan on using this free service
Proposal Requirements
Write a proposal for assembling an interprofessional team. As you begin drafting your proposal, consider your goal and the needs of the leaders whose decisions will be based on the information you provide.
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Interprofessional Collaboration scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. You are provided an example proposal that illustrates what proficient-level work for this assessment looks like.
Proposal Format and APA Style
Use the simplified Project Proposal Template, linked in the Resources, to draft your proposal. You may organize the content of your proposal in a format used in your organization. An abstract is not required.
Your proposal should be 4–6 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page and reference page.
Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references.
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Writing
Be concise, but thorough. Your readers need sufficient and accurate information on which to base their decisions, and do not have time to sift through information that is not pertinent.
Express your main points, arguments, and conclusions coherently.
Use correct grammar and mechanics.
Be sure to support your claims, arguments, and conclusions with credible evidence from 3–5 current, scholarly or professional sources.
Proofread your writing.
Plan Content
Analyze the factors that have contributed to the problem. ( Hint: Examine the reasons for ineffective communication, not just the communication itself. Reasons may include staff burnout, workload, staffing shortfalls, attitudes, assumptions, and so on.)
Consider whether certain combinations of factors might be contributing to the problem.
Explain why an interprofessional team is needed to address the problem and achieve expected project outcomes.
Determine who should be on the team. Identify the disciplines or areas team members should come from and any specific job titles prospective team members should hold.
Describe the knowledge and expertise each discipline has to offer in resolving the situation. In addition, consider the level of creativity and problem-solving skills that are needed.
Assess the effectiveness of a particular leadership approach in building and maintaining interprofessional collaborative relationships. Consider how effective that approach is in:
Encouraging participation by all team members.
Engaging reluctant or resistant team members.
Maintaining a respectful platform for members to voice their ideas.
Develop a strategy for communicating progress by the team to executive leadership.
Determine which approach to communicating with leaders will be most effective and efficient.
Determine whether you will have regular meetings and generate status reports.
Develop a collaborative plan for resolving the problem.
Identify the ethical or political issues that are relevant factors in your proposed solution.
Identify the social, cultural, or economic factors that are relevant to your proposed solution.
Explain how you would address the ethical, political, social, cultural, or economic factors you have identified as relevant to your plan.
Describe your role as a leader in implementing the proposed solution.
Determine how the practitioner-scholarmodel might be applied in resolving the problem.
Consider how theory, research, and the published work in the field, in conjunction with your own experience and professional knowledge, might be used to develop strategies to analyze and resolve the problem.
Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.
NHS5004 Collaboration, Communication, & Case Analysis for Health Care Master's Learners
Assessment 2
Preparation
Use the following case study as the basis of this assessment.
Imagine you are the manager of a new health care facility satellite office or community outreach center located in a diverse neighborhood. The parent organization opened the facility to address the underserved health care needs of the culturally diverse residents who were not using the services offered at the main facility. The first month of operation saw a very high volume of patients, but since then, the numbers have dropped off drastically. Executive leadership wants to understand why this has happened and what you plan to do about it.
After careful examination of all aspects of the facility, and talking with some of the neighborhood residents, you have determined that the residents do not feel comfortable coming to the facility because the staff does not represent the diversity of the neighborhood. Staff members were hired for their skill, but their diversity was not considered. Now, you must report to executive leadership what you have learned and how you intend to manage diversity.
Note: Remember, you can submit all or a portion of your draft to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version of your proposal for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback if you plan on using this free service.
Report Requirements
Write an executive report on the need for a diverse, culturally competent staff, including your plans to address that need.
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Managing Diversity scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. You are provided an example report, to illustrate what proficient-level work for this assessment looks like.
Report Format and APA Style
Use the Executive Report Template, linked in the Resources, to draft your report. You may also organize the content of your report in a format used in your organization. An abstract is not required.
Your report should be 4–5 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page and reference page.
Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references.
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Writing
As you begin composing your report, consider the purpose of the report, the appropriate tone and style, and the expectations of the executive leaders who will be reading it.
Be clear and concise in your reporting.
Express your main points, arguments, and conclusions coherently.
Use correct grammar and mechanics.
Be sure to support your claims and arguments with credible evidence from 3–5 current, scholarly or professional sources.
Proofread your writing.
Report Content
Outline a plan to recruit, hire, and retain a more diverse workforce. Note: Your outline should be a high-level overview of a plan, not a detailed plan. Other courses in your program will go into human resource practices and diversity in depth. In drafting your plan, consider the following questions:
How does a leader develop a diverse workforce?
Where will you look for more diverse employees? Will you post job ads?
What will the interviewing and hiring process look like? Who will do the interviewing? Who will make the final decisions?
What kind of incentives will you offer diverse employees to retain them? What do you need to know about the culture and values of diverse employees before developing a retention plan?
How will you address issues related to diversity that result in conflict?
Outline a plan for the ongoing training and professional development of existing staff in cultural awareness and sensitivity. Consider how your plan can:
Improve communications and interpersonal skills.
Help overcome bias and resistance to change.
Explain the benefits, to both the organization and the community it serves, of having a diverse and culturally competent workforce.
Explain the relationship between health care organizations and communities.
Explain the role that diversity plays in providing culturally competent care and access for the under-served in a community.
Determine the influence of effective leadership on the development of a diverse and culturally competent workforce.
Explain the importance of cultural competence for leaders in an organization.
Explain how the academic and research skills you develop as a practitioner-scholar can serve you in your role as an effective health care leader.
Explain how those skills might contribute to your credibility and effectiveness as a leader.
Explain how those skills might prepare you to lead a diverse workforce.
Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.
NHS5004 Collaboration, Communication, & Case Analysis for Health Care Master's Learners
Assessment 3
Preparation
You have been offered the opportunity to apply for a leadership position in your organization. As a part of the application process, your potential employer uses the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) competency model of leadership development (NCHL, 2016), which includes a 360-degree evaluation. The evaluation is an assessment that includes anonymous, confidential feedback from those around you, such as your peers, supervisor, direct reports, and stakeholders, as well as a self-assessment on behavior (relational), technical and operational skills, and strategic ability. As a part of this 360-degree evaluation, you will complete the self-assessment component. This information will be shared with the interview committee for the position, so it is important that you demonstrate your knowledge and experience in each of the areas outlined in the self-assessment requirements below.
Note: Remember, you can submit all or a portion of your draft to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version of your work for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback if you plan on using this free service.
Reference
National Center for Healthcare Leadership. (2016). NCHL organizational assessments. Retrieved from http://www.nchl.org/static.asp?path=2852,3241
Self-Assessment Requirements
Complete a leadership self-assessment to create a portrait of the effective health care professional and leader you aspire to be.
Note: The assessment requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Leadership Self-Assessment scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. You are provided an example leadership self-assessment to illustrate what proficient-level work for this assessment looks like.
Self-Assessment Format and APA Style
Use the APA Paper template, linked in the Resources, to draft your self-assessment. An abstract is not required.
Your self-assessment should be 5–7 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page and reference page.
Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references.
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Writing
Note: Because this assessment requires you to develop a leadership self-assessment, you may write using first-person voice. However, it is important for your development as a practitioner-scholar to recognize that writing in the first person is not usually acceptable in academic papers, which are written in the third-person. Consequently, you should always carefully consider departing from this norm.
Be clear and concise in your writing.
Express your main points, arguments, and conclusions coherently.
Use correct grammar and mechanics.
Be sure to support your claims, arguments, and conclusions with credible evidence from 4–5 current, scholarly or professional sources.
Proofread your writing.
Self-Assessment Content
Analyze your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
Identify at least one leadership theory or style that you believe best aligns with your own thoughts of what leadership means.
Use that theory or style in your analysis. Cite your sources.
Consider potential biases or underlying assumptions in your analysis.
Explain how specific leadership characteristics you already possess will enable you to guide, educate, inform, and influence others to manage change in the field of health care.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to improve outcomes.
Describe at least two additional leadership characteristics you would like to develop to enhance your effectiveness in this area.
Explain how your leadership characteristics will serve to help you build and maintain collaborative relationships across, and within, disciplines.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to improve outcomes.
Describe at least two additional leadership characteristics you would like to develop to enhance your effectiveness in this area.
Explain how you can best apply the principles of ethical leadership, given your leadership style.
Identify the main principles of ethical leadership within your field of practice (nursing, health administration, or public health). Cite your sources.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to improve outcomes.
Where do you have room to grow in this area?
How can you prepare yourself to do so?
Explain why diversity and inclusion are important to employee relations and the provision of safe, high-quality health care.
Provide an example you have experienced or read about. Cite your sources.
Explain how your leadership characteristics prepare you to develop and lead a diverse team of employees and serve a diverse community within an ethical framework.
In what ways can you address issues of diversity and inclusion, both within an organization and in serving the public?
Explain how research skills and critical thinking guide effective decision making and foster integrity in research and professional practice.
Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.
