NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 1 Discussion
Collaboration Across Disciplines
Introduction to Discussion Participation
Discussions in your Capella courses serve several purposes: they help you connect with your peers and instructors; they give you an opportunity to apply information from your unit readings; and they give you practice blending your own experiences with scholarly research and analysis. Drawing on what you know is fantastic but you must validate your knowledge and experience with support from research and analysis.
When discussions ask you to describe your own experiences and opinions, it is absolutely appropriate and expected that you write your post in first person—using pronouns such as I, my, me, or our, is fine in those situations. However, most of the time, you are expected to write discussions and assignments in the third-person voice of an objective observer, using pronouns such as it, they, he, or she.
In your Capella courses, you are expected to reference scholarly sources to support your opinions, positions, or statements. In questions involving case studies, these references should be in addition to the case study itself. Whenever you reference a source to support your ideas or opinions, you must cite that source following the current APA citation style. This refers to the rules and standards for documenting the sources used. (The APA Style and Format Campus page is linked in Resources.) Correctly using references and APA style in your academic work demonstrates your academic integrity and critical-thinking skills. Failure to cite sources is violation of academic honesty.
Before completing your first discussion post, you may also want to review the Discussion Participation Scoring Guide to understand how your instructor will evaluate your discussion participation throughout the course. Refer to the Faculty Expectations message (FEM) for specific guidelines.
Instructions
Review the media piece Riverbend City: Interprofessional Collaboration (linked in Resources) before you respond to this discussion.
All health care fields have one thing in common: they exist to serve community needs. Quite often, it takes the combined efforts of several agencies to effect a needed change or resolve a potentially harmful situation.
In the media piece, you were asked to choose 10 participants for a roundtable discussion to develop an emergency response plan for Riverbend City. From the list of names:
Identify your top five names and explain your reasons for choosing them as participants.
Identify any agencies or organizations not on the list of options that you think should have been represented and explain why you believe they should have been included.
Describe the unique contributions you could make to this discussion from the perspective of your specialization.
In formulating your answers, consider the perspective of the Whole Community approach, as articulated in the media presentation and the readings.
Response GuidelinesDiscussions are a way to share your experiences and learn from each other. Weekly discussions allow you to give and receive feedback and support, as well as to engage in dialogue that will challenge, clarify, and expand your understanding of course concepts.
Read and respond to your peers' discussion posts according to Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. As you read the posts, you may want to look specifically for differences or similarities in how you and your peers think about interprofessional collaboration. If there are areas in which you would like more insight, please ask questions.
Keep in mind that the objective of the response posts is to stimulate discussion, promote an exchange of ideas among learners, and most importantly to generate a sense of community among learners in the course room. With this in mind, please choose posts that has had few or no responses; in doing so, your responses will increase the sense of community among your fellow learners.
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 2 Discussion
DQ1 Managing Commitments and Responsibilities
Discussion Preparation
Complete the Time Management Action Plan from this unit's first study. Be sure to e-mail the results to yourself.
Instructions
As you completed the Time Management Action Plan, which areas stood out as needing improvement? Reflect on the priorities in your life right now. Think about how you will plan for unexpected life events.
What are your thoughts on, and plans for, setting aside the time you need for your educational program, while ensuring that you are also taking care of your professional work, your family responsibilities, and yourself? Were there any relevant tips in your unit readings or the journal article you located that can help you with these things?
Response Guidelines
Please read as many posts as time allows. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Share a success story from your own experiences that might be helpful to others in managing time effectively.
DQ2 Professional Commitments
Discussion Preparation
Examine the case study that you selected from your Cases in Health Care Management textbook. Remember, do not use case studies 9, 65, or 67, as these will be used later in the course. As you read the case study, think about the results of your time-management assessment and consider how well you manage all of your commitments.
Note: As you work with the case studies in the text, keep in mind that they may not supply all of the information you need. In such cases, you should consider various possibilities and infer plausible conclusions; however, please be sure that any speculations that you make are identified as such.
Instructions
Today's working professionals are often challenged with juggling and balancing the demands of their work, families, and social lives while making important decisions concerning the success of their professions and organizations.
For this discussion, use the following:
The information presented in your chosen case study.
The results of your Time Management Action Plan.
The information in the journal article you located in the second study in this unit.
Analyze the selected case study using a time-management framework. Note: Do not use the questions given at the conclusion of the case study. Instead, use the following prompts to develop your post to this discussion:
If you were the leader in this case study, how would you make key decisions on how to manage your time effectively and balance your daily commitments and responsibilities while working to resolve the situation? Would you need to reprioritize?
How would you ensure that daily functions of the organization and your personal life keep running smoothly?
What information presented in your selected journal article might help you make those decisions?
How do effective time-management strategies support leadership development in health care?
Identify your case study in the subject line of your discussion post, (for example, Case 13: Disorder in the House).
Response Guidelines
Read as many posts as time allows. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations Message for discussion response guidelines. Try to respond to someone who chose a case study other than yours. Briefly review his or her case study to get some context before reading the post. In your response, address the following:
What are your perspectives on the time-management plan described by your peer?
Are there things you would do differently?
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 3 Discussion
DQ1 The Power of Effective Communication
Discussion Preparation
To prepare for this discussion, make sure you have done the following:
Viewed the Professional Communication faculty presentation, accessed from the NHS Learner Success Lab.
Completed the Personal Writing Assessment.
Participated in the Communicating as a Leader interactive multimedia piece.
Completed the readings for this unit.
Instructions
After completing your studies for this unit, write an initial post addressing the following:
What insights have you gained that will support and aid your development as an effective communicator?
How will developing strong communication skills help you become a leader in your chosen professional field?
What information from the unit readings or the journal article you located might help you develop better communication skills? How might you use this information in practice?
Response Guidelines
One benefit of a course with learners of diverse professional backgrounds and aspirations is that each discussion offers a chance to engage with varying perspectives.
Read the posts of your peers. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Try to respond to someone from a different professional background. Address the following in your response:
How are your thoughts similar to or different from those of your peers in areas of health care?
Can you share any personal experiences with them to support those thoughts?
DQ2 Evaluating Peer-Reviewed Resources
Discussion Preparation
In your first study for this unit, you were directed to use the research guide for your specialization in the NHS Learner Success Lab to locate a peer-reviewed journal article that addresses some aspect of leadership and professional communication. Alternatively, you may have chosen an article from the Capella library that pertains to your area of specialization. Examine the article to prepare for this discussion.
Instructions
In your initial discussion post, address the following:
Briefly summarize the main points of your chosen article.
Explain how you determined the credibility of the information presented in the article.
Describe how you might use this article in your professional work. Give an example to illustrate this point.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. If you were reading a professional document that used the information in the article as support, what questions about the article or author would you have? Are there any points from the summary that require clarification?
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 4 Discussion
The Process of Effective Writing
Discussion Preparation
Review What Not to Do: Evaluating Research Sources from the studies in this unit.
InstructionsYour first assignment in this course is due at the end of this unit; it may be helpful to use this discussion to review and discuss the academic writing process as preparation for your assignment.
After reviewing the multimedia presentation, answer the following questions:
How will you incorporate the writing process into the completion of your assignment?
How can you use this same process to help you write effectively in a professional setting?
If you reference specific aspects of the multimedia presentation, cite and reference the presentation following current APA guidelines.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Comment on similarities and differences in how you each use the writing process.
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 5 Discussion
DQ1 Diversity in the Health Care Workforce
Discussion Preparation
Examine "Case 67, Diversity in the Health Care Workforce" in your Cases in Health Care Management textbook. Also, refer to the articles you have located through the research guide and the unit readings.
Instructions
You are the human resources manager in this case. Address the issue of hiring the new business manager for the outpatient clinic within the framework of cultural competency, diversity/inclusion, and leadership. In your post, answer the following questions:
Should cultural proficiency and community awareness be rated more highly and given greater importance than other qualifications in the hiring process?
What management, training, and leadership practices support a new manager and ensure clinic programs and services respond to community needs?
Health care organizations must engage the communities they serve in order to improve cultural proficiencies and reduce health disparities. What are one or two community-engagement strategies that leadership might use in this scenario?
How does employing a diverse workforce contribute to and support effective leadership?
What leadership style/styles or communication strategies might be used to address the issues in this scenario?
Based on your analysis, who would you hire for this position from the candidates in the scenario?
If you use references to support your choices and position, be sure to cite them according to APA guidelines.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Comment on the similarities and differences that you see in your peers' posts and yours. Make an argument to support your position if you disagree with any points. If you need more information from your peer, be sure to ask for clarification.
DQ2 Father Time
Discussion Preparation
Review "Case 65, Father Time: A Case of Division Among Generations," in your Cases in Health Management textbook, (pages 233–236). Also, refer to this unit's readings and articles from your research.
Instructions
In your initial post, address the following issues within the framework of diversity/inclusion as the leader (Human Resource/Executive Director) in this case. Address the following:
Is Stanley a victim of age discrimination? Why or why not? Are there other factors (for example, social, cultural, or educational) at play that may inform how Stanley is perceived by the new staff?
As the leader in this case, what steps might have been taken to avoid being seen as uncaring or biased?
What would you have done differently to address and/or resolve this situation? How might a leader cultivate a more welcoming environment that embraces differences?
How does this case study apply to the real world (that is, consider the workforce shortage, the aging workforce, and the lack of new skilled health care workers)? How might you as the leader promote a diversified workforce that meets organizational and service delivery needs?
If you support your choices and position using references from the journal articles you found through your research or other readings, be sure to follow the APA citation guidelines.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Anticipate the effectiveness of your peer's approach to the situation.
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 6 Discussion
DQ1 Transitioning to a New Manager
Discussion Preparation
Review Case 9 on pages 31–34 of your Cases in Health Management text.
Instructions
In your initial post, address the following questions based on the information provided in the case study:
What is your assessment of the different leadership styles displayed by Dr. Marshall versus Dr. Silver?
How might Dr. Silver take a more emotionally intelligent approach as the leader?
What could Dr. Silver have done to make an easier transition for the employees and the organization after Dr. Marshall's departure? Give specific examples to illustrate your points.
Have you encountered a similar scenario in your professional life? How might you use this information in your current practice to be an emotionally intelligent and effective leader?
Use properly cited peer-reviewed articles or other scholarly research as needed to support your assertions. Refer to How Do I Find Peer-Reviewed Articles? in the Resource Toolbox and APA Style and Format (linked in Resources) for guidance.
Response Guidelines
Please read as many posts as time allows. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations message for response guidelines. Do you agree or disagree with your peer's decisions? Has your peer successfully supported his or her choices?
DQ2 Leaders as Decision Makers
Discussion Preparation
Review the journal article on leadership and effective decision making you located in this unit's first study.
Instructions
Briefly summarize the main points of the article. How does the information in the article support the idea that effective leaders are also effective decision makers? How might you use this article in your professional work?
Response Guidelines
Please read as many posts as time allows. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations Message for discussion response guidelines. Are there any points from the summary that need clarification?
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 7 Discussion
DQ1 Ethics Case Study Analysis
Discussion Preparation
Review the case study on ethics you located in this unit's first study.
Instructions
In your initial discussion post, address the following:
Identify the number and title of the case study you selected in the subject line of the discussion, for example, Ethics Case Study 35 – Ethical Dilemma.
Briefly explain why you chose this case study.
Explain what you believe to be the ethical issue or issues involved in the situation. Keep in mind that you may have to draw your own conclusions based on the information available.
Using the ethical theories presented in the readings, explain which ethical principles you would apply to the situation and why. How might you use the principles to resolve the identified situation?
Response Guidelines
Please read as many posts as time allows. Choose a post that has had few or no responses and respond to someone who selected a case study other than yours. Briefly review you peer's case study so you have some context before you read the post. In your response, answer the following:
Do you think your peer has accurately identified the ethical issue or issues involved?
Are there other ethical principles you might apply to the situation?
Remember to refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines.
DQ2 Living by a Code of Ethics
Discussion Preparation
When values are in conflict, a code of ethics is important in guiding decision making. It can also help define acceptable behavior for organizational members. In your third study activity for this unit, you searched the Internet for the professional code of ethics of an association aligned with your field or specialization. Examine that code in preparation for this discussion. Also, refer to the assigned readings from your first study activity for this unit.
Instructions
In your initial discussion post:
Identify the organization that published the code of ethics that you found (for example: the National Association for Healthcare Quality).
Include the URL to the code of ethics.
Use the information in the readings or the research you conducted to guide your choices, and address the following:
Identify an ethical challenge you have experienced or observed in your professional life (personnel issues, confidentiality, patient records, communication, and so on) to use as the basis of this discussion. Review the code of ethics appropriate for your profession along with any relevant research and determine how the ethical challenge might be resolved.
Analyze the factors that contribute to the ethical challenge and how it might affect the organization.
Propose a solution that aligns with your professional code of ethics and is supported with recent relevant research.
Explain how you as a leader will support and guide the process to resolve the ethical challenge.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Examine the code of ethics and the organization chosen by your peer and consider the following questions when writing your response:
Are there common themes evident in their ethics codes and the one you selected?
Would you use this ethical standard to resolve the noted ethical challenge? Do you see a different way to apply the standards?
Is the publishing organization of the code of ethics one that you would be interested in joining?
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 8 Discussion
Personal Leadership
Discussion Preparation
Complete the Leadership Self-Assessment assigned in this unit's first study activity.
Instructions
One style of leadership is better suited to different times and situations than another. It is important, therefore, to understand which leadership style best fits the needs of a given situation. It might be said that the best leaders are those who can demonstrate characteristics of multiple leadership styles and can adapt those characteristics based on need and situation.
In your initial discussion post, address the following questions based on the results of your leadership styles assessment, the leadership styles media presentation, and the readings from this unit:
How would you describe your personal leadership style and your dominant leadership characteristics?
How might you integrate other leadership characteristics into your style to be more effective in a wider variety of situations? Give examples to illustrate your points.
As a leader, how might you apply the scholar-practitioner model in your workplace?
What indicators will you use to determine your effectiveness as a leader?
How could you use this assessment for effective leadership development for yourself and your professional peers or employees with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and ethics?
Be sure to follow APA guidelines for citations and references.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers. Please respond to posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations message for discussion response guidelines. Comment on the similarities and differences in your style and that of your peer. Share any relevant experiences and ask questions for greater understanding.
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 9 Discussion
Using Leadership to Empower Others
Discussion Preparation
The Unit 9 introduction suggested that the empowerment that comes with servant leadership is not power for the sake of the leader, but for the benefit of others. Reflect on how the following quotes influence the way you think about leadership and empowerment:
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader" (John Quincy Adams, as cited by Josephson, 2012).
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others" (Jack Welch, as cited by Lowe, 2008, p. 88).
"A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves" (Eleanor Roosevelt, as cited in Famous Leadership Quotes, n.d.).
"You have to look at leadership through the eyes of the followers and you have to live the message. What I have learned is that people become motivated when you guide them to the source of their own power and when you make heroes out of employees who personify what you want to see in the organization" (Anita Roddick, 1991).
"A leader ... is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind" (Nelson Mandela, 2000).
Instructions
In your initial discussion post, address the following questions:
Which quote really spoke to you, and how might it influence the way you view the leadership, power, and authority with which you have been entrusted?
How could it help guide and shape your personal leadership style?
How might you use these approaches to effect change in health care as a leader?
How might these quotes, plus your readings on servant leadership, help you create a culture where diversity, ethics, and inclusion are valued?
Remember that anytime you use a resource to support your statements, you must follow APA guidelines for citations and references.
Response Guidelines
Read as many posts as time allows. Please choose posts that have had few responses thus far and refer to the Faculty Expectations for Response Guidelines. Use this discussion to gain a deeper understanding of the different ways and reasons people become leaders.
References
Josephson, M. (2011). More business & leadership quotes [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://business.josephsoninstitute.org/blog/2011/02/06/more-business-leadership-quotes/
Leadership-Central.(n.d.). Famous leadership quotes. Retrieved from http://www.leadership-central.com/famous-leadershipquotes.html#axzz4MiYcVMGL
Lowe, J. (2008). Jack Welch speaks. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mandela, N. R. (2000). Long walk to freedom: The autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.
Roddick, A. (1991). Body and soul: Profits with principles, the amazing success story of Anita Roddick & the Body Shop. Danvers, MA: Crown
NHS8002 Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners
Unit 10 Discussion
Looking Ahead: The Doctoral Capstone Project
One hallmark of a School of Nursing and Health Sciences doctoral graduate is the completion of a final capstone project. The aim is to develop a practice change project that requires appraisal, translation, and application of evidence to a practice situation. The project is mutually determined by various stakeholders and confirmed by a review of the current literature and best-practice environment. Learners investigate a clinical, organizational, or process question—a PICO(T) question—related to an area of nursing practice, the health care delivery system, or a public health policy issue. Each project must demonstrate the use of evidence to improve outcomes or resolve a gap.
It is vital for you to begin thinking of several areas in the first course of the program.
For this discussion, identify your program area and address the following:
What is your understanding of the capstone (practice doctorate) and how it applies to your educational and professional goals?
What area are you interested in studying over a two-year time frame? What questions do you have about a health care delivery practice or issue?
After reviewing the media presentation on creating a research topic and the CORE site, what are your initial ideas for your topic for the doctoral capstone project? What strategies might you use to identify a clinical/health care practice site and preceptor?
What strategies will you use to keep moving forward in the program? What are the secrets to success?
Response Guidelines
For this discussion, you are not required to respond to any other learners. However, you are encouraged to read as many posts as time allows. Should you choose to respond, refer to the Faculty Expectations message for guidelines.
