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To Prepare:

• Review the national healthcare issue/stressor you examined in your Assignment for Module 1, and review the analysis of the healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
• Identify and review two evidence-based scholarly resources that focus on proposed policies/practices to apply to your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post regarding competing needs.

The Assignment (4-5 pages):

Developing Organizational Policies and Practices

Add a section to the paper you submitted in Module 1. The new section should address the following:

• Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
• Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
• Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.
• Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.

Instructions

Implementation of the Care Plan

In a Microsoft Word document of 2-3 pages formatted in APA style, you will develop a plan to implement your care plan by answering the questions below.

• The first step to effective implementation is planning. As you go about this task, utilize the following questions applying them to your aggregate:
  • What group have you selected (for example, three families with young children, and so on)?
  • What made you select this particular group?
  • What intervention(s) of the plan will you implement in the group?
  • What health risk do you expect to address by implementing this intervention?
  • What results do you expect?
  • How do you plan to implement this intervention?
    • Do you have any specific strategy in mind?
    • What resources will you need?
  • How long do you think it will take for the results to be seen?
  • What resources do you need?
• The second step is to mobilize the resources you need, talk to the small group, recruit volunteers, etc.
• Finally, when your resources are in place, put your plan into action.

On a separate references page, cite all sources using APA format. Helpful APA guides and resources are available in the South University Online Library. Below are guides that are located in the library and can be accessed and downloaded via the South University Online Citation Resources: APA Style page. The American Psychological Association website also provides detailed guidance on formatting, citations, and references at APA Style.

• APA Citation Helper
• APA Citations Quick Sheet
• APA-Style Formatting Guidelines for a Written Essay
• Basic Essay Template

Please note that the title and reference pages should not be included in the total page count of your paper.

assignment mental health disorders

A 38-year-old woman presents to the office with complaints of weight

loss, fatigue, and insomnia of 3-month duration. She reports that she has

been feeling gradually more tired and staying up late at night because

she can’t sleep. She does not feel that she is doing as well in her occupation

as a secretary and states that she has trouble remembering things.

She does not go outdoors as much as she used to and cannot recall the

last time she went out with friends or enjoyed a social gathering. She

feels tired most of the week and states she feels that she wants to go to

sleep and frequently does not want to get out of bed. She denies any

recent medication, illicit drug, or alcohol use. She feels intense guilt

regarding past failed relationships because she perceives them as faults.

She states she has never thought of suicide, but has begun to feel increasingly

worthless.

Her vital signs and general physical examination are normal, although

she becomes tearful while talking. Her mental status examination is significant

for depressed mood, psychomotor retardation, and difficulty attending

to questions. Laboratory studies reveal a normal metabolic panel, normal

complete blood count, and normal thyroid functions.

➤ What is the most likely diagnosis?

➤ What is your next step?

➤ What are important considerations and potential complications of

management?

Nurses often become motivated to change aspects within the larger health care system based on their real-world experience. As such, many nurses take on an advocacy role to influence a change in regulations, policies, and laws that govern the larger health care system.

For this assignment, identify a problem or concern in your state, community, or organization that has the capacity for advocacy through legislation. Research the issue and use the “Advocacy Through Legislation” template to complete this assignment.

You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice. 

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. 

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. 

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. 

AttachmentsNRS-440VN-RS4-AdvocacyThroughLegislation.docx 

Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs

Consider the discussion questions below. Please begin a discussion about the benefits of hydration through “tap” water versus bottled water. Your initial comments must be at least a full solid paragraph for each question (over 50 words).  As always, be certain to respond to at least three postings of your classmates!

In the world of sports, hydration is king or queen.  The sports industry is fueled (literally) by mega-companies who spend billions of dollars to sell us an amazing fuel that stains life, heightens performance, prevents, fatigue, and helps us regulate our own body temperatures.  That’s right:  we’re talking about water!  However, in the hands of a few nutritionists and some clever marketing people, we have been duped!  We buy more water in containers than ever and we demand that the water be infused with “extras” of all kinds so we can “be better.”  Is this truly necessary?  Is bottled water/sports beverages that much better for you or are we all just victims of our own vanity?  Please respond with your opinion on this topic.  Cheers!

Read Chapter 5

1. Describe the organizational characteristics of the facility in which you currently have a clinical assignment. Include the following:

a. Type of organization

b. Overall climate of the facility 

c. How the organization is structured 

d. Formal and informal goals and processes of the organization 

2. Why is the work climate of an organization important to nurse leaders and managers?

3. What are the ways in which a nurse can enhance his or her expertise?

4. Explain “shared governance,” and describe how it can affect the power structure of a health-care organization. 

5. Why is it important for staff nurses to understand the culture and real goals of the organization in which they work? 

1. Describe your ideal organization. Explain each feature and why you think it is important.

2. Interview one of the staff nurses on your unit. Find out what practices within the organization help to empower the nurses. Compare this list of practices with those discussed in the textbook. 

3. Recall the last time you walked into a hospital, clinic, or physician’s office for the first time. What was your first impression? Did you feel comfortable and welcome? Why or why not? If you could change the first impression this facility makes, what would you do?

4-What changes could be made at a very low cost? What changes would be expensive? Finally, discuss why it is important for a health-care facility to make a good first impression

Begin reviewing and replying to peer postings/responses early in the week to enhance peer discussion. See the rubric for participation points. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing viewpoints with a rationale, challenging aspects of the discussion, or indicating relationships between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress.

TASK

Post your initial response to one of the two topics below.

Topic 1

Age related changes can affect the lifestyle/quality of life of the elderly.

• What do you think are the two most prevalent age-related changes that affect the lifestyle of the elderly?
• How would you help an elderly patient adjust to the two changes you identified?

Peer 1

  Working on the med/surg unit as a Registered Nurse has given me many opportunities to interact with the elderly patient. A common change that I’ve noticed was loss of balance cause by muscle weakness. “The major age-related physiological change in older people frequently encountered skeletal muscle mass loss, known as sarcopenia” (McGinley, 2017). Second change in the elderly was loss of appetite which causes poor nutrition. Poor nutrition can be caused by loss of taste buds.

 An elderly patient can be adjusted to these changes by recommending increased activity which is the best intervention for muscle weakness.  A short walk outside or even gardening in yard are examples of increased activities.  A membership at the local gym can also help increase with strengthen exercises. Elderly patient can be given brochures with exercises that are easy to follow and read. “All this type of activity, together with protein rich die, helps prevent further losses and functional decline” (McGinley, 2017). Interventions that can be done with an elderly person’s appetite loss are teaching them about eating small serving sizes and consuming meals when awake and energized. When making the selection of food, pick foods that are soft in consistency and even having a meal with family and friends might encourage the elderly to eat.

References

Mayo Clinic. (2014). Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Slowing or Reversing

                Muscle Weakness. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-

                professionals/physical-medicine-rehabilitation/news/slowing-or-reversing-

                muscle-loss/mac-20431104

McGinley, E. (2017). Supporting older patients with nutrition and hydration.

                Journal of Community Nursing, 31(4), 54-57. Retrieved from https://search-

                ebscohost-com.su.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=12466

                7326&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Peer 2

Age related changes are inevitable as we get older. Two prevalent changes in the elderly are decreased bone density leading to frail bones, and decreased hearing and vision (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Decreased hearing and vision which happens with aging contributes to the loss of independence because it removes the ability to drive. Losing the ability to drive many elderly people have to rely on family or friends to help them get to what they need. Although these changes are common, there are vitamins and supplements that can help improve overall health; additionally, patients can be educated on different exercises that can be done to increase strength and decrease the risk of falls. Helping our patients and  providing them with resources that help them maintain their health is essential for providing a good quality of life in the elderly. 

Reference:

Mayo Clinic. (2020). Aging: What to Expect. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20046070

Critique the 3 presentations attached and follow the rubric.

total of 3 pages, one per powerpointapa format

references from the last 5 years

“Mrs. Walsh, a woman in her 70s, was in critical condition after repeat coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Her family lived nearby when Mrs. Walsh had her first CABG surgery. They had moved out of town but returned to our institution, where the first surgery had been performed successfully. Mrs. Walsh remained critically ill and unstable for several weeks before her death. Her family was very anxious because of Mrs. Walsh’s unstable and deteriorating condition, and a family member was always with her 24 hours a day for the first few weeks.
The nurse became involved with this family while Mrs. Walsh was still in surgery, because family members were very anxious that the procedure was taking longer than it had the first time and made repeated calls to the critical care unit to ask about the patient. The nurse met with the family and offered to go into the operating room to talk with the cardiac surgeon to better inform the family of their mother’s status.
One of the helpful things the nurse did to assist this family was to establish a consistent group of nurses to work with Mrs. Walsh, so that family members could establish trust and feel more confident about the care their mother was receiving. This eventually enabled family members to leave the hospital for intervals to get some rest. The nurse related that this was a family whose members were affluent, educated, and well informed, and that they came in prepared with lists of questions. A consistent group of nurses who were familiar with Mrs. Walsh’s particular situation helped both family members and nurses to be more satisfied and less anxious. The family developed a close relationship with the three nurses who consistently cared for Mrs. Walsh and shared with them details about Mrs. Walsh and her life.
The nurse related that there was a tradition in this particular critical care unit not to involve family members in care. She broke that tradition when she responded to the son’s and the daughter’s helpless feelings by teaching them some simple things that they could do for their mother. They learned to give some basic care, such as bathing her. The nurse acknowledged that involving family members in direct patient care with a critically ill patient is complex and requires knowledge and sensitivity. She believes that a developmental process is involved when nurses learn to work with families.
She noted that after a nurse has lots of experience and feels very comfortable with highly technical skills, it becomes okay for family members to be in the room when care is provided. She pointed out that direct observation by anxious family members can be disconcerting to those who are insecure with their skills when family members ask things like, “Why are you doing this? Nurse ‘So and So’ does it differently.” She commented that nurses learn to be flexible and to reset priorities. They should be able to let some things wait that do not need to be done right away to give the family some time with the patient. One of the things that the nurse did to coordinate care was to meet with the family to see what times worked best for them; then she posted family time on the patient’s activity schedule outside her cubicle to communicate the plan to others involved in Mrs. Walsh’s care.
When Mrs. Walsh died, the son and daughter wanted to participate in preparing her body. This had never been done in this unit, but after checking to see that there was no policy forbidding it, the nurse invited them to participate. They turned down the lights, closed the doors, and put music on; the nurse, the patient’s daughter, and the patient’s son all cried together while they prepared Mrs. Walsh to be taken to the morgue. The nurse took care of all intravenous lines and tubes while the children bathed her. The nurse provided evidence of how finely tuned her skill of involvement was with this family when she explained that she felt uncomfortable at first because she thought that the son and daughter should be sharing this time alone with their mother. Then she realized that they really wanted her to be there with them. This situation taught her that families of critically ill patients need care as well. The nurse explained that this was a paradigm case that motivated her to move into a CNS role, with expansion of her sphere of influence from her patients during her shift to other shifts, other patients and their families, and other disciplines”
Critical thinking activities
1. Discuss the clinical narrative provided here using the unfolding case study format to promote situated learning of clinical reasoning (Benner, Hooper-Kyriakidis, & Stannard, 2011).
2. Regarding the various aspects of the case as they unfold over time, consider questions that encourage thinking, increase understanding, and promote dialogue, such as: What are your concerns in this situation? What aspects stand out as salient? What would you say to the family at given points in time? How would you respond to your nursing colleagues who may question your inclusion of the family in care?
3. Using Benner’s approach, describe the five levels of competency and identify the characteristic intentions and meanings inherent at each level of practice.