SPIRITUAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT


Part I: Interview

Select a patient, a family member, or a friend to interview. Be sure to focus on the interviewee’s experience as a patient, regardless of whom you choose to interview.

Review The Joint Commission resource which provides some guidelines for creating spiritual assessment tools for evaluating the spiritual needs of patients. Using this resource and any other guidelines/examples that you can find, create your own tool for assessing the spiritual needs of patients.

Create a survey to assess the subject’s spiritual need during the interview. The spiritual needs assessment survey needs a minimum of five questions that can be answered during the interview.  During the interview, document the interviewee’s responses.

Submit the transcript of the interview. The transcript should include the questions asked and the answers provided.  Be sure record the responses during the interview by taking detailed notes. Omit specific names and other personal information from the interview. 

Part II: Analysis

Write a 250-500 word analysis of your interview experience. Be sure to exclude specific names and other personal information from the interview. Instead provide demographics such as sex, age, ethnicity, and religion. Include the following in your response:

  1. What went well?
  2. What would you do differently in the future?
  3. Were there any barriers or challenges that inhibited your ability to complete the assessment tool? How would you address these in the future or change your assessment to better address these challenges?
  4. Describe the spiritual experience you had with your patient, family member, or friend using this tool. How does this tool allow you to better meet the needs of your patient?
  5. Did you discover that illness and stress amplified the spiritual concern and needs of your interviewee?  Explain your answer with examples.

Submit both the transcript of the interview and the analysis of your results.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

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 Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

PERSONAL ETHICS

After reading the Topic 1 materials, complete the questionnaire titled, “My Nursing Ethic.”

Using the reading and the questionnaire, write a paper of 750-1,000 words in which you describe your professional moral compass. As you write your paper, include the following:

  1. What personal, cultural, and spiritual values contribute to your worldview and philosophy of nursing? How do these values shape or influence your nursing practice?
  2. Define values, morals, and ethics in the context of your obligation to nursing practice. Explain how your personal values, philosophy, and worldview may conflict with your obligation to practice, creating an ethical dilemma.
  3. Reflect and share your own personal thoughts regarding the morals and ethical dilemmas you may face in the health care field. How do your personal views affect your behavior and your decision making?

Do not be concerned with the use of ethical terminology for this paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

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 Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

APPLYING ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS IN PRACTICE

Using the steps outlined in the decision-making models in your readings, select one ethical decision-making model and use the model to analyze the case provided. 

Case Scenario:

A 6-year-old develops a high fever accompanied by violent vomiting and convulsions while at school. The child is rushed to a nearby hospital. The attending physician makes a diagnosis of meningitis and requests permission to initiate treatment from the parents. The child’s parents are divorced. The mother, who is not the biological parent of the child, has primary custody. She is a Christian Scientist who insists that no medical treatment be offered for religious reasons. The biological father, who resides in another state, is also contacted. He insists that treatment be given and seeks independent consultation from another physician.

Assignment:

In a formal, written paper of 800-1,200 words, answer the following questions:

  1. What is the ethical dilemma here?
  2. Describe the decision-making model you selected from your readings.
  3. How would you resolve this dilemma using the model?
  4. Include, at the end of your paper, a 200-word dialog in which you explain your decision to the family. (Remember to use language that the family would understand).

A minimum of three references must be used.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

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 Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to Turnitin

LITERATURE SEARCH

Conduct a literature search to locate research articles focused on a practice problem of interest. This literature search should include both quantitative and qualitative peer research articles to support your practice problem or issue of interest in 350-750 words.

Identify six peer research articles which will be utilized through the next 5 weeks as reference sources. Create a reference list in which the six articles are listed. Beneath each reference include the article’s abstract. The completed assignment should have a title page and a reference list with abstracts.

Suggestions for locating qualitative and quantitative research articles from credible sources:

  1. Use a library database such as CINAHL Complete for your search.
  2. Using the advanced search page check the box beside “Research Article” in the “Limit Your Results” section.
  3. When setting up the search you can type your topic in the top box, then add quantitative or qualitative as a search term in one of the lower boxes. Research articles often are described as qualitative or quantitative.

To narrow/broaden your search, remove the words qualitative and quantitative and include words that narrow or broaden your main topic. For example: Diabetes and pediatric and dialysis. To determine what research design was used, review the abstract and the methods section of the article. The author will provide a description of data collection using qualitative or quantitative methods.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

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 not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

BENCHMARK CRITIQUE

Prepare a critical analysis of a quantitative study focusing on protection of human participants, data collection, data management and analysis, problem statement, and interpretation of findings. The quantitative research article can be from your previous literature review or a new peer-reviewed article.

Each study analysis will be 1,000-1,250 words and submitted in one document. As with the assignments in Topics 1-3, this should connect to your identified practice problem of interest.

Refer to the resource entitled “Research Critique Part 2.” Questions under each heading should be addressed as a narrative, in the structure of a formal paper. You are also required to include an Introduction and Conclusion.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

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 Turnitin.

Submit the assignment along with an electronic version of the article used for the analysis. If an electronic version is not available, submit a clean unmarked copy of the article.

PRACTICE PRESENTATION

This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.

Choose a nursing problem from your current practice setting, and identify a possible solution to that problem.

Conduct a search of the literature related to this problem.

Analyze and critically appraise evidence-based literature to support the solution to the identified problem. A minimum of six peer-reviewed articles must be identified. These can be the same articles from the previous selected literature review or a mixture of new and previous articles. This may also include guidelines from the National Guideline Clearinghouse, Joanna Briggs Institute, or a review from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review.

Include the following components into the presentation:

  1. Present the nursing practice problem with the PICOT question.
  2. Discuss your appraisal of the literature that addresses the problem.
  3. Present the proposed practice changes from an integration of the findings.

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation 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 not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.

ORGANIZATION RISK MANAGEMENT

Select a health care organization in your community to conduct an interview with an appropriate risk management employee. The organization can be your current employer, or a different health care facility in your community.

Acute care, urgent care, large multi-provider private medical clinics, assisted living facilities, and community/public health clinical facilities are all ideal options to complete the requirements of this assignment. Make sure to select an individual who can provide sufficient information regarding how that organization manages risk within its facility to answer the questions below.

In your interview, address the following:

1.    Identification of the challenges the organization faces in controlling infectious diseases.

2.    Risk management strategies used in the organization’s infection control program, along with specific examples.

3.    How the facility’s educational risk management program addresses key professional issues, such as prevention of negligence, malpractice litigation, and vicarious liability.

4.    Policies the facility has implemented that address managing emergency triage in high-risk areas of health care service delivery.

5.    Strategies the facility utilizes to monitor and maintain its risk management program.

Post-interview, compose a 750-1000 word summary analysis of the interview to include the questions above as well as the following elements:

1.    A brief assessment of the organization’s risk management program, including what works well and what could work better (the pros and cons).

2.    Action steps you would take to improve the program. Select one area and provide your rationale and possible steps required to implement your suggestion.

Cite appropriate references as needed to support your statements and rationale.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

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 Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

HEALTH CARE PROJECT

For your Final Project, you will choose a topic in health care (e.g. cardiovascular issues, obesity, or cancer) and analyze it. Then, integrate all of the steps and standards that are needed to meet the quality improvement and performance regulations that are accredited by such organizations as The Joint Commission (TJC) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). .

Now, you will present your work to key stakeholders in your organization. Create a PowerPoint presentation of 10-12 slides with speaker notes of 75-150 words which includes the following:

  • Explain why your health care topic is an important area of concern and research, and explain the challenges that will impact its population in the coming years based on your research.
  • Support your findings with an application of descriptive statistics.
  • Explain your grounded research capabilities.
  • Discuss risk-management assessment.
  • Present the data outcome in an Excel spreadsheet.
  • Include at least 4 credible references. All sources should be in APA format.

Part 2

Your department has taken the lead in developing many styles of reports. This work has raised a few questions throughout the organization. Therefore, you have been asked to present some helpful information on the structure of reporting. Draft a memo that explains the guidelines to follow when creating a memo for reporting purposes.

  • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using spreadsheets to display information in reporting.
  • Explain which of the following are the best graphs to use in this situation, and why:
    • Tables
    • Pie charts
    • Line graphs
    • Bar graphs
  • Incorporate at least 1 chart or graph that demonstrates when it is appropriate to use one chart or graph over another.

Planned Change in a Department or Unit

Health care organizations are continuously immersed in change from the emergence of new policies, to promote quality care and improve patient safety to keeping pace with the rapid growth in knowledge and best practices. Establishing a solid framework for planning and implementing change is a wise move, as it provides a foundation for the extensive coordination that will be needed to successfully facilitate the change.

For this Assignment, you propose a change at the department or unit level and develop a plan for guiding the change effort.

To prepare:

  • Review Chapter 8 in the course text. Focus on Kurt Lewin’s change theory, and contrast it with other classic change models and strategies.
  • Reflect on problems, inefficiencies, and critical issues within a specific department, unit, or area in your organization or one with which you are familiar. Select one issue as a focal point for this assignment, and consider a change that could be made to address the issue.
  • Think about how the change would align with the organization’s mission, vision, and values as well as relevant professional standards.
  • Using one of the change models or strategies discussed in Chapter 8, begin formulating a plan for implementing the change within the department/unit. Outline the steps that you and/or others should follow to facilitate the change effort. Align these steps to the change model or strategy you selected.
  • Determine who should be involved in initiating and managing the change. Consider the skills and characteristics that are necessary to facilitate this change effort.

To complete:

Write a 4 page paper (page count does not include title and reference page) that addresses the following:

  • Identify a problem, inefficiency, or issue within a specific department/unit.
  • Describe a specific, realistic change that could be made to address the issue.
  • Summarize how the change would align with the organization’s mission, vision, and values as well as relevant professional standards.
  • Identify a change model or strategy to guide your planning for implementing the change. Provide a rationale for your selection.
  • Outline the steps that you and/or others would follow to facilitate the change. Align these steps to your selected change model or strategy.
  • Explain who would be involved in initiating and managing this change. Describe the skills and characteristics that would be necessary to facilitate the change effort.

Complementary Medicine

Read the following statements from your course textbook and answer the following questions:

There is no complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). There is only medicine; medicine that has been tested and found to be safe and effective . . . Medicine that has been tested and not found to be safe and effective . . . and medicine that is plausible but has not been tested . . .

  • How would you apply the above statement to CAM therapies?
  • “Complementary therapy” and “alternative therapy” are the terms used interchangeably. Do you think a meaningful difference exists between these two terms? Why?
  • What barriers exist in traditional (allopathic) medicines for acceptance of CAM therapies?
  • Why is it insufficient to rely on a century’s worth of anecdotal evidence for alternative therapies?

Keeping in view the fact that CAM involves key components that often differ from those of contemporary Western medical practices, answer the questions below:

  • If CAM therapies focus on wellness, how does this focus differ from allopathic medicine?
  • Proponents of CAM believe that the body is self-healing. What is your view regarding the same? Give an example from the course textbook or your experience to support this contention.
  • What role do plants play in supporting CAM interventions?
  • CAM therapies are often personalized. How does this individualization contrast with modern allopathic medicine?