What is the relevance of your philosophy to your specialty in the MS Program? What was your philosophy of nursing?
My philosophy echoes Watson’s theory of human caring. The philosophy is a reflection of the factor of humanity, which is the principal determinant of the quality of care that I offer to my patients. To me, the patients’ needs should come first, then everything else- a principle that has shaped me into a caring, sensitive, sympathetic, and compassionate professional to my patients. Accordingly, this philosophy is relevant to the MS program because the ability to cultivate humanity and caring is part of the master’s curriculum. It is, therefore, a pre-requisite for mastery nursing practice.
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What is the essence of the role of the MS-prepared nurse in the ongoing development of nursing and in meeting society's needs for quality health care?
In order for nurses to offer high quality, evidenced-based, and cost effective care to the patients, they must possess a set of knowledge and skills that inform their practice, communication skills- for advocating for patient needs, and critical thinking- for navigating the healthcare system. The MS–prepared nurse students have all the advanced practice skills and knowledge described above, and can comfortably lead health promotion and risk reduction projects and programs aimed at meeting society’s needs for quality health care. Such is possible because master’s programs are well known for their efficacy in preparing graduate nurses for specific roles which may change or emerge in the course of time ( Clark, Casey & Morris, 2015) . In simple terms, the MS programs prepare the nurse graduate for a superior practice or readiness for transition to the doctoral level. The greatest significance by the graduates of MS programs, therefore, is the competency in addressing the gap between traditional practice and the growing changes in healthcare needs. For some nurses, these needs are met by a lifetime of expert service in their mastery area. For others, a master’s education becomes the foundation for doctoral education, which is equally as valuable. Also, graduates of master’s degree programs in nursing have a broad knowledge of the discipline and practice expertise, which together builds them for higher-level practice and leadership in the hospital setting.
How do you envision integrating being a leader and change agent in the evolving future of nursing education and nursing practice? What strategies will you use to contribute to the future of nursing?
When in the role of a nurse leader in the rapidly evolving heal hare system, I am certain of being called up to be a change agent one day. It is important to note that nursing leadership and change in healthcare are two different domains, but which are intricately tied to each other. Leadership in itself will require me to assume accountability for patient care outcomes. This would require me to assimilate and apply evidence-based information in designing, implementing, and evaluating the processes of patient care and the models used by my subordinates to deliver care to the patients. A change agent is, on the other hand, one that makes use of their unique competencies in various healthcare settings to cause an improvement in the health outcomes ( Nurses as Change Agents, 2016) . Being a change agent will mean that I create certain measures within my legitimate power in order to guide and direct improvements in the quality of care.
Transformational leadership skills are a vital requirement for a nursing leader who is also advocating for change in the healthcare environment ( Steinhauer, 2016) . As a transformational nursing leader and an agent of change, therefore, I envision myself to integrate the two domains by: (a) advancing a culture of excellence through nursing teaching and lifelong learning, (b) building and leading collaborative inter-professional teams of caregivers, (c) translating evidence into practice, (d) designing innovative nursing practices, and (e) navigating and integrating healthcare services across the healthcare system. Most importantly, I would pay attention to my behavior as a leader. My behavior as a nurse leader will definitely influence staff actions that contribute to the needed change in the future of nursing. As a consequence, I will seek training on the requisite skills for influencing human behaviors such as supervisory ability, intelligence, decisiveness, a quest for achievement, and the persistence to trust the process.
References
Clark, L., Casey, D., & Morris, S. (2015). The value of Master's degrees for registered nurses. British Journal of Nursing , 24 (6), 328-334.
Nurses as Change Agents . (2016, October 19). MastersinNursing.com. https://www.mastersinnursing.com/nurses-as-change-agents/
Steinhauer, R. (2016). Transformational leaders: Change agents for good . Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL) Online Magazine. https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/features/more-features/Vol42_4_transformational-leaders-change-agents-for-good
