Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker NURS 6051 / NURS 5051
Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker
The term “knowledge worker” was first coined by management consultant and author Peter Drucker in his book, The Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959). Drucker defined knowledge workers as high-level workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal training, to develop products and services. Does this sound familiar?
Nurses are very much knowledge workers. What has changed since Drucker’s time are the ways that knowledge can be acquired. The volume of data that can now be generated and the tools used to access this data have evolved significantly in recent years and helped healthcare professionals (among many others) to assume the role of knowledge worker in new and powerful ways.
In this Assignment, you will consider the evolving role of the nurse leader and how this evolution has led nurse leaders to assume the role of knowledge worker. You will prepare a PowerPoint presentation with an infographic (graphic that visually represents information, data, or knowledge. Infographics are intended to present information quickly and clearly.) to educate others on the role of nurse as knowledge worker.
Reference: Drucker, P. (1959). The landmarks of tomorrow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
To Prepare for this The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker NURS 6051:
- Review the concepts of informatics as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
- Consider how knowledge may be informed by data that is collected/accessed.
The Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker NURS 6051:
- Explain the concept of a knowledge worker.
- Define and explain nursing informatics and highlight the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
- Include one slide that visually represents the role of a nurse leader as knowledge worker.
- Your PowerPoint should Include the hypothetical scenario you originally shared in the Discussion Forum. Include your examination of the data that you could use, how the data might be accessed/collected, and what knowledge might be derived from that data. Be sure to incorporate feedback received from your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 7 of Week 2
Submit your completed Presentation.
Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker NURS 6051 Example Presentation
The Knowledge Worker
- Knowledge workers are people who use their theoretical knowledge and acquired skills through formal training to deliver productive work (Druker, 1995).
- Knowledge workers use their knowledge and skills to solve complex problems, make decisions, and provide new services.
- Knowledge workers access and synthesize information and use analytic reasoning and relevant judgments in addressing issues and new situations.
- Good communication skills and adequate motivation help knowledge workers deliver quality service.
- A professional board always governs knowledge workers
- Knowledge workers receive higher compensation due to the complex nature of their work
Nursing Informatics
- Nursing informatics combines nursing science, information science, and computer science (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015.)
- This combination helps identify, define, manage, and communicate information, wisdom, and data in nursing practice to improve patient care.
- Nursing informatics includes bed management systems that help manage patient census and an electronic portal that allows patients to access their medical records quickly.
- Radio frequency identification is another example of nursing informatics that aids in tracking patient and caregiver activities.
- Nursing informatics is essential in increasing patient safety and promoting quality healthcare in hospital settings.
- Nursing informatics plays a vital role in training nursing staff on the use of technology, answering questions, and monitoring results.
Nursing informatics improve patient care by:
- Designing different process of treatment approaches, reviewing clinical workflow, diagnostic and treatment plans
- Measuring and analyzing different parts of organizational roles and making specific changes that help in improving patient care.
- Analyzing several data information to identify prevalent issues in healthcare organizations and provide the best solutions
- Selecting and testing new medical devices used in improving patient care.
- Providing training to other nursing staff by providing educational programs.
- Implementing information systems provides better access to evidence affecting patient safety and supports evidence-based nursing.
Role of a Nurse as a Knowledge Worker
- Nurse leaders play a crucial work in developing new treatment plans, collecting and evaluating treatment plans
- Using their autonomy and nursing experience, nursing leaders aid in broadening healthcare fields and promoting health
- Nurse leaders apply their knowledge and skills to address the needs of their patients and level up the general patient care criteria.
- Nurse leaders use their acquired integrated knowledge to solve upcoming and existing practice problems in healthcare settings.
- Nurse leaders are equipped with informatics skills that aid in developing new research on different nursing practices that help in improving outcomes of patient needs.
The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker NURS 6051 Presentation References
- Drucker, P. (1959). Landmarks of Tomorrow: A Report on the New” Post-Modern. World.
- McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (Eds.). (2015). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Publishers
NURS 6051 Week 3 Discussion: Interaction Between Nurse Informaticists and Other Specialists
Nature offers many examples of specialization and collaboration. Ant colonies and bee hives are but two examples of nature’s sophisticated organizations. Each thrives because their members specialize by tasks, divide labor, and collaborate to ensure food, safety, and general well-being of the colony or hive.
Of course, humans don’t fare too badly in this regard either. And healthcare is a great example. As specialists in the collection, access, and application of data, nurse informaticists collaborate with specialists on a regular basis to ensure that appropriate data is available to make decisions and take actions to ensure the general well-being of patients.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your own observations of and/or experiences with informaticist collaboration. You will also propose strategies for how these collaborative experiences might be improved.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the evolution of nursing informatics from a science to a nursing specialty.
- Consider your experiences with nurse Informaticists or technology specialists within your healthcare organization.
By Day 3 of Week 3
Post a description of experiences or observations about how nurse informaticists and/or data or technology specialists interact with other professionals within your healthcare organization. Suggest at least one strategy on how these interactions might be improved. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain the impact you believe the continued evolution of nursing informatics as a specialty and/or the continued emergence of new technologies might have on professional interactions.
By Day 6 of Week 3
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering one or more additional interaction strategies in support of the examples/observations shared or by offering further insight to the thoughts shared about the future of these interactions.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
NURS 6051 Week 3 Assignment: The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies
In the Discussion for this module, you considered the interaction of nurse informaticists with other specialists to ensure successful care. How is that success determined?
Patient outcomes and the fulfillment of care goals is one of the major ways that healthcare success is measured. Measuring patient outcomes results in the generation of data that can be used to improve results. Nursing informatics can have a significant part in this process and can help to improve outcomes by improving processes, identifying at-risk patients, and enhancing efficiency.
To Prepare:
- Review the concepts of technology application as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may help fortify nursing informatics as a specialty by leading to increased impact on patient outcomes or patient care efficiencies.
The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)
In a 4- to 5-page project proposal written to the leadership of your healthcare organization, propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient-care efficiency. Your project proposal should include the following:
- Describe the project you propose.
- Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project.
- Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving and explain how this improvement would occur. Be specific and provide examples.
- Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.
- Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team.
- Use APA format and include a title page and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
By Day 7 of Week 4
Submit your completed Project Proposal.
NURS 6051 Week 5 Discussion: Big Data Risks and Rewards
When you wake in the morning, you may reach for your cell phone to reply to a few text or email messages that you missed overnight. On your drive to work, you may stop to refuel your car. Upon your arrival, you might swipe a key card at the door to gain entrance to the facility. And before finally reaching your workstation, you may stop by the cafeteria to purchase a coffee.
From the moment you wake, you are in fact a data-generation machine. Each use of your phone, every transaction you make using a debit or credit card, even your entrance to your place of work, creates data. It begs the question: How much data do you generate each day? Many studies have been conducted on this, and the numbers are staggering: Estimates suggest that nearly 1 million bytes of data are generated every second for every person on earth.
As the volume of data increases, information professionals have looked for ways to use big data—large, complex sets of data that require specialized approaches to use effectively. Big data has the potential for significant rewards—and significant risks—to healthcare. In this Discussion, you will consider these risks and rewards.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the web article Big Data Means Big Potential, Challenges for Nurse Execs.
- Reflect on your own experience with complex health information access and management and consider potential challenges and risks you may have experienced or observed.
By Day 3 of Week 5
Post a description of at least one potential benefit of using big data as part of a clinical system and explain why. Then, describe at least one potential challenge or risk of using big data as part of a clinical system and explain why. Propose at least one strategy you have experienced, observed, or researched that may effectively mitigate the challenges or risks of using big data you described. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, by offering one or more additional mitigation strategies or further insight into your colleagues’ assessment of big data opportunities and risks.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Submission and Grading Information
Week 6 Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends
Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
- Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information.
- Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
By Day 3 of Week 6
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described. Then, describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described. Next, explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why. Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering additional/alternative ideas regarding opportunities and risks related to the observations shared.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Week 6 Assignment: Literature Review: The Use of Clinical Systems to Improve Outcomes and Efficiencies
New technology—and the application of existing technology—only appears in healthcare settings after careful and significant research. The stakes are high, and new clinical systems need to offer evidence of positive impact on outcomes or efficiencies.
Nurse informaticists and healthcare leaders formulate clinical system strategies. As these strategies are often based on technology trends, informaticists and others have then benefited from consulting existing research to inform their thinking.
In this Assignment, you will review existing research focused on the application of clinical systems. After reviewing, you will summarize your findings.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the impact of clinical systems on outcomes and efficiencies within the context of nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
- Conduct a search for recent (within the last 5 years) research focused on the application of clinical systems. The research should provide evidence to support the use of one type of clinical system to improve outcomes and/or efficiencies, such as “the use of personal health records or portals to support patients newly diagnosed with diabetes.”
- Identify and select 4 peer-reviewed research articles from your research.
- For information about annotated bibliographies, visit https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies
The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)
In a 4- to 5-page paper, synthesize the peer-reviewed research you reviewed. Format your Assignment as an Annotated Bibliography. Be sure to address the following:
- Identify the 4 peer-reviewed research articles you reviewed, citing each in APA format.
- Include an introduction explaining the purpose of the paper.
- Summarize each study, explaining the improvement to outcomes, efficiencies, and lessons learned from the application of the clinical system each peer-reviewed article described. Be specific and provide examples.
- In your conclusion, synthesize the findings from the 4 peer-reviewed research articles.
- Use APA format and include a title page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
By Day 7 of Week 8
Submit your completed Assignment.
NURS 6051 Week 9 Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle
In the media introduction to this module, it was suggested that you as a nurse have an important role in the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). With a focus on patient care and outcomes, nurses may not always see themselves as contributors to the development of new systems. However, as you may have observed in your own experience, exclusion of nurse contributions when implementing systems can have dire consequences.
In this Discussion, you will consider the role you might play in systems development and the ramifications of not being an active participant in systems development.
To Prepare:
- Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on your own healthcare organization and consider any steps your healthcare organization goes through when purchasing and implementing a new health information technology system.
- Consider what a nurse might contribute to decisions made at each stage of the SDLC when planning for new health information technology.
By Day 3 of Week 9
Post a description of what you believe to be the consequences of a healthcare organization not involving nurses in each stage of the SDLC when purchasing and implementing a new health information technology system. Provide specific examples of potential issues at each stage of the SDLC and explain how the inclusion of nurses may help address these issues. Then, explain whether you had any input in the selection and planning of new health information technology systems in your nursing practice or healthcare organization and explain potential impacts of being included or not in the decision-making process. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 9
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, by offering additional thoughts regarding the examples shared, SDLC-related issues, and ideas on how the inclusion of nurses might have impacted the example described by your colleagues.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Example Essay On The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle
The healthcare sector continues to face several unique challenges. There has been an increased demand for enhanced and secure data management methods. There have been many significant advancements in computer technology in the modern world. The use of computers has become ubiquitous across many if not all, sectors. In the healthcare industry, computer technology has revolutionized many practices, increasing efficiency, patient outcomes, communication, and the overall satisfaction levels of healthcare providers and their clients or patients (Mcgonigle & Mastrian, 2022). Nurses form the majority of healthcare providers.
Furthermore, nurses have the most contact and communication with patients. Risling and Risling (2020) assert that nurses play vital roles in decision-making regarding the use of information systems in the healthcare industry and the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The SDLC is a cycle involving planning, analyzing, designing, implementing, and maintaining healthcare information systems and nursing informatics (Wang et al., 2019). This paper analyzes the potential repercussions and consequences for organizations that fail to involve nurses in each stage of the SDLC when implementing or purchasing new health information systems.
Planning Phase
The planning phase is an integral part of any project. Effective planning ensures that the subsequent steps run smoothly and ensures the achievement of top-notch results despite the complexity or difficulty of a project. Organizations must conduct a feasibility analysis before implementing or purchasing a new information system. Failing to include nurses in this vital step could lead to developing an ineffective system that does not address all the healthcare organizations. Nurses form most of the healthcare team and spend the most time with patients.
Analysis Phase
The analysis phase entails evaluating a technology to see what works and what does not. In this phase, the project designers examine the requirements and workflows of the new system. Nurses manage patients and also collaborate with other healthcare professionals. Therefore, they understand all healthcare providers’ responsibilities and workflow in patient care. Failing to involve nurses in the analysis phase could lead to developing systems deficient in positive workflows and failing to address all the healthcare needs.
Design Phase
This stage has various processes, including the essentiality of data and program visualization. It also includes how combining different aspects of a system can lead to productive and successful outcomes. Nurses are involved at every point of patient care and know the most essential and non-essential patient data at every interaction phase. Failing to involve nurses in the design phase could lead to a system that is inefficient to use, time-consuming, and fails to collect all essential patient information at different stages.
Implementation and Evaluation Phase
The system developers collaborate with nurses and other healthcare members to bring the new system to life. Failing to involve nurses in this stage can lead to an unhelpful and unfamiliar system that nurses perceive as non-essential to patient care. Hosein et al. (2019) note that nurses dramatically improve healthcare services when they adopt new health information systems. Failing to involve nurses in evaluating the effectiveness of a system can lead to gathering unreliable data that does not identify possible gaps.
The maintenance phase involves continuous user support, which may involve system changes. Failing to involve nurses can lead to long delays in implementing system changes, delaying essential patient care.
I have not yet been involved in developing or selecting a health information technology system. However, there might be some upcoming projects soon. I am positive that I will be involved in the projects. This paper has shed light on the essence of involving nurses in the different phases of the SDLC.
References
Hosein, B., Luo, J., & Karami, M. (2019). Adoption of Hospital Information System Among Nurses: A Technology Acceptance Model Approach. Acta Informatica Medica, 27(5), 305. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2019.27.305-310
Mcgonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Risling, T. L., & Risling, D. E. (2020). Advancing nursing participation in user-centered design. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(3), 226–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987120913590
Wang, J., Gephart, S. M., Mallow, J., & Bakken, S. (2019). Models of collaboration and dissemination for nursing informatics innovations in the 21st century. Nursing Outlook, 67(4), 419–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.02.003
NURS 6051 Week 10 Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation
Assume you are a nurse manager on a unit where a new nursing documentation system is to be implemented. You want to ensure that the system will be usable and acceptable for the nurses impacted. You realize a nurse leader must be on the implementation team.
To Prepare:
- Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and reflect on the scenario presented.
- Consider the benefits and challenges associated with involving a nurse leader on an implementation team for health information technology.
The Assignment: (2-3 pages not including the title and reference page)
In preparation of filling this role, develop a 2- to 3-page role description for a graduate-level nurse to guide his/her participation on the implementation team. The role description should be based on the SDLC stages and tasks and should clearly define how this individual will participate in and impact each of the following steps:
- Planning and requirements definition
- Analysis
- Design of the new system
- Implementation
- Post-implementation support
- Use APA format and include a title page and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
By Day 7 of Week 10
Submit your completed Role Description.
NURS 6051 Week 11 Assignment: Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet
As a professional nurse, you are expected to apply your expertise to patient care. On occasion, you will also be expected to share that expertise.
With evolving technology and continuous changes to regulations designed to keep up these changes, there is usually a need to share information and expertise to inform colleagues, leadership, patients, and other stakeholders.
In this Assignment, you will study a recent nursing informatics-related healthcare policy, and you will share the relevant details via a fact sheet designed to inform and educate.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources on healthcare policy and regulatory/legislative topics related to health and nursing informatics.
- Consider the role of the nurse informaticist in relation to a healthcare organization’s compliance with various policies and regulations, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
- Research and select one health or nursing informatics policy (within the past 5 years) or regulation for further study.
The Assignment: (1 page not including the title and reference page)
Create a 1-page fact sheet that your healthcare organization could hypothetically use to explain the health or nursing informatics policy/regulation you selected. Your fact sheet should address the following:
- Briefly and generally explain the policy or regulation you selected.
- Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on system implementation.
- Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow.
- Highlight organizational policies and procedures that are/will be in place at your healthcare organization to address the policy or regulation you selected. Be specific.
- Use APA format and include a title page, in-text citations, and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
By Day 5 of Week 11
Submit your completed Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet.