I hope everyone out there has a wonderful Holiday Season! See back here on Jan. 8th with information on how to survive a graduate nursing research class........
Dr. Maggie
Monday, December 23, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Negotiation Skills and Resources for the Masters in Nursing Online Student
Many nurses feel negotiation skills are reserved for
high rolling business executives wheeling and dealing with multi-million dollar
transactions. In reality, negotiation
skills are used every day, between us and our family members and between us and
our co-workers. A terrific quick read
that will help you with “win-win” negotiation skills is a book called “Getting
to Yes”. With a break in course work
for online masters in nursing programs, now is the time to pick up this book,
which can be purchased used for just shipping costs from Amazon.com.
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Hand Washing Notice for Online MSN Student Use
Don’t you wish you could really administer a polygraph to
your staff regarding hand washing?!
–Smile-
Dr. Maggie
Monday, December 2, 2013
How to Transfer from one Masters in Nursing Online Program to Another
Sometimes you can find yourself in a Masters in Nursing
Online program that just doesn’t seem to be a “good fit” for your learning
needs and for work-life balance. It is
best to discover this lack of “fit” early on, within completion of two
courses. Most programs allow for a
maximum of 6 credit hours or two courses to transfer into the new program. When applying for a transfer into another
program, it is important to have documentation of any course work
completed. The course syllabus including
methods of evaluation, and any information related to assignments completed-
helps make a determination if the prior completed course work is accepted for
course work in the new program. Be prepared to possibly “start over” if the MSN
Online program change includes a track change, say from a clinical focus to
management focus, or vice versa. Evaluate the pros and cons, on paper regarding
the change of programs to help you decide if a change will help your quality of
life, or better meet career goals. A
change might seem daunting at first, but long term, could very well be the
decision you needed in order to regain, motivation to reach your professional
and personal goals.
Dr. Maggie
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Project Management for Masters in Nursing Online Students
Whether you are a clinical nurse leader, an executive nurse
leader, or a nurse educator, project
management skills are essential. Staying
organized is the best way to manage a project and several tools exist to help
with this essential organization. At the website: http://www.ganttproject.biz/ you
will find free Gantt chart software along with a great 15 minute tutorial on
how to start a project. Just be sure to save the software file as a PDF if
you have to submit the report to anyone, so they do not need to download the
software in order to read the report.
Another simple method of project management is the
use of an MS Word table to develop a Responsibility Assignment
Matrix (also called the RAM). This matches deliverables (or completed tasks)
with the people who are responsible for them.
For every piece of the project, the matrix (table) shows who needs to
contribute what, and when, for the project to be completed in a timely manner.
A project management tool is a mechanism to help keep leaders and their staff
on time and on task for successful project completion.
Go to the website: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_60.htm and take the
project management skills assessment to see where your strengths lie and where
you may need to spend more time developing your project management skills.
Dr. Maggie
Monday, November 11, 2013
Theory and Practice: Masters in Nursing Online Learning
Theory
and Practice: Masters in Nursing Online Learning
As an advanced degree nurse with your MSN, you will be
expected to "operationalize" evidence based practice. Whether a clinical nurse leader, or an
executive nurse leader, basing actions on evidence in the literature will help
lead change. Evidence presented from
scholarly sources provides “ammunition” for promoting staffing practices, and
patient care all leading to improved health outcomes.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Masters in Nursing Online Program Course Evaluations
The
term is ending and an email comes reminding you to
“complete a course evaluation”. All you
can think of is, “I barely have time to finish the course, much less complete
an evaluation!” Well, think of completing the course evaluation as “paying it
forward”. That’s right, completing a
course evaluation is a way to help make changes for those who take the course
in subsequent terms. Online course
evaluations are anonymous, so providing both positive and negative feedback is
essential.
Most online nursing course evaluations have two components:
course content/materials and faculty evaluations. All accredited masters in nursing online
programs, must provide course evaluations and demonstrate use of the feedback
to improve courses and teaching. Be sure
to phrase any comments for improvement with a positive tone. For example, stating that learning would have
been improved with increased faculty discussion participation (vs. the faculty
were never in discussions) has a positive tone.
If several class members are frustrated with a lack of
faculty participation, or slow grading of assignments (over one week to return
graded work) it is important that all those students provide feedback on the
course evaluation. If only one student
expresses concern about faculty, the information appears to be that of a single
disgruntled student. Whereas several
class members reporting the same type of course evaluation feedback, establishes
a trend or pattern. Repeated feedback is
cause for change in a course or faculty behavior, so be sure to use your
“voice” and complete those end of term course evaluations.
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Lateral Violence, Incivility, and Bullying in Online Masters in Nursing Degree Programs
The literature contains much evidence regarding incivility
in the nursing workplace and in nursing education. One would think that incivility would not
exist in online education, when actually; incivility does indeed occur in
online class settings. Some examples of
online incivility are:
1) Students ignoring requests for information and lack of
response to classmates in an online group, or ignoring requests from online
faculty.
2) Students not turning in an assignment when due without
any communication to faculty
3) Students “fighting” in online groups regarding the
direction and development of a project and asking faculty to “referee”.
4) Faculty unresponsive to student questions/emails for more
than 48 hours
5) Faculty belittling students in online discussions or in
emails (true story: once had faculty email a student that they had “the lowest
grade” in the class on an assignment ”
6) Faculty unwilling to admit a grading error and not
correcting an assignment grade.
As you can see, students and faculty are equally responsible for professional and civil behavior in the online course. If an emergency occurs, have a friend or family member notify faculty so the appearance of non-communication does not ensue. If there is a difficult situation you are dealing with, email the instructor, and work out a way to accomplish the learning goals with a request for some flexibility. Online instructors are always open to support student learning as long as instructors do not feel taken advantage of for their “good nature”. Students understand work life balance issues and if faculty are going to be late with grading, or less active in discussions for a particular week, a class email or announcement shows professional and civil behavior.
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Upcoming Nursing Conferences of Interest for Masters in Nursing Online Students
Upcoming
Nursing Conferences of Interest for Masters in Nursing Online Students
Check
out the sites below for upcoming nursing conferences for Masters in Nursing
Online Students. When you click on the
conference link, be sure to look for a “Call for Abstracts” to submit your MSN
work for presentation. Don’t worry if
you miss a submission deadline, just continue to check the sites for more
conferences in the future. Be sure to
see my blog from Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 for how to submit an abstract for
presentation review.
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Poster Presentation Creation for Online Masters in Nursing Projects
When an abstract is accepted for
“poster presentation”, prepare a professional poster, using a power point template
(see website below). Typically the dimensions for a Poster presentation are 36x48
inches, but the conference submission guidelines for posters will provide the
exact size required.
Poster Information included is
below. You can use these headings even
if your abstract is not necessarily a study, but is a project (for project
ideas see blog from 9-24-13)
Introduction
Objectives
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
References
You may also want to “insert”
some appropriate clip art or other graphic, such as a chart or photo if these
fit on the poster. {Go to the
website: MakeSigns.com. This company is
located in a suburb of Chicago, but they print and ship posters nationwide.
http://www.makesigns.com/SciPosters_Home.aspx Be sure to order the poster size required by
the conference, as the template is 36 x 48 inches (3ftx 4 ft.) is only a guide.
The website has free down loadable power point templates to use to create your
poster presentation. Be sure to allow
enough time for creating and producing and shipping the poster for the
conference date.
Conference presentations, either
at a podium or through a poster, are a great way to disseminate nursing knowledge. Submitting an abstract of your work is an
excellent way to network for future career opportunities during a conference
once you complete your online MSN degree.
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Presenting Your Online MSN Degree Program Project Work
Call for Abstracts
Now that you have all this great knowledge from your online MSN course projects, it is time to submit the information to present at a nursing conference. Many of the nursing organizations hold regular conferences. Check with local, state, or regional nursing organization home pages. You will typically see a link to “ upcoming conferences”. The larger national conferences will require abstract submission 9-10 months prior to the conference dates. Smaller, regional conferences require any where from 6 -3 months abstract submission prior to the conference. Checking a nursing organization’s home page periodically for conferences and associated “Call for Abstracts” is the best way to find a conference to submit an abstract of your work. Be sure to closely follow abstract submission directions, as each conference will specify how long the abstract is and what information should be included. You will enhance your chances for acceptance by looking at conference objectives and aligning your abstract with at least one of those objectives. Remember to use the same terms as the conference objectives in your abstract.
Tune in for next week's blog for resources to put together a poster presentation!
Dr. Maggie
Now that you have all this great knowledge from your online MSN course projects, it is time to submit the information to present at a nursing conference. Many of the nursing organizations hold regular conferences. Check with local, state, or regional nursing organization home pages. You will typically see a link to “ upcoming conferences”. The larger national conferences will require abstract submission 9-10 months prior to the conference dates. Smaller, regional conferences require any where from 6 -3 months abstract submission prior to the conference. Checking a nursing organization’s home page periodically for conferences and associated “Call for Abstracts” is the best way to find a conference to submit an abstract of your work. Be sure to closely follow abstract submission directions, as each conference will specify how long the abstract is and what information should be included. You will enhance your chances for acceptance by looking at conference objectives and aligning your abstract with at least one of those objectives. Remember to use the same terms as the conference objectives in your abstract.
Tune in for next week's blog for resources to put together a poster presentation!
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Practicum Projects for Online MSN Degree Programs
One of the requirements for Online MSN Degree programs is a
practicum project. Whether in nursing administration (executive leadership) or
clinical nurse leadership, or nursing education, any program will require some
type of project to be developed based on assessment of organizational need, and include some
type of measurable evaluation of the project. Some examples of projects are:
Documentation
of patient status between a critical care unit and step down unit to avoid
miscommunications regarding patients’ readiness for CCU transfer and prevent patient
readmissions to CCU.
Increasing
use of cardiac rehabilitation services for improved patient cardiac outcomes
Diabetic
education for new graduate nurses for improved patient compliance
Patient
advocacy staff training program for
reduced staffing and improved patient satisfaction
Staff
retention and succession planning for improved shared governance and staff
satisfaction in a Magnet designated facility
Establish an effective process
for post surgical patient discharge, including patient education, to reduce complications
and readmissions.
Development
of a nursing student attitude assessment tool for faculty implementation during
clinical rotations for measuring attitude benchmarks during clinical
evaluation.
Develop an effective
Root Cause Analysis process to prevent/reduce medical errors
Develop a consistent
shift change communication process and policy to increase patient satisfaction
Standardize organizational staff orientation modules to improve
partnerships with local mental health providers and increase patient
satisfaction and admissions
Implementation of
Bedside Reporting to increase patient satisfaction
Implementation of a
shared care program for Ventricular Assistive Device implant patients between local community
health care facilities and large medical centers to reduce patient readmission
and mortality.
Implement Electronic Health Records to ensure secure and efficient communication for
healthcare personnel in providing standards of care policies, preventing
adverse events, and establish standard processes throughout the organization to
improve patient safety.
Develop an inpatient smoking cessation consultation program in
conjunction with an outpatient smoking cessation program to reduce tobacco use
in a patient population for a health care organization.
Develop a wound care
discharge program to decrease infection rates post discharge, and potential
readmissions.
For more examples go to : http://online.sxu.edu/programs/masters-degree-nursing/practicum-examples
For more examples go to : http://online.sxu.edu/programs/masters-degree-nursing/practicum-examples
_______________________________________________________________
As you can see by the list above, all of the
proposed projects relate to nursing practice in clinical, education or
leadership areas. Each project refers to
measures of success which can be tangibly evaluated. The key to a successful practicum project is
a clearly defined objective which has specific measures tied to that objective.
Dr. Maggie
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Writing Curricula Vitae for Online Masters of Science in Nursing Degree Students
A curriculum vitae is a
compilation of one’s education, employment experience, and scholarly works. The
“CV” is best written for Masters in Nursing Science degree nurses seeking
academic positions. The best way to
begin is to find an example and enter your information into that example. Templates are OK, but can be really tough to
work with, esp. with trying to change the formatting if needed. Ask a mentor for a copy of their CV to help
you get started.
Start the CV with contact information
then list Education then Licensure and Certifications. Then list experience with only job titles
and years employed (unlike the resume where accomplishments are listed). After experience, you would then list
specifics such as courses taught (and where), publications, grants,
memberships, awards etc. Unlike a
resume’s limit of one page, the CV can have as many pages as needed to reflect
education and experiences.
Dr. Maggie
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
What is the difference between a Clinical Nurse Leader and an Executive Nurse Leader (nursing administration) ?
Executive Nurse Leader Role (Nursing Administration):
connecting the business of health care with patient care
Executive nurse leaders
are in all areas health care, from a
chief nursing officer leading a 200+ bed hospital to a nurse manager leading
change in the unit; from a director of nursing in a sub acute care/rehab or long
term care facility to a nursing administrator in home care. Nurse leaders are vital to any health care
organization. Leadership is not necessarily defined by a title; rather it is
defined by actions. Nurse leaders are at
the forefront of generating creative and effective ways to address the critical
issues facing nursing and health care today such as: staffing, budgeting,
cost effective care, marketing, business planning, organizational
assessment and inter-health care provider communication and collaboration
(AONE, 2012).
Clinical Nurse Leader Role: A leader of quality patient care
for improved patient health outcomes.
Basically, the CNL is in charge of implementing evidence
based practices in nursing. The CNL is a leader in
the health care delivery system across all settings in which health care is
delivered, not just the acute care setting. The implementation of the CNL role,
however, will vary across settings. The CNL role is not one of administration
or management. The CNL functions within a microsystem and assumes accountability
for healthcare outcomes for a specific group of clients within a unit or
setting through the assimilation and application of research-based
information to design, implement, and evaluate client plans of care. The
CNL is a provider and a manager of care at the point of care to individuals and
cohorts. The CNL designs, implements, and evaluates client care by
coordinating, delegating and supervising the care provided by the health care
team, including licensed nurses, technicians, and other health professionals
(AACN, 2007).
References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
(2007). Retrieved from: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/white-papers/cnl
American
Organization of Nurse Executives. (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.aone.org/membership/membership.shtml
Dr. Maggie
Monday, August 26, 2013
Self Assessment: Are you a good candidate for Online Masters in Nursing Degree Programs?
Vicki Williams of Penn State University created an excellent tool for prospective online nursing students. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was kind enough to create a site, accessible to the public, where nurses investigating Masters in Nursing Online programs can take a readiness for online learning survey. Check out the link below to see if you are ready!
If by chance your results do not show up, take note of your numeric score and the site below has interpretations of your score, just scroll down about ¼ of the page to see where the results begin.
Don’t be fooled, there are many self assessment tools on the internet, but only this tool has been validated and deemed reliable. Online learning at the graduate level takes about 10-12 hours a week, so calculate how much “spare” time you have and figure that 10-12 hours a week would be devoted to an online masters in nursing program…………make sure you still have time to sleep and/or eat –smile-.
Dr. Maggie
Friday, August 16, 2013
Welcome Back From Summer Break - BLOG Directory
For those of you just joining us, check out these topics by just clicking on the blog title to find the blog post(s) of most interest to you. OR you can simply scroll to down to view the desired topic blog entry.
- Teaching with a Masters Degree in Nursing 8/14/13
- Leadership with a Masters in Nursing 8/5/13
- Updating Your Nursing Resume 7/29/13
- Online Masters in Nursing Portfolio Development 7/19/13
- Online Masters in Nursing Degree Career Options 6/28/13
- Dealing With Family, School, and Work Life Balance...6/22/13
- How to Get the Most Out of Online Masters in Nursi...6/18/13
- One Day at a Time for Masters in Nursing Online St..6/14/13.
- Writing Academically in an Online MSN Program 6/12/13
- Dealing with Online MSN Program Course Work 6/7/13
- Taking Care of Yourself in an Online MSN Program 6/3/13
- What to Expect from an Online MSN Program 5/31/13
- Selecting an MSN Program 5/28/13
Dr. Maggie
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Teaching with a Masters Degree in Nursing
One of the most common questions I receive is “How do I get to do what you do, teach
online?”
There was a time when online nursing programs were begging
for online nurse educators, and as recent as 2013, there has been a flood of
online Masters Degree in Nursing graduates interested in teaching online. This has made it difficult finding an online
nursing educator position right out of your online MSN program. Where the nursing education need is greatest,
is in the clinical education area. I
strongly urge new MSN students, who wish to teach, to proactively approach a
local nursing program and offer to work as an adjunct clinical instructor. By working for a couple years as an adjunct
clinical instructor, online MSN graduates can give back to their profession in
a profound way.
Adjunct clinical faculty positions abound around the
country and provide the masters in nursing online graduate the opportunity to
gain much desired teaching experience.
Once you have that teaching experience, a background of an online
masters in nursing degree makes for a good candidate for online teaching. WARNING:
Online teaching while flexible is not easy. Just as online classes are not “easy’.
Dr.
Maggie
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