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

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful, and restful Thanksgiving!

Dr. Maggie

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

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.

Dr. Maggie

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