Schedule

Week	Discussion Topic	Discussion Question
1	Introduction to online learning Critical thinking, reading, and writing skills for nurses Time management and study skills Academic writing, style manuals, plagiarism	None.
2	Professional status of nursing History of nursing practice and education Entry into practice	Please respond to the statement “Nursing does not meet the criteria of being a profession.” Please post a response by the Friday after week one’s live classroom session at 1759. As you write this down think about your writing. Do you have: an introduction, a clear body of the document, how is your transitions between paragraphs – what is the point-supporting evidence- conclusion? This is not one of the optional discussion questions.
3	Relationship among nursing theory, nursing research, and nursing practice	After viewing and reading the material on the content section I want you to take a minute and reflect on your practice. Can you identify any theory or conceptual models that you use in your practice? How is your practice influenced by nursing research? Has the film, The Circle of Knowledge, changed your thoughts about how you deliver care? Postings should be no more than one page. Review one of your peers’ discussion postings. Using critical thinking skills analyze and comment on one of your peers posting (Due by the following Monday).
4	Ethical dilemmas in nursing practice ANA Code of Ethics	Identify and describe an ethical dilemma you have encountered in practice and post the scenario by the Friday after Week 3 live classroom at 1759. By Monday at 1759 respond to at least one of your peers’ postings. Provide feedback, support and analysis of how you feel about the situation presented. What are the guiding principles for the ethical judgments? This should be a robust discussion this week and requires at least three substantive postings from each participant.
5	Professional standards Quality assurance	Ask your Nurse Manager or Quality Assurance Manager about a QA project that is currently under consideration at your place of employment. Discuss the project and how it fits into the overall quality assurance plan of your workplace. How does it relate to your readings? Post the process by which your practice setting monitors quality process improvement by the Friday after live classroom of Week 4 by 1759. Please read your peers entries and compare and contrast with how QA is achieved in your setting. How does the process in your institution compare with the readings from this week? Post answers by Monday at 1759. Remember to use citations in your postings and in your evaluation of your peers posting.
6	Legal issues in nursing practice ANA Standards of Clinical Practice Nurse practice act Delegation HIPPA Required reporting Informed consent Collective bargaining	So what did you learn from the MNA and the MARN websites? : You clicked on at least two links on the MNA Website and at least two on the MARN website. What did you learn?
7	Leadership theory Management theory Understanding health care costs Budgeting	You have all had leaders and managers that have made an indelible mark on your professional life. Describe the leadership skills that they possessed that made them so effective. What was it about their style that made you excited? Now consider a manager that did not inspire you....what characteristics did they have that limited their effectiveness. What was it about their style that you did not like?
8	Organizational structure Organizational mission, goals and philosophy Power Nursing care delivery models	Please review the current organizational chart in your practice setting. Review the mission and goals of the organization. How does your unit meet those goals? Take a survey of ten nurses and ask if they know the goals and mission of the institution. Record your findings and post on the discussion section of the course
9	Implementing change Managing conflict within health care organizations Fiscal Planning	Experience with change : Identify a change process you were involved in. Describe your role in the change process, your understanding of the goal(s) and reasons for the change, factors that facilitated the change and factors that led to resistance of the change. Consider this question: If you were the change agent in this situation, what would you do differently (if anything) to manage this planned change? Use your required readings and class notes to identify principles of leadership and change implementation: Due on the Friday after the Wimba session for Week 8. by 1759. Respond to your peers’ postings with suggestions and/or strategies (remember to refer to the readings with citations). Due on the following Monday.
10	Fiscal Planning	Budgeting and staffing : Consider this scenario: You have been selected to be the manager of a new, 8-bed unit for asthma patients. The goal of this specialized unit is to control acute exacerbations and to educate patients for long-term management. You have been involved in the planning process and worked with a team of specialists to develop a care pathway. The average length of stay is anticipated to be 36-60 hours. Now, you have to come up with a budget that includes the operation of the unit and the nurse staffing. The source of funding salaries for the doctors and respiratory therapists will come from a different budget. Without concern for actual cost, but with a goal of cost-effectiveness, describe your budget plan, citing justification of needs for personnel, operating and capital budgetary considerations. (This does not need to be a long posting, you may list items, preferably by category, and provide a brief rationale, try to use your reading references.) Remember to review plans posted by your peers and respond.
11	Selecting, developing, maintaining and evaluating staff	Based upon your reading how effective is your current practice setting at developing, maintaining and evaluation of staff? What would you like to see changed? Post your answers of the discussion section of the course by Friday at 1759.
12	Local, state, and federal legislative processes Socio-political influences on the development, implantation, and evaluation of selected health policy in the United States The influence of race, culture and ethnicity on health care	Discuss the affect of socio-economic forces on legislative issues and how they affect the future of your current job. Consider: a) the regulatory agencies ( HIPPA, JCAHO, MEDICARE, MASS HEALTH, etc), b) the insurers: HMO’s, PPO’s, Private pay., Mass Free Care Pool: and c) your state nursing governing board. Review your peers’ postings. What insight can you offer to the discussion to expand his/her critical thinking? Please post a response by Friday at 1759. Continue to monitor the discussion and add another substantive posting by Monday at 1759.
13	Book club presentations and discussion

Copyright 2008, by the Contributing Authors. Cite/attribute Resource. Polley, K. R. (2007, July 20). Schedule. Retrieved August 20, 2008, from University of Massachusetts Boston Web site: http://ocw.umb.edu/nursing/nursing-360-professional-issues-in-nursing/schedule. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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