Student name

Capella University

FPX 6026

Professor Name

Submission Date

What are some of your personal goals for personal, professional, and leadership development that you will achieve in the practicum experience?

Personal, professional, and leadership are some of the goals that I am aiming to achieve as part of my practicum experience. Personally, to successfully negotiate the multiplicity of my practice with patient care and the work setup dynamics, I would aim at learning more about myself in addition to increasing my emotional intelligence. Based on the practice, it is desirable that I need to enhance my clinical skills, the aspect of knowledge in evidence-based practice, specifically, patient examination and treatment planning, to be able to deliver quality care. My leadership and groupwork skills in the healthcare setting are areas I would wish to develop on the leadership path. My decision-making and communication patterns will also be enhanced because I will be ready to assume future leadership roles in nursing. These competencies will be in my reach during the practicum as I apply them in clinical practice.

Reflect on your feelings about DEI principles and implicit bias. How do these principles shape your actions and decisions in your designated discipline? How does implicit bias impact our development as professionals and leaders?

The understanding of the principles of DEI has also been modified during my time, and I now understand how essential such a concept is in enhancing the inclusive healthcare setting. I initially thought that DEI was a list of principles, but now I believe that it is a natural aspect of my action and decision-making process. I would do all I could to ensure that all the patients receive equal and fair treatment, according to their background. The implicit bias, however, may not be equally applied as well since it may influence the decision-making process and result in the unequal treatment of a patient or the inability to pay attention to every aspect of a patient. You will be required as a nursing professional to make it a business to learn and overcome these biases. Stifling personal and leadership development, implicit bias does not allow one to take into account alternative viewpoints and eventually affects the behavior of creating inclusive, holistic leadership solutions.

What steps can you take to further incorporate DEI principles into your practicum experience?

Specific actions that I would undertake to apply the concepts of DEI to the setting of my practicum experience would include listening to the patients with different cultural backgrounds, understanding their needs and preferences. I will also strive to create an inclusive environment through being culturally competent and respecting and dignifying every patient and colleague. When working with my colleagues, I will promote teamwork and establish a setting where various opinions are welcomed. The opportunity factor that may be an issue with advancing DEI principles is an unconscious bias, as it may affect the relationships. To avoid this, I will make sure that I am constantly practicing self-reflection and cultural competency education so that I will never stop learning and growing. Additionally, I will seek the help of colleagues and mentors to provide feedback to enhance my practice.

Consider a recent interaction with a client. How did you incorporate DEI principles into this interaction? What could you have done differently to better promote DEI?

The other time I was consulting with a client, I made a purposeful attempt to bring about the concepts of DEI, including the fact that I ensured that the patient felt respected and heard. I asked them open-ended questions in order to know their concerns and their preferences, keeping in mind their cultural values and beliefs. Rather, communication was not a problem when the patient could express himself without difficulties, therefore, gaining trust. However, I could have done more to foster DEI by using a language or format that would be easier to understand for the patient, so that he would have all the information. In communicating with the future, I will not just listen but make an effort to rectify my communication style to address the needs the concerns of the individual. All clients will be empowered by this to feel heard, respected, and engaged in their care decisions.

How can you leverage your specialization courses to help you prepare for your MSN capstone project?

The knowledge and skills I will have gained through my specialization courses will, in turn, be the most direct information that will be used in my MSN capstone project. To provide an example, evidence-based practice courses have enhanced my critical appraisal skills, attitude, and ability to use research findings in patient care, which will be significant in my capstone project. I have also taken leadership and management courses and this has provided me with the instruments I will require to become a successful leader of cross-disciplinary teams and handle healthcare projects. I will use the research techniques and leadership styles studied in these courses to come up with a holistic and evidence-based project to compose my capstone. Specifically, I will use patient care, data analysis, and team collaboration best practices to ensure that my capstone project is successful.