Reflect on what you have written. Assess your own leadership qualities and attributes.

Nursing Leadership Reflection Paper
Length: No more than 10 pages, double spaced, not including the cover and reference pages.

Format – Follow APA format/Graduate Program standards.

References –All references that are used in the assignment must be cited correctly in the text of your paper. If you are using nursing journals in addition to the course texts, documents, articles and websites, they must come from major academic journals, such as those that are “peer reviewed” in (MEDICINE,NURSING) CINAHL Plus, Medline and ProQuest electronic databases.

I was once told by Deborah Parham Hopson Ph.D., R.N., FAAN during an interview that I was conducting that …”every nurse is a leader…whether she/he is working at the bedside or working in an administrative position.” Dr. Parham is the associate administrator for HIV/AIDS in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). She manages a several billion dollar budget that oversees government funding and multiple programs for HIV/AIDS services and care. (HRSA, n.d.).

This week you have read about the aspects of the leadership competency for advanced practice nursing. Some of these aspects include the context in which APNs exercise leadership, the leadership domains, leadership models and concepts and the defining characteristics of leadership.

This writing assignment will provide you the opportunity to reflect upon the APN leadership competency and explore its meaning. In addition, this assignment is the first of many formal writing requirements of the course and of the program. You will demonstrate your writing skills, creative thinking and your ability to follow APA format and guidelines starting with this paper. Keep your APA manual handy and do use it. You cannot be successful in this course or in the program without it!

Steps to follows:

1. Complete all of the required readings up to and including this week.

2. Think of a nursing leader from your nursing career who you admire and who you considered to be a “good” leader.

3. Once you have selected your nursing leader, answer the following questions in paragraph format. Be specific in your answers, using your book to help guide your answers.

In which leadership domain(s) from your text did this nursing leader work?
Describe why you selected this nursing leader. What are the qualities and characteristics of the nursing leader that you admire most? Are these qualities and characteristics similar to those that are described in your textbook?
Which leadership definition(s) from you text is most representative of the nursing leader you have chosen?
Identify which leadership model from your text best fits the nursing leader.
How did your nursing leadership demonstrate respect for cultural diversity? (Give examples)
How did your nursing leader handle controversy in the work setting? (Give examples)
How did your nursing leader help to increase collaboration between the nursing staff, between the nursing staff and physicians, and other healthcare workers in the unit? (Give examples)

4. Reflect on what you have written. Assess your own leadership qualities and attributes. Think about which leadership domain you aspire to work in and what leadership model you would most likely follow. What leadership definition closely characterizes your leadership style (or the style you aspire to achieve)? Evaluate how you respect cultural diversity. How do you handle controversy in your current work situation? How well do you collaborate with other nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers in your work area?

5. Write up your personal, leadership assessment findings as this is the final page of your writing assignment. You may use the word “I” as this is your personal leadership statement.

I urge you to keep your paper and save it so that you can look back at what you have written years from now and see how closely you have come to achieve your early leadership aspirations.

6. If you use other references in addition to the text, please include them in your citations in the written section of the paper as well as in the reference page.

Reference
HRSA. (n.d.). Biography of RADM Deborah Parham Hopson, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN.
Downloaded from: http://www.hrsa.gov/about/organization/bureaus/hab/bioho