1 Share what you had expected to learn about The topic before the class.

How to cooperate with others and resolve conflicts in the workplace. 

2. What you actually learned from the unit.

There will always be conflict and there are many ways to address it. 

3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.

To be willing to listen and compromise for the greater good

4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.

Loved it 

Motivation Reflective Journal Entry

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.

How I can be more motivated as a nurse.

2. What you actually learned from the unit. 

That not everyone Is motivated by what you might think.

3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.

Motivating people and employees is not as easy as you might think. It requires same time and effort. But if done correctly it may make all the difference.

4. Your personal feelings about the material covered

I enjoyed it and thought that the youtube video was fantastic.

Risk Management and Legal Responsibilities

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
How to not hurt or injure people and keep mistakes to a minimum
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That leaders and management really aren't out to get us. They are aware of the human error and want to do the best to help us succeed.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
I will be careful and always be aware of agency protocol and do my best to be in line with the protocol standards. Realize that there are going to be times where I will make mistakes and not to get too down on myself and continue to strive to do the best that I can.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
I really enjoyed what the speaker had to share with us and was grateful for her thoughts and messages.

Leaders as Educators/Future of Nursing Reflective Journal Entry

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
How to be a better Leader, and how nurses can take a more active leadership role in nursing
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That nurses make up the majority of healthcare personnel, yet lack the fundamental leadership role they need to play to be well represented.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
Strive to be a better leader and exemplar of what I would like to see in healthcare.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
It was good to see some of the statistics and know that there is a lot we can do as nurses to make our profession stand out and be recognized.

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I admit that I came to class not knowing what we were going to talk about because the quiz was in class, and because I had a very long weekend with work.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That consistency usually means quality
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
To be more attentive to the environment around me and try to be more consistent in my practice.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
It was informative and interesting. Especially regarding the m&ms. Things such as that you really don't think about that much.

Strategic Planning

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I didn't have many expectations at all really
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
There is a lot that goes into strategic planning. And some of it can be good and some can be not so good. I was very surprised to see some of the lengths people go to in order to get an upper edge.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
Mostly to realize that you need a roadmap to plan things out in advance. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is the healthcare industry.
4. You personal feelings about the material covered.
I found it to be very informative and interesting. Really helped me to gain understanding of something I had really taken no thought to before.

Modern Health Care

I signed up for this site and was able to read some very interesting articles. One article was about how Johnson & Johnson was pleading guilty and paying out $2 billion for the misrepresentation and knowingly misbranding the drug Risperdol. The drug was given to elderly and demetia patients even though it had not been approved by the FDA. The other article was regarding Hollywood raising money to help promote the affordable health care act. The money will be used to help promote and persuade americans to enroll and with hopes make the law more successful.

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I was expecting to learn about change in the nursing field and what we can do about it.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That there is a whole lot that encompasses change and there is not one single principle or way that you can adapt to change. Change is inevitable and we need to learn to deal with it.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
Look toward the future and expect change and try to foresee change and better prepare myself for what is to come.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
It was good and very applicable to any walk of life, but most especially to the profession of nursing where change is so constant and to be expected.

Budgeting Interview

Budget Interview Questions
For my Interview I interviewed someone who is in charge of the budget of a trampoline gym. The only way that it is health related is the number of customers who get sent to the ED.
3 main budget concerns?
Loan payment, employees, creating a reserve.
What does your budget cover?
All of our fixed costs and variable costs. Loan payments, taxes, payroll, supplies/inventory, utilities, advertising, reserve/savings
What is your budget range?
Around $16,000 a month
Do you meet budget?
Most of the time
What is your profit margin?
18%
What is you biggest expenditure after employees?
Loan payments, then taxes
How often do you do a budget?
Yearly, check monthly to make sure in line, and check and revise quarterly if needed

This was a very interesting assignment and interview. It was a lot of fun to learn more about the whole budgeting process. There is quite a bit of stress that goes into it, and I can imagine with all the money and expenses that one is in charge of.

Career Development and Staffing

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I had expected to learn about how to advance my career and perhaps some of the ins and outs of staffing.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
I learned that there are many different ways that organizations go about staffing. I also learned that staffing is not something that can easily be done in 10 or 15 minutes. It takes a lot of time and effort to make it run smoothly
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
I won't take staffing for granted anymore that is for sure. I also think I will have a better knowledge regarding how some of the inter workings take place in a hospital setting.
4. You personal feelings about the material covered.
It was good and informative. Material that can be very worthwhile.

Budgeting

Budgeting Reflective Journal

This week was very interesting. It was a very big eye opener to know about the ins and outs of the costs that go into running a hospital. I was amazed at all of the costs involved. I almost felt like as accountant looking at all the numbers. I came to realize that running a hospital really comes down to money and the bottom line. It was also quite interesting to know that nursing and nurses are by far the biggest expense on a hospital budget. It really made me think about all of the equipment we use and how I am sure to think twice before I waste something next time.

Hiring and Firing Interview

Hiring and firing and discipline interview questions.

 

For my interview I had the opportunity to interview the manager of a local Subway Restaurant. Here are the answers to the interview questions.

 

What qualities do you look for in new employees?

                I look for confidence in themselves, hardworking, self-motivating, clean, availability.

What are the three most common interview questions?

                What three words would you use to describe yourself?

                Tell me about yourself, to get the potential employee talking?

                Why should we pick you for this position?

What are red flags for potential employees?

                No eye contact

                No feedback for strengths or weaknesses.

                Unkept or not well dressed, no piercings on the face

Describe your interview process?

                Welcome, asking about the employee, not work related. Ask questions such as what qualifies you for this position. What is your availability.  Ask about specific situations in the workplace and find out how they would approach potential confrontational situations

What is your plan of action for disciplinary action?

                Every employee gets one verbal warning and three written warnings. Area manager gets involved after the warnings and the area managing and I sit down and talk to employee. I will then sit down with the employee with the three written warnings and let the employee go.

What problems have you encountered that have led to disciplinary action?

                Closing the store early, leaving early

                Having family or friends in the employee area

                Stealing food

How do you deal with morale, gossip, etc. around disciplinary action?

                I hope to gain a relationship with employees to be approachable. I am direct and strait forward. I don’t use specific names when talking about discipline

Frequency for hiring, firing, discipline?

                Daily basis with discipline

                Monthly for hiring

                Monthly for firing

How do you protect yourself legally when firing someone?

                With the written warnings. I have the employees sign them

How do you make the decision to fire/let an employee go?

                When the job is not getting done or it has become detrimental to the company

How do you deal with threats?

                Most threats are not taken too seriously. I’ve never really had any serious threats posed to me.

 

This was a good experience and I enjoyed interviewing the individual. I did learn that it is not that easy being a manager. She told me that there are many times where she doesn’t feel liked at all. She also said that she has learned that you need to keep a professional relationship at all times, because the moment you become “friends” you get taken advantage of like you wouldn’t believe.

Power Reflective Journal

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I honestly had no clue what we were going to learn. Possibly Sean was going to bench press for the class and show us how much power he has ;)
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
I learned that men and women are completely different in a myriad of ways. I learned that though they have different leading styles, there are still no absolutes regarding who are better leaders.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
I have already used the information to better understand my better half. I will use it in my professional practice to hopefully resolve concerns and better understand my coworkers. It will also help me to become a better leader as I am able to see and understand why someone thinks and acts the way they do.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
I really really liked the information. It is stuff that we see and work with almost every day, and yet we still seen to have struggles in communication and understanding. It was very eye opening and extremely informative. Just being aware of the material we covered in class can go a long way to help us all become better nurses.

Performance Appraisal Interview

I interviewed one of my good friends who works at a photo shop. Here is the result:

Interview Questions for performance appraisals

 

*        What is the process of evaluating employees?

We prefer to call it Coaching. My company does written reviews as well number reviews where we compare and contrast individuals scores against last years numbers and others in the company.

I also go through all photography sessions to see if the company process was followed and watch to see if the company sells presentation is followed. 

 

*        What system do you use to rate your employees?

We hold all employees to a company standard. They either are or are not following company guidelines and when they are not we can tell in their photography and in the amount of money that they bring into the studio. Ratings are offered on evaluations such as "on plan" and "not on plan".  Other evaluations state rating such as "WOW", "above average", "average", "below average", "needs coaching"

 

*        How often do you rate your employees?

I do weekly, monthly and semi-annual reviews on my employees. 

 

*        What are the challenges involved with evaluations?

I have a company standard to meet as do my employees, which sounds like it would be easy, however Utah County has never brought in the money that even the SLC County studios bring in and Utah in general has always been behind the company average. It is hard to Justify holding my employees to company standard when we are making the sales goals that the company has set in comparison from last year and beating last year, but are still not to the Sales Average that the company asks. 

*        Do you agree with low ratings to encourage improvement?

 I believe in being honest with my employees if they are producing poor work I look for ways to improve that work and their numbers. We evaluate their photography and if they are following their sales process to see where they are lacking and could use more coaching. In my coaching I allow my employees to do their own evaluations weekly and then we look over where they feel like they can improve. The employee is typically harder on them self than I am as their superior. 

 

*        Examples of dealing with problem employees? When an employee shows late to their shift, I remind them how important it is that they are on time. I have them list those reasons and then write them self a warning. If there is another occurrence of being late I then give the warning written formally, the next time a formal write-up. After 3 write ups the individual is terminated.

Most Coaching starts with a plan and a goal, if the plan is not being followed then the goal is not being met, first warning on paper results from here and then so on...

*        How do you encourage positive growth in your employees?

I like to boost the moral, small encouragements and verbal recognition. I compliment the good and try to quickly fix the bad habits. Positive reinforcements at all times possible. I believe very much in TEAM work, if everyone is working towards the same goal we are all in it together. I encourage a fun and competitive environment where the reward is small and is often bragging rights. I work with my employees to see where they feel like they can improve and I do everything in my power to help them reach their goals. I have an open talk policy where my employees can feel safe in their discussions with me.

I really enjoyed this interview and was able to find out a lot about the person I interviewed. She seems to be a great leader and would be someone that I would want to work under.

 

Ethics

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I expected that I would become an expert ethicist. Actually not really, I just was curious to know how ethics committees worked.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That ethics committees are not the end all, final word. The are there for expert opinion and to help others decide what decisions they would like to make.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
I will use it to make sound judgement and to not make knee jerk reactionary decisions. There are reasons ethics are so hotly debated, and that is because there is rarely a clear, black and white answer to the decision at hand.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
I thought it was great and gave us the students some great insight into how ethics committees work and that we could take place as a member of one some day.

Performance Appraisal & Problem Employee

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I suppose I expected to learn about how to deal with problem employees. The easiest way to fire someone.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That there is whole lot that goes into a problem employee or situation. It's not as easy as fire them of don't fire them. The situation is more complex. Others need to be involved, necessary steps should be taken and it's not as easy an one would think.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
When a situations such as this comes up I will use the nursing process as we should in almost all situations. I need to assess to find out what exactly what the issue is and whether or not it is warranted and I need to take precautious and necessary steps with the correct personnel involved. I also need to be direct and straight forward in my actions and expectations.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
I liked it and thought it is, and will be very applicable in the future

Team Building

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
To be completely honest I didn't have a whole lot of expectations other than we would be working together on some stuff and that we might get a little dirty.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
That there are many different ways to look at a problem and the more heads you have the more ideas and input you are able to put into it and hopefully have a successful outcome.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
To learn that it is ok to talk about things, even if there happen to be differing opinions. It's good to think through and express ideas and take into account the opinions of everyone present to attain the common goal.
4. Your personal feelings about the material covered.
I really liked it. Let's face it, throughout life we are not going to be able to work with whoever we want. There are going to be times that we are groups with others that we may not like or that we may not agree with. We have to be adult enough to work together to help everyone. In the end I believe that is what we all want.

HIRING RFLECTIVE JOURNAL

1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I had expected to learn about how to interview in a more successful manner.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
I learned that all of the pressure is not only on the person being interviewed, but also the interviewer. I also learned that interviewing is a game and just like any other game you might play, the better you are prepared, the more successful you will be.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
The next time that I interview I am going to be more bold and not worry because if I don't get the job then I am no worse of then before I interviewed
4. You personal feelings about the material covered.
I thought it was very good and insightful material with some very good real world application.

Leadership Reflective Journal Entry
1. Share what you had expected to learn about the topic before the class.
I guess that I hadn't expected to learn that much to be honest. I thought the same old blah blah blah.....yes you need to be a great leader etc.
2. What you actually learned from the unit.
I learned that there are many different leadership styles and that they all cannot be easily categorized into good or bad. Some leadership styles can be better used in different circumstances and the difficult part is knowing when to use it.
3. How you will utilize the information learned in your nursing practice.
I will take a more thoughtful approach as I lead in different circumstances. And I will approach it with the idea of the well being of those whom I lead in mind.
4. You personal feelings about the material covered.
I thought it was great and very eye opening material. I was able to take a step back and see what areas I was maybe doing well in, and see the areas where I could use some improvement.