Reflection is a skill that nurses use throughout their careers and it is essential to look back and understand of how our role impacts the community, the organization, and the nursing profession (Horton-Deutsch, Young, & Nelson, 2010). The purpose of this final reflection is to outline how I have used my Master’s education in the areas of service, scholarship, and social change as a future nurse leader.
Service
As an emerging nurse leader, helping shape future generations of nurses is essential to serving the profession. I have been a Clinical Instructor for first year nursing students doing their geriatric rotations, with this placement being either their first or second experience in a hospital setting (the geriatric and obstetric rotations
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The council addresses practice-specific issues related to standards of practice, education, research, and quality improvement and best practice initiatives. I was on council from 2012-2016, the last two years of which I was a member of the Executive Team (and the first nurse from the Veterans Centre to be on the Executive). As a member, I was involved many activities, some of which included: the planning of nursing week, transfer of accountability processes, pain documentation, nursing assessment flow sheets, and providing consultation about policies such as catheterization, feeding tubes, and escalation of care. During my last year, myself and other members developed and presented a poster about organizational opportunities for skills development in the areas of practice, education, research, and leadership. The poster (and handout) put together all the learning opportunities the organization offers to nurses into one comprehensive document. The poster was also displayed during Nursing …show more content…
The knowledge I have gained simply by working in this area has contributed to social change on a small scale. With the Canadian population growing older, many family, friends, and random strangers, upon hearing the area where I work, ask questions and for information about a variety of issues, such as: death and dying, end-of-life care, dementia, the aging process, consent and capacity, long-term care facilities, and most recently medical assistance in dying, which became legal in Canada earlier this year. Those I have spoken to about any of these issues have always appreciated my advice and expertise and I believe these interactions have helped educate and inform a number of