Student Name

Capella University

NURS-FPX8024 Advanced Global Population Health

Instructor Name

Submission Date

Midway Evolution

Q 1: What are your personal, professional, and leadership objectives related to your coursework thus far as you cross the mid-line of your DNP project classes? How do you imagine your goals changing as you continue with your courses?

I have established purposeful goals at the start of my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education, and I am confident that it will enhance my professional practices, broaden my leadership, and enable me to become a scholar-practitioner who will evolve as a person. I can measure my progress towards stated goals, and I can know my progress halfway through the program. Professionally, the coursework has expanded my capacity to analyze evidence, translate research to practice, and address more complex healthcare problems in a systems-based approach. Personally, I have also learnt to be more confident, strong, and disciplined to manage myself, juggling between work and my studies.

The subsequent area of improvement has been leadership development, as they have become more effective with the emergence of better communication, decision-making, and advocacy skills (Mrayyan et al., 2023). My goals will shift to more specialized tasks towards the second part of the program, as I engage in academic leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and practice that is informed by policy. Further development will also improve my analytical skills and provide me with the force to be capable of introducing a sustainable change in terms of my DNP project that will reinforce the lifelong improvement process.

Mrayyan, M. T., Algunmeeyn, A., Abunab, H. Y., Kutah, O. A., Alfayoumi, I., & Khait, A. A. (2023). Attributes, skills and actions of clinical leadership in nursing as reported by hospital nurses: A cross-sectional study. British Medical Journal, 7(3), 203–211. https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2022-000672

Q 2: Are there any reflections on your emotions towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles and implicit bias? What do these principles mean to you and your deeds and choices in your area of specialization? What is the influence of implicit bias on our growth and success as professionals and leaders?

The awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion has represented a great boost in the course of the DNP program. I am now more aware of the role of implicit bias that can undermine clinical decisions, leadership, and the work relationship with other colleagues and patients in some subtle ways. The introspection on personal views has also led to reflections on the assumptions that may be made unconsciously and lead to disparities in care provision.

 Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) enhance equitable, monitored, and culturally suitable practices, which reinforce ethical choices, leadership, and health results with all the populations (Mullin et al., 2021). The concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion have turned into a new guideline with the help of which I analyze the quality, patient outcomes, and policies. Greater insight has the integrity of my ethics to culturally responsive care, fragrant leadership, and advocacy for the underserved groups. Unless taken care of, implicit bias may disrupt professional and leadership development.

To deal with the effects, I will consider self-reflection, which includes multiple perspectives, and I will make sure that I always self-reflect by providing various evidence-based interventions, bias training, insight, and inclusive decision-making frameworks. I can use the principles of DEI in my leadership practice and offer ethical care, and advance equitable health outcomes.

Mullin, A. E., Coe, I. R., Gooden, E. A., Tunde-Byass, M., & Wiley, R. E. (2021). Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility: From organizational responsibility to leadership competency. Healthcare Management Forum, 34(6), 311–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704211038232

Q 3: What has been your progress in writing? What were your particular strategies/skills for this development? Also, what would you like to further improve or build upon during the second semester of your coursework?

Since the inception of the DNP program, I have been able to acquire much in terms of skills in writing academic papers. The DNP program also involves academic writing that involves the critical analysis of information, synthesis of evidence, and interpretation of complex ideas to facilitate scholarly and professional communication. The first responsibilities provided me with the motivation to quit doing descriptive writing and begin to do scholarly analysis, synthesize evidence, and present complex ideas. Structured outline, literature analysis, and teacher-learner feedback have assisted me immensely in improving my degree of clarity, coherence, and academic level. I am also now better prepared to use APA format, incorporate evidence, and come up with evidence-based arguments.

The faculty feedback/peer feedback has been instrumental in the process of perfecting my writing. Still on the second half of the program, I would also seek to be more concise, scholarly, and methodological in my writing so that I am ready to begin work on the DNP project. As the constant use of writing is supported and the methods of first drafting and particular revision are developed, the work that will be good enough to publish will be improved, and writing will solidify as a powerful tool of leadership, sharing, and professional influence.

Hampton, M. D., Rosenblum, R., Hill-Williams, C. D., Creighton-Wong, L., & Randall, B. (2022). Scientific writing development: Improve DNP students skill and writing efficiency. Nurse Education Today, 112, 105334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105334

Q 4: To understand how your level of motivation and application of self-care has changed during the course of the program, think back to your academics up to that point. Trace certain techniques or habits that have supported your well-being and influenced your drive. In a prospective manner, explain how you would prioritize yourself and be motivated to sustain self-care as you further your studies. Moreover, think about what you are going to do to yourself so that you can guarantee that you will remain healthy and successful.

The level of academic requirements and job responsibilities has led me up and down in the program. Initially, the role was driven by motivation, which was based on enthusiasm and goals in the long-term career, but the continuation process needed purposeful self-care based on urgency. I realized the deficiency of the focus on well-being directly affected the focus, productivity, and resiliency. There have also been effective learning techniques like managing time, being mindful, practicing, and creating boundaries that have contributed towards career and personal happiness (Knudsen et al., 2023). Through reflection, I have learned that the symptoms of burnout manifest at the earliest stages, and I can then take the initiative to curb such symptoms. Another competitive leadership behavior that I will make self-care one of the top priority behaviors in the coming year will be my headship. Established routines, the desire to find peer support, and having it oriented in personal values will assist in staying motivated through the challenging phases of the DNP project. A middle way approach will make me more productive as a leader, active, and role model in terms of professional well-being in the health care environment.

Knudsen, R. K., Ammentorp, J., Storkholm, M. H., Skovbjerg, S., Tousig, C. G., & Timmermann, C. (2023). The influence of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the work life of healthcare professionals – A qualitative study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 53, 101805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101805

Q 5: Locate some insights or lessons learned during DNP courses that have impacted a perception or attitude towards the DNP project, but without the depth or clarity in outlining why they are important or how they enable the direction of the project.

The coursework in the DNP has empowered me with valuable information that is guiding my practice towards the DNP project. The theories of evidence-based practice, quality improvement model, and system thinking have served to comprehend the necessity to crosslink project objectives with the goals and quantifiable outcomes of the organization (Dusin et al., 2023). The field of implementation science has shown that the project must be designed to achieve feasibility, interactions with the stakeholders, and sustainability.

The conceptual understanding remains somewhat elusive to me, but there is more understanding of applicability to the project direction and decision-making. The ethical obligation of taking action towards minimizing health disparities and improving patient outcomes has been facilitated by coursework as well.

The above lessons have provided me with an understanding of the difficulties that can be faced in getting the evidence into practice, even though my project continues to be a point of focus, and I continue to work on identifying the areas to concentrate on the most. The project will be more robust regarding the impact, relevance, and contribution to the practice of advanced nursing because of the further inclusion of these insights.

Dusin, J., Melanson, A., & Lawson, L. M. (2023). Evidence-Based Practice Models and Frameworks in the Healthcare Setting: a Scoping Review. British Medical Journal, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071188