Organizational Values
- all organizations have their values.
- culture of an organization.
- beliefs of an organization.
- support in nursing.
- respect in nursing.
Every organization has its own set of values. They help an organization to define its beliefs and culture. In terms of nursing, the best organizational culture for it is one that is supportive, respectful, and corresponds to the assumptions, values, and beliefs of nursing. Organizational values that are similar to the values of professional nursing create a work environment that is appropriate for nurses (Huber, 2013).
Nursing Values
- empathy for patients.
- a connection with patients.
- five key values of professional nursing.
- nursing education.
- the future nursing workforce.
Nursing is a caring profession; therefore it comprises a connection with and empathy for people. Caring can be best demonstrated by the ability of a nurse to incarnate the five key values of professional nursing that include social justice, altruism, autonomy, integrity, and dignity. Caring professional nurses integrate these five values in clinical practice. Additionally, these values must be incorporated into nursing education in order to ensure that the legacy of this behavior focused on comprehensive patient care and incarnated by nurses is reinforced for the nursing workforce in the future (Huber, 2013).
Organizational Values and Nurse Engagement
- nurses’ satisfaction.
- nurses’ commitment to their jobs.
- the importance of nurse engagement.
- the role of organizational values.
- connection between organizational values and nurse engagement.
The notion of nurse engagement is often associated with nurses’ satisfaction with, and commitment to their job. In general, nurse engagement is determined by two factors, namely, their devotion to the nursing profession itself and their commitment to the organization for which they work. Thus, nurse engagement directly depends on the values of the organization they work for (Dempsey & Reilly, 2016).
Organizational Values and Nurse’s Impact on Patient Outcomes
- organizational values’ impact on patient outcomes.
- nurse engagement’s impact on patient outcomes.
- a good work environment.
- patient’s safety and quality of care.
- reduction of burnout and fatigue.
Since organizational values influence nurse engagement, it is evident that they also have a major impact on patient care and patient outcomes, as they are directly connected with nurse engagement. Therefore, it is imperative for any organization to create an appropriate work environment for nurses, as the patients’ safety, quality of care, and outcomes directly depend on nurse engagement. Thus, a good work environment can reduce burnout, fatigue, and the lack of compassion towards patients and improve teamwork that will have a positive impact on patient outcomes (Dempsey & Reilly, 2016).
Communication Techniques and Overcoming Workplace Challenges
- a high level of care.
- prevention of mistakes.
- building good relationship.
- reduction of stress and burnout.
- improving nurses’ work efficacy.
Excellent communication skills are required in order to be a successful nurse, as the ability to connect with healthcare professionals, and patients can help provide a high level of care, prevent mistakes, and build good relationships. They also exclude any misunderstanding between patients, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Thus, although good communication skills cannot eliminate other work challenges associated with nursing such as working under stress and burnout, they can significantly reduce them that, in their turn, will definitely improve nurses’ work efficiency (Yoo & Park, 2015).
Communication Techniques and Encouraging Collaboration across Groups
- the main barriers to the effective communication.
- differences as the barriers.
- gender.
- hierarchy.
- ethnicity.
- personal values.
- elimination of the barriers.
There are many barriers that prevent effective communication. They include a wide range of differences between patients, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals beginning from gender, hierarchy, ethnicity, and culture and ending with personality and personal expectations and values. These techniques can help overcome these barriers, as in most cases, the more nurses, physicians, patients, and other healthcare professionals communicate with each other the more chances that they begin to ignore their differences and respect each other (Neese, 2015).
Communication Techniques and Problem-Solving
- the problem identification.
- interests of others.
- various options.
- the most appropriate option.
- contingencies.
- implementation.
- resolution of problems.
Problem-solving techniques are essential in every profession. In nursing, many problems associated with patient care or communication with colleagues can occur and must be resolved. The usual scheme for solving problems include identification of the problem, understanding everyone’s interests, thinking of possible solutions, evaluation of the options, selection of the most appropriate option, consideration of the contingencies, and the actual implementation. Certainly, in most cases, these steps help resolve problems that nurses can encounter, but without good communication skills, even this plan can fail, as, for example, a nurse may fail when trying to understand their colleagues’ and patients’ interests if their conversation is poorly structured (Neese, 2015).
An Example from Personal Experience
- a patient with lung cancer.
- end-of-life care.
- a desire to die prematurely.
- nurse’s values.
- hospital’s values.
There was a patient in end-of-life care who had lung cancer at stage four. He wanted that a nurse turned off the artificial ventilation and let him die. According to the nurse’s values, she thought that he had to live as much as possible and that interrupting life is not a good option. According to the values of that hospital, they could fulfill his request if he and the family members would agree.
Impact on Nurse Engagement and Patient Outcomes
- low nurse engagement.
- the nurse’s refusal.
- the mechanical ventilation withdrawal.
- the patient’s death.
- contradiction between nurse’s and hospital’s values.
The nurse engagement became low when she understood that she could not convince the patient to change his mind. As for the patient, he died when a doctor withdrew the mechanical ventilation support. Thus, the contradiction between nurse’s values and those of the hospital lowered nurse engagement.
References
Dempsey, C., & Reilly, B. A. (2016). Nurse engagement: What are the contributing factors for success?. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(1), 1-14.
Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and nursing care management. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Neese, B. (2015). Effective communication in nursing: Theory and best practices. Web.
Yoo, M. S., & Park, H. R. (2015). Effects of case‐based learning on communication skills, problem‐solving ability, and learning motivation in nursing students. Nursing & Health Sciences, 17(2), 166-172.