Alicia Dumont

Throughout my time enrolled in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program at UNE, I have strengthened and developed new leadership skills that have prepared me to be a leader in my future career of nursing as well as a leader in our community to assist with vulnerable populations in need. Specifically, two courses I have completed during the third semester of my program included Leadership and Evidence Based Practice 2 (EBP) which both greatly contributed to my development and helped to enhance leadership qualities within myself.

For instance, in my Leadership class, we learned that nursing leadership attributes include the ability to inspire, influence, and encourage other nurses and associated professionals while working as a collaborative team to ensure optimal patient care. The primary goal of a nurse leader is to maximize the potential of the team and achieve the intended goal. Nurse leaders are motivators, mentors, and advocators for themselves, their patients, and their associative medical team all-encompassing. My instructor instilled in me an understanding that the components of nursing leadership include excellent clinical skills as well as specific personal traits and characteristics that make a nurse highly successful in their role. Nurses who possess strong leadership skills are those who are more likely to provide exceptional patient care because they are progressive and creative thinkers, inclusive team builders, highly organized, and have exceptional time management skills. In addition, they are effective communicators who promote the involvement of the entire team, including the patient, other medical care providers, and the patient’s support system, e.g., their family and friends. Thereby, as a result of this beneficial class, I understand that being a nurse leader is an important role that benefits not only patients but the entire team. Furthermore, my gifted instructor inspired me to be the best student possible, pushing me to reach my full potential with encouragement and caring nature. Learning about the qualities of a good nursing leader taught me ways to improve and strengthen inner qualities within myself and how to use them in practice when I am a nurse.

In addition, in this class, I learned about the importance of emotional intelligence within nurses, which includes the ability to identify, understand and manage emotions in ourselves and others. As a result, one can successfully facilitate effective reasoning, even in the most overwhelming environments, because one has the ability to maintain their emotions, especially during stressful situations. I have learned that although we can become anxious and stressed during some situations in the nursing field, it is of utmost importance to recognize our emotions quickly and manage them accordingly. Strong emotions, such as anxiety and stress, can be challenging in the work environment, but it is critical to control them to remain focused on the tasks and goals to ensure quality patient care. Overall, my instructor taught me that the best nurses practice self-awareness and emotional awareness, which leads to an understanding of ourselves and improves the ability to recognize emotional triggers and learn how to manage them properly. As a future nurse, I will strive to develop these optimum leadership qualities in order to provide the highest level of patient care. 

Furthermore, another class, Evidence-Based Practice 2, taught me that nurses can practice their leadership skills while participating in evidence-based projects. My instructor advised that there has been increased participation in nurses in evidence-based practice (EBP), and it has become key to achieving optimum patient outcomes. EBP is a coordinated effort that utilizes research evidence, clinical expertise as well as involving the patient’s opinions about their healthcare as part of a problem-solving approach to developing the best individualized and effective patient plans.

In this EBP 2 class, I had the opportunity to deepen my own leadership qualities by formulating an EBP project proposal with the assistance of another student. For further information, the name of the project was “Analyzing the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Yoga in Reducing Nurse Burnout: An Evidence-Based Approach.” The aim of the study was to create an educational program for nurses that focuses on the consequences of nursing burnout and ways to reduce it by providing an incentive-based Mindfulness-Based Yoga program in the emergency room at a large hospital in New England.  This proposal design was developed from the synthesis of peer-reviewed research studies that demonstrate the impacts of nursing burnout at the individual, patient, and organizational levels as well as evidence-based practice recommendations for reducing nursing burnout, such as the use of Mindfulness-Based Yoga. Overall, we strengthened our leadership qualities by creating a project goal, conducting research for implications of practice, and creating an implementation plan as well as a method of evaluating the outcome. Notably, I have attached the EBP project poster at the bottom of this entry.

Nurses make up the largest population of the healthcare workforce and they spend more time with patients than any other occupation. Therefore, nursing leadership is critical to the success of our overall healthcare system, so consequently, it is my goal to be the best possible leader in my future career as a nurse so that I may positively impact my patients, fellow colleagues, and our community as a whole. It is my goal to continuously improve upon my leadership competencies to maximize the delivery of quality patient care. Because I know that a collaborative effort is critical to achieving optimum success, I will work as a leader to enhance the entire healthcare process by mentoring others, developing partnerships, supporting a team effort, and diligently working to provide the highest quality healthcare possible.

Over the course of the summer semester and continuing through September, I have had the privilege of participating in a collaborative service-learning project, Run Across America, which is a social enterprise that began in May 2020 because of the pandemic. The primary focus was to advocate for and help those facing hunger across America, in which I was able to assist vulnerable populations across America.         

Run Across America was formed to support causes, such as feeding vulnerable families across America, those who are food insecure because of COVID-19. Since its inception, there has been as many as 68,000 participants who have raised money and resources to supply more than four billion meals annually for individuals and families facing food insecurity in our communities and across the country. Because countrywide lockdowns resulted in unemployment and businesses closures, the pandemic has created widespread food insecurity especially in families with young children. For the last two years, the everchanging COVID-19 virus has progressively changed our society and taken a toll on our economy. Consequently, two social determinates that I have advocated for during my involvement with Run for America includes economic stability as well as improved health and healthcare. Many citizens cannot afford food or healthcare, so my efforts with Run Across America has been rewarding, and I am grateful for this positive opportunity because it has allowed me to help not only my community but those in need across the country. 

Joining Run Across America, I signed up for the event early this past July with members of my family, friends, and peers with the goal of completing a total of 50 km (about 31.07 mi) or more of running, walking, or bike-riding by Labor Day and ultimately raising money for individuals who are food insecure. As a group, we have run in neighborhoods all over Falmouth and Portland as well as Mackworth Island, Back Cove and Eastern Promenade Trails all located in Maine. We have already made great strides by exceeding the hours of 8-10 required for this course, and I am excited to continue my efforts for this wonderful cause. Overall, this service-learning opportunity aims to immerse us in the community to provide valuable support while promoting emotional, physical, and mental health for those facing hunger today. By helping those in need, as an Interpersonal Practice (IPP), our coordinated effort is also consistent with the values and ethics inherent in nursing. It has been our goal to help reverse the challenges of hunger by providing food to those in need while at the same time promoting a healthier lifestyle as well. In doing so, I have had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of IPP and I have strengthened my skills involved with the roles and responsibilities in collaborative practices including values and ethics for interprofessional practice, interprofessional communication, interprofessional teamwork and team-based care. 

Throughout my experience with Run Across America, I have worked closely with family, friends, and peers to learn about and assist individuals facing food shortages, poverty, and hunger within our community and across America. This effort has simulated my future in the interprofessional world of nursing. As a group, we delegated roles and responsibilities to ensure our efforts were successful. They pertained to deciding about the running/walking trails, maintaining suitable time management, supplying snacks and water, as well as the assignment of a leader who focused on the overall coordination of the event. At the same time, effective interprofessional communication was utilized which increased efficiency and fostered us working better as a team. For instance, we created a telephone group-chat in which we could designate times and locations, and every Sunday, we developed a weekly plan of action. In addition, we communicated online each night to ensure everyone was aware of developing details. This ensured there were no miscommunications, everyone showed up on time and was prepared which made for a smooth implementation of our plan. 

Our effort with Run Across America is an example of how an IPP collaboration using effective communication can facilitate a positive outcome for those in need within our communities and across the country, such as those facing food insecurity. Although the communication was within our small group to raise awareness of the issue of hunger, additionally we can further communicate with others within our community to advocate for marginalized populations. To further facilitate positive outcomes for individuals in need, we could utilize social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook to raise awareness about the benefits of Run Across America, so others may join this wonderful cause and raise additional money and resources for those in need. 

Consequently, this rewarding experience, Run Across America, has further educated me on the benefits of IPP and I now recognize that IPP is highly focused on working together cohesively to explore and improve values and ethics while striving to make a positive impact on the lives of individuals in need in our communities and across our country. 

This semester, I had the privilege of participating in a collaborative service-learning project called “The Blanket Project.” This project involved a team of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students from the University of New England’s (UNE) Portland and Biddeford campuses, and we worked as an interprofessional group to connect with and assist marginalized communities in Portland, Maine. Faculty members, Trisha A Mason, the Director of WCHP Service Learning, and nursing professor, Esmeralda Ulloa, assisted with our student-led project. Teamwork, dedication, and collaboration between the students and faculty enabled the creation of fifteen fleece, no-sew blankets with accompanying laminated notecards that included inspirational messages and a list of community resources to support local people in need. Once completed, we delivered the blankets and notecards to a homeless day shelter and food distribution center named Preble Street Resource Center, located in the heart of Portland. The center’s staff then distributed the blankets and notecards to consumers who may suffer from mental illness, homelessness, and/or addiction. These individuals often do not have access to necessities, such as warm blankets, especially in the frigid winter months. This service-learning opportunity aimed to immerse us in this community to provide valuable support while promoting emotional, physical, and mental health. In doing so, I had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of Interprofessional Practice (IPP) and achieve the course objectives for the class, “Passport to Integration,” that I will discuss during this paper. 

Throughout this experience, I worked closely with fellow students and faculty from UNE and the staff from Preble Street to learn about and assist with health issues facing individuals in our community which simulated my future in the interprofessional world of nursing. The rewarding experience educated me on the benefits of IPP, and I now recognize that IPP in healthcare is not simply collaborating with individuals of another specialty to make a positive difference medically, but it is also working together as team to explore and improve values and ethics while striving to make a positive impact that can benefit individuals in need within our community. After immersing myself in the exploration of social issues in Portland, I realized that there is a lack of education and awareness within marginalized populations, especially regarding physiological and psychological needs essential to promote self-care, safety, and survival. 

To address social issues within my community and deepen my understanding of IPP, I worked with Preble Street staff to focus our project on the needs of their consumers to promote their well-being. Most Preble Street consumers are homeless and spend hours outdoors each day. They struggle to stay warm during the winter months in Maine which can lead to a decline in all facets of health. Preble Street’s priority is to promote safety and self-sufficiency among its consumers, which is consistent with the goals of our project. Our coordinated effort was compatible with the ethical and moral tenets inherent in nursing, including promoting self-sufficiency and safety. Our goal was to help reverse the challenges of the homeless by providing them with accessible resources for a healthier lifestyle. The creation of blankets with helpful notes met a community need and a class objective. The results of this project fortified trust, improved communication, and provided necessary support between healthcare and marginalized populations by fulfilling a need by promoting mental, emotional, and physical well-being and safety. 

 To achieve success, our IPP group generated an action plan that included the submission of a grant proposal to UNE requesting funding to buy materials to make the blankets and notecards; an outline of assigned tasks and timeline for completion as well as a date for delivering them to Preble Street for distribution. In achieving our objective, we identified characteristics of effective communication to successfully develop and execute the plan to assist the consumers of Preble Street which met a class objective. The characteristics of effective communication and knowledge exchange that I used for this project included the establishment of appropriate methods for timely and efficient group communication; the use of repetition to ensure that the group understood the tasks at hand; an open mind and mutual understanding; and the use of clear and accurate information transmission. For example, project members were located in various locations, therefore, to ensure adequate communication throughout the project, we communicated over internet platforms, using email for immediate correspondence and ZOOM calls for our weekly meetings to surpass spatial barriers. I learned that communication within interprofessional groups is difficult. Still, with appropriate and effective communication, any goals can be attained which positively contributes to our community’s well-being. Since we knew these means of communication would be time-efficient and effective, the group ensured that everyone involved had access to these platforms when the project was initiated. With everyone juggling a hectic schedule, internet platforms are flexible and convenient because they do not require travel, so members were able to attend ZOOM meetings without difficulty. Following each session, we created and sent everyone a Google document reiterating all the critical points discussed and a description of upcoming goals and further plans to ensure effective communication to keep us on track to complete the project in a timely fashion effectively. Using these communication methods, we achieved another class goal of investigating how the role of technology and information management increases the effectiveness of health care. I learned how technology and information management support a successful collaboration between members of an IPP plan who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to engage with each other. It helped us provide the best possible outcome for the marginalized community we were servicing and deepened our understanding of IPP.

All of us involved with this project collaborated to provide the consumers of Preble Street compassion, empathy, trust, and loving-kindness by being present to support and assist with their basic needs and providing emotional and mental support, which helped cultivate a trusting relationship between the marginalized community and health care community. Thus, I met our class objective because it implemented the concepts of compassionate care as reflected in Watson’s Carative Factors. Along with the blankets, we included laminated notecards with positive messages to provide emotional support and encouragement to illicit perseverance among the population we were servicing. An example of the inspirational statements we included on the notecards were: “Believe in Yourself,” “You are Brave,” and “I Am Enough.” By including these simple messages, we encouraged the consumers of Preble Street to believe in themselves, practice kindness, and enhance their human dignity, which we hoped would reinforce self-love, build character, uplift self-esteem, and inspire a life’s purpose. Furthermore, to foster a higher level of connection, communication, and support, as another component of our IPP plan, we included a list of resources and outreach services, including shelters, food pantries, support groups, and helplines on each notecard. To best communicate these programs to those receiving the blankets, we ensured that the print on the cards was easy to read and provided phone numbers, addresses, and a brief description for each resource listed. We sought to establish an authentic caring relationship between the healthcare community and marginalized populations and a healing environment for those in need. In doing so, attaining these objectives deepened my understanding of IPP.

Overall, the classroom objectives I met were educational, and this rewarding experience allowed me to learn about and understand the benefits of Interprofessional Practice. I now realize that an interprofessional collaboration can help improve processes and deliver better outcomes by reducing inefficiencies to achieve a common goal and better my community. Although I did not utilize one of the class objectives, which was to build a professional social media presence in the future to educate the public about disparities vulnerable populations face, it would be a perfect format to enhance learning, catalog achievements, and new experiences for future projects.

Class Objectives for Spring Semester 2022 Passport to Integration (NSG-353-A): 

1. Explore the concepts of compassionate care as reflected in Watson’s Carative Factors in the planning and evaluation of care for individuals, families, and communities. (EBP, CJ, Professionalism)  
2. Explore the role of technology and information management in the efficacy of health care delivery. (Informatics)  
3. Identify the characteristics of effective communication and shared knowledge in the development of an effective interprofessional plan of care for diverse of individuals, families, and communities. (Leadership/Interprofessionalism)  
4. Build a professional social media presence to enhance learning, catalog achievements, and highlight new learning experiences. (Professionalism, Informatics) 
5. Identify the moral, ethical, and legal tenets inherent in the formation of professional nursing values including the role of self-care in safety for individuals, families, and communities. (Professionalism /Self-care)  

The Helene Fuld Health Trust is the nation’s largest trust devoted exclusively to student nurses and nursing education. Helene Schwab Fuld had a passionate interest in health during her lifetime. After her death in 1923, her children Leonhard and Florentine created a foundation to honor her memory. Leonhard was a fervent advocate for public health, and in the early 1960’s he focused the foundation’s giving to “the improvement of the health and welfare of student nurses.”