NR-631: Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience I

Introduction

The Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience I (NR-631) is a graduate-level course designed to prepare nursing students for leadership roles in the healthcare industry. The course covers various topics that are essential for nurse executives, including organizational leadership, financial management, and healthcare policy. It is the concluding course in the Nurse Executive specialization and aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel as a nurse executive.

Course Objectives

The NR-631 course has several objectives that students are expected to achieve upon completion. These objectives include:
Applying leadership theories and concepts to the nursing profession
Developing effective strategies for managing healthcare organizations
Understanding financial management and budgeting in healthcare organizations
Analyzing healthcare policy and its impact on healthcare delivery
Evaluating healthcare quality and safety initiatives
Developing skills in communication, conflict resolution, and negotiation
Applying ethical principles to decision-making in healthcare

Course Content

The NR-631 course covers various topics that are essential for nurse executives. The course content is divided into several modules, each focusing on a particular aspect of leadership and management in healthcare organizations. Some of the modules included in the course are:

Leadership Theories and Concepts

This module introduces students to various leadership theories and concepts and their application in the nursing profession. Students learn about the different leadership styles, such as transformational, transactional, and servant leadership. They also learn about the importance of emotional intelligence, cultural competence, and effective communication in leadership.

Healthcare Organizational Management

In this module, students learn about the different aspects of healthcare organizational management, including strategic planning, human resources management, and operations management. They also learn about the role of nurse executives in managing healthcare organizations and the skills required for effective management.

Financial Management in Healthcare

This module covers the basics of financial management in healthcare organizations, including budgeting, financial analysis, and revenue management. Students learn about the different types of budgets used in healthcare organizations, such as operating budgets, capital budgets, and cash budgets. They also learn about the financial statements used in healthcare organizations and how to interpret them.

Healthcare Policy and Advocacy

In this module, students learn about healthcare policy and its impact on healthcare delivery. They learn about the different stakeholders involved in healthcare policy, including government agencies, healthcare organizations, and advocacy groups. They also learn about the role of nurse executives in healthcare policy and advocacy and the skills required for effective advocacy.

Healthcare Quality and Safety

This module focuses on healthcare quality and safety initiatives, including quality improvement, patient safety, and risk management. Students learn about the different quality improvement methodologies used in healthcare organizations, such as Lean Six Sigma and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. They also learn about the different patient safety initiatives, such as medication safety and fall prevention.

Communication and Conflict Resolution

This module covers the importance of effective communication and conflict resolution in healthcare organizations. Students learn about the different communication styles and strategies, including active listening and assertive communication. They also learn about the different conflict resolution strategies, including negotiation and mediation.

Ethics and Decision-Making in Healthcare

This module focuses on the ethical principles involved in decision-making in healthcare organizations. Students learn about the different ethical frameworks used in healthcare, such as the principlist approach and the virtue ethics approach. They also learn about the different ethical dilemmas faced by nurse executives and how to make ethical decisions.

NR-612 Population Health Concluding Graduate Experience II

Course Assignments

The NR-631 course has several assignments that students are required to complete. These assignments are designed to help students apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in the course to real-world situations. Some of the assignments included in the course are:

Leadership Self-Assessment

In this assignment, students complete a leadership self-assessment using a leadership style inventory. They then reflect on their leadership strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan for improving their leadership skills.

Healthcare Organizational Analysis

In this assignment, students analyze a healthcare organization and develop a strategic plan for improving its operations. They use tools such as SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces analysis to identify the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They then develop a strategic plan that addresses these issues and includes goals, objectives, and action steps.

Financial Management Case Study

In this assignment, students analyze a financial management case study and develop a budget for a healthcare organization. They use financial management concepts such as cost-benefit analysis and break-even analysis to develop the budget. They also analyze financial statements and use financial ratios to assess the organization’s financial health.

Healthcare Policy Brief

In this assignment, students develop a healthcare policy brief on a current healthcare policy issue. They identify the stakeholders involved in the issue, analyze the policy’s impact on healthcare delivery, and make recommendations for policy change. They also develop a communication plan for advocating for their policy recommendations.

Quality Improvement Project

In this assignment, students develop a quality improvement project for a healthcare organization. They use quality improvement methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma and the PDSA cycle to identify a quality issue, develop an intervention, implement the intervention, and evaluate its effectiveness. They also develop a plan for sustaining the intervention.

Communication and Conflict Resolution Plan

In this assignment, students develop a communication and conflict resolution plan for a healthcare organization. They identify the communication styles and conflict resolution strategies used in the organization and make recommendations for improving them. They also develop a plan for training staff on effective communication and conflict resolution.

Ethical Dilemma Case Study

In this assignment, students analyze an ethical dilemma case study and develop a plan for resolving the dilemma. They use ethical frameworks such as the principlist approach and the virtue ethics approach to analyze the case study. They also develop a plan for communicating their decision to stakeholders.

Conclusion

The Nurse Executive Concluding Graduate Experience I (NR-631) is a graduate-level course designed to prepare nursing students for leadership roles in the healthcare industry. The course covers various topics that are essential for nurse executives, including organizational leadership, financial management, and healthcare policy. The course has several objectives that students are expected to achieve upon completion, including applying leadership theories and concepts to the nursing profession, developing effective strategies for managing healthcare organizations, understanding financial management and budgeting in healthcare organizations, analyzing healthcare policy and its impact on healthcare delivery, evaluating healthcare quality and safety initiatives, developing skills in communication, conflict resolution, and negotiation, and applying ethical principles to decision-making in healthcare. The course includes several assignments that help students apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in the course to real-world situations. These assignments include a leadership self-assessment, a healthcare organizational analysis, a financial management case study, a healthcare policy brief, a quality improvement project, a communication and conflict resolution plan, and an ethical dilemma case study. Upon completion of the NR-631 course, nursing students will be well-prepared for leadership roles in the healthcare industry and will have the knowledge and skills necessary to excel as a nurse executive.