NURS 440

Self-Assessment of Nursing Standards

ANA Standard (Look)
Standard 7: Ethics

Activities that Helped you

Meet the Standard (Analyze)
Using the Code of Ethics for
The clinical experience has
Nurses with Interpretive
really helped me be able to
Statements helps us to stay up
understand how important
to date with the nursing
ethics are in the healthcare
standards of practice and helps field. Its hard to fully
us to focus on what our job as a understand what it means to be
nurse truly entails. Using
a patient advocate until you
confidentiality and HIPAA to
realize the situations patients
protect our patients is
are in when they need someone
personally one of the most
to stand up for them. This is
important points to me, because also where you learn the
it provides our patient with the importance of evidence-based
most honest and protective care practice and how necessary it is
to ensure they are comfortable
to have the safest and most
and respected. The family and
updated information on a unit
patient are as important as any
to provide the best care. I
member of the healthcare team, remember the first time I saw a
including all members is vital
patient with a pressure ulcer, it
when providing the best
now never fails to remind me
possible care for the patient.
how vital it is to turn my
Educating patients equips them patient every 2 hours and
to make the best decisions
encourage them to be mobile.
about their healthcare and
This really helped me
should be done thoroughly and understand why we utilize
properly each and every time.
evidence-based practice and
The nurse should always strive why research is so important.
Brief Description (Elaborate)

Plan to Meet Standard(Revise)

I feel that school really pushes
me to stay up to date with
evidence-based practice and
research is something I know I
need to stay involved in after
graduation. I feel that its so
important as the nurse to stay
involved with the newest
research so that while caring
for their patients they can
assess what may or may not be
a good skill to revise. Its often
the nurses working on the floor
that realize certain aspects of
care need to change, and nurses
that conduct research for
evidence-based care across the
country. When it comes to
including the patient and family
as part of the healthcare team, I
feel that I do that very well. Im
very passionate about my
patients and want them to
understand where we, as
healthcare personnel, are
coming from, but also I want

Standard 8: Education

to provide the best care and

question any skill that they feel
isnt up to the par of gold
standard within patient care. All
inappropriate behavior by the
patient or nurse should be
reported and handled in a
professional manner to ensure
the patient is receiving the
proper and best care. Lastly, the
nurse should absolutely be the
patient advocate and all times
and strive to provide them with
the best and most evidencebased care to ensure the best
outcome.
Education is centered on
learning not only in school, but
also from experience and
further education. Nurses
should strive to learn from their
own experiences, their peers
experiences, and from
education courses throughout
their careers. The nurses should
be assessed based on their
knowledge and critiqued to
learn where they lack
information. As nurses we
should be evaluated to ensure
were utilizing our knowledge

them to know that their voices

are being heard and that we
take their opinions and
questions into consideration
while developing that patients
plan of care. This also pairs
with confidentiality. Every
patient should feel that their
information and situation is
safely communicated between
only authorized healthcare
personnel to assist in providing
them with the best care
available.

Classroom education is the

foundation to everything we
learn while in school, and is the
reason we have an
understanding during clinical.
There have been countless
times during class where Ive
learned something, and then
during my clinical experience it
all comes together. Its so
important that nurses have the
competence not only from
experience, but from a
classroom setting as well. The
combination of both experience

As of now I feel that Im

getting the education I need to
become a registered nurse in
the future. When I graduate and
am employed I will be required
to complete continuing
education classes throughout
my career to keep my skills and
knowledge updated. These
classes are so important
because the healthcare world is
ever changing, and needs to be
assessed constantly to provide
the best care for patients. I will
strive to always do my best to

Standard 9: EBP and Research

Standard 10: Quality of

Practice

to provide each patient with the

best care possible. We should
also be excited about learning
and care that others do the
same to ensure the greatest,
most knowledgeable care for
patients.
Research is ongoing, ever
changing, and vital to
healthcare. New techniques
require research as well as old
to truly determine what the best
care is. Evidence-based
practice is the best way to
decide what is, or is not,
effective within the healthcare
system. It is a proven method
designed to ensure the best
possible practice is being
implemented. Any knowledge
gained from evidence-based
practice needs to be evaluated
by every healthcare
organization, and if the nurse
discovers a practice that isnt
being used they should bring it
up the chain of command to
understand why.
Documentation is one of the
most common yet important
jobs a nurse has.

and learned knowledge is so

helpful when providing holistic
care to each patient.

educate myself and others to

ensure that Im the best nurse I
can be.

Clinical has been the best

situation that has helped me
understand the importance of
evidence-based practice. I
remember in my first semester
reading an article about
handwashing versus hand
sanitizing, and why both were
equally effective. I never would
have known that hand
sanitizing was as effective, but
it shows in clinical constantly.
Every nurse is required to wash
in and out of each room with
hand sanitizer because its
clinically proven to clean their
hands thoroughly between each
patient interaction.

I feel that I research evidencebased practice often now

because I use it so often for
school assignments. This is
something Id like to strive to
continue doing so that Im up
to date not only on what is
happening and changing, but
why practices are being
revised. Researching on my
own time, not only for work,
will ensure that Im
knowledgeable in all areas of
practice to provide the most
appropriate care during my
time on the unit.

Documentation is something I
never fully understood until I
started clinical. During my 3rd

When it comes to
documentation thats something
I want to improve upon, but

Standard 11: Communication

Documentation not only allows

the healthcare providers to
communicate effectively, but
can show trends over time
about each patient. Its easy to
reference at any point in time to
assess how a patient may be
reacting or just how theyre
feeling in general. Quality
improvement is essential in
every area of healthcare,
especially ensuring that each
individual is utilizing the
highest quality of care for each
patient. We need quality
improvement to keep the
healthcare systems growing
whether it be an individual
skill, technology, or any aspect
of the healthcare field.
Communication is necessary
constantly to provide the
patient with the best care
possible. One job of the nurse
is to communicate with
everyone included in the
patients care, and in a way that
works well for everyone. The
nurse needs to know their own
communication strengths and
weaknesses as well as how to

semester is when I really began

to understand most aspects of
the documentation system I
was using, and I had a clinical
instructor who cared and
reviewed our documentation
every day. This has really
helped me convey through
documentation what I mean in
the following semesters.

that will come with practice.

Quality improvement isnt
something Ive had a lot of
experience with yet because as
a student, Im normally the one
asking questions as to why
something is done the way it is,
not asking about if what Im
doing is the best way. As a new
learner that can really inhibit
my own personal questions that
I may develop later when I
have more experience.

In my leadership class we
practiced how to effectively
communicate with the doctor of
a patient using SBAR. I felt
that it was very helpful in
preparing us about what
information is the most
important to discuss when
speaking with others covering a
patients care. This is also
something we as students

Communication is something I
feel that I do well; I have good
people skills from my current
and previous employment.
Although talking with
healthcare workers can be very
different, I feel that I relate well
with others and can explain
what I mean easily. Practice
communicating with other
healthcare workers is

Standard 12: Leadership

communicate best with others.

The skill of communication and
conflict resolution should
always be assessed and
improved when needed.
Information communicated
needs to always be accurate.
Anything the nurse isnt sure
about should be questioned
when it may not seem to be in
the best interest of the patient.
Any concerns or hazards
should be reported
appropriately and immediately,
and communication should be
used to minimize risks. When
the patient is being transferred
communication should occur
between both organizations,
and the nurse should contribute
their own perspective with all
members of the team.
Leadership roles by a registered
nurse include many aspects
such as overseeing the care
provided by others and keeping
them accountable for their
work. Also as leaders nurses
need to have a commitment to
education and improvement of
nursing practices. They need to

observe often in clinical, and

something we put into practice.
The more were in clinical the
more freedom and
independence we have, and its
our job to communicate with
nurse technicians, other nurses,
and doctors that we come into
contact with. I feel that in this
case real life communication
and experience are the best
ways to learn.

something I plan to continue to

build my skills in this area.

Leadership is something that I

feel strongly about and is
something that Im very
interested in. In our current
leadership class I feel that
many things were learning are
things that I do naturally which
makes me feel confident in my
abilities as a leader. Clinical

I feel that leadership is an

incredibly important part of
nursing, no matter the position
the nurse holds. Registered
nurses need to be leaders to
properly care for their patients.
Leadership and being an
advocate tie closely tougher
because there are times the

Standard 13: Collaboration

treat other co-workers with

respect, trust, and dignity and
use communication the best
way possible. Leaders in
nursing have to have good
conflict resolution skills, be
organized, and communicate
effectively. They should always
be seeking personal
improvement in autonomy and
accountability and put forth
effort to influence the
healthcare system in a positive
way.

helps ensure this as we gain

more confidence and
independence as well. There
are now times during clinical
where Im not constantly
questioning myself, and it feels
good to know that Im
developing the skills I need to
be a successful nurse. I think
our experiences can only build
from here to make us better
nurses and leaders.

Nurses work with many

different healthcare workers
and its their job to
communicate and collaborate
with them about their patients
situation. Nurses should not
only communicate with the
healthcare providers, but also
the patient and their family.
Collaborating with others
ensures better conflict
management and recognition
and promotes negotiation
between healthcare providers.
Nurses need to adhere to the
codes of conduct among peers

Clinical is one situation in

which I feel collaboration is
learned the most. Its rare that a
situation passes that the nurse
doesnt collaborate with the
patient, the patients family,
another nurse, myself, a doctor,
or another member of the
healthcare team. A hospital
simply wouldnt function
without the collaboration of all
healthcare personnel.

nurse needs to take initiative

for their patient to do what they
think is best. Continuing onto a
leadership position is
something I plan to do when I
finish school. I want to
continue my education at some
point to specialize and lead in
an area, and I feel that it will be
a good step for me to further
my education. I hope to lead as
a registered nurse from the
beginning and grow from my
experiences before going back
to school to continue.
I have learned a lot about the
importance of collaboration
during my time as a nursing
student. Its an area I am
confident in and plan to grow
as I finish nursing school. This
is one area that will develop as
I gain more experience.

Standard 14: Professional

Practice Evaluation

and colleagues to create a

positive and caring work
environment. Also, they should
be included in creating a plan
about delivering care that is
beneficial for the patient, the
patients family, and all
members of the healthcare
team.
Nurses need to provide all
patients with information that is
appropriate and easy for them
to understand. They should
evaluate themselves to ensure
they are recognizing what each
patient needs individually. They
also should recognize areas in
which they are weak and build
on them to equip themselves
with the best knowledge
possible. They also should be
evaluated by their managers
and supervisors to ensure they
are receiving constructive
criticism from all areas. All
nurses should have evidencebased reasoning behind their
skills that they can share at any
time. They should interact well
with their coworkers and strive
to build them up at all times as

As students we are often

evaluated during clinical by
professors, it happens at least
once every semester. Our
instructors and nurses we work
with on the floor can see how
we react and interact when
were with our patients. This
gives us a great overall view of
how were doing as students,
and it provides us with
feedback as well as praise in
different areas. I think this is
the best form of evaluation I
receive while in school.

Constructive criticism and

evaluation are both necessary
when critiquing a nurse. As I
continue school I will take all
of my evaluations seriously so
that I can work on improving
my weak areas now. I want to
recognize areas I can grow in
while Im still in school so that
Im better developed when I
graduate. At the time of
employment as a nurse I hope
to be evaluated often so that I
can be as successful as
possible.

Standard 15: Resource

Utilization

Standard 16: Environmental

Health

well as give them feedback in a

caring and effective way
whenever necessary.
Different populations of
patients need different
resources and nurses need to
assess what each patient and
family need to better
understand their situation.
Nurses should always be
looking out for their patients
risk for harm, needs, and
desired outcomes when
providing them with resources.
They need to delegate care to
the correct healthcare personnel
as well to ensure patient safety.
All resources given should
have concrete evidence behind
them and be proven safe and
effective. Patients also need to
be evaluated for any services
they may require and receive
proper resources for those as
well. Cost, risks, and benefits
should be thoroughly discussed
with each patient and all
questions resolved.
Nurses need to be aware of
environmental health and
promote an environment that

My community health rotation

was great in resource utilization
because so many elderly
patients dont know about all
the resources they have access
to. I learned a lot about how to
appropriately assess the
patients I was working with to
help equip them with whatever
they needed to enhance their
care. Even having a community
health nurse travel to their
house is a resource that they
were educated about to receive
care from home. There are so
many aspects that go into the
holistic care of the patient, and
resources are an incredibly
important factor.

Providing patients with

resources happens often during
clinical. We learn a lot about
the resources offered at each
rotation and what types of
resources are available for each
patient. I would like to continue
learning about more resources
for patients, especially ones
that they can access after
theyre finished with their
inpatient stay. This can really
help them to have a beneficial
recovery and be well educated
about anything they may want
to access at a later date.

Again I feel that my

community health rotation was
especially beneficial in this

In this area I hope to continue

expanding my knowledge about
possible hazards my patients

reduces risks for workers. They

should assess the environment
for potential hazards that may
threaten their patients. Nurses
should advocate for their
patient if they feel that a
product or medication is not
appropriate and communicate
to the healthcare team. Also,
nurses should use evidencebased practice to determine if
there is a hazard in a product or
procedure. On the other hand,
nurses should do their best to
promote healthy alternatives
and encourage a healthy
community.

aspect. We learned a lot about

hazardous conditions patients
live in and may not even know
about. In general though
clinical taught me about many
things patients do, such as take
herbal medications, that may
not be beneficial to them at all
or may react with another
medication theyre taking.
There are so many risk factors
patients are susceptible to and
its our job as the nurse to
educate them to the best of our
ability.

may experience. Whether it be

physical, such as an emergency,
medical, or environmental, I
want to have the knowledge
needed to deal with each
situation. This is so essential in
patient safety, and is something
that I will always strive to have
continuing education for.