Week 3: AACN Essentials Informatics Self-Assessment

This week’s graded discussion topic relates to the following Course Outcome (CO).

CO8 Discuss the value of best evidence as a driving force to institute change in the delivery of nursing care. (PO 8)

Discussion

Prior to posting your answer, complete the Week 8 AACN Essentials Self-Assessment (Links to an external site.) linked here. Compare your scores from Week 1 to Week 8. How far have you come? How will you apply this information to continue to improve your informatics knowledge in nursing practice?

Using the AACN Essentials of Master’s Education

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) essentials defines the skills and knowledge that all medical professionals prepared in master’s programs in nursing to equip themselves with. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on my educational expertise and its alignment with AACN essentials. The reflection is achieved by addressing some of the AACN essentials met using the courses and artifacts done in my Master’s Education.

Essential I: Background for Practice from Humanities and Sciences

The essential requires that all nursing graduates utilize the scientific findings from genetics, biopsychosocial, public health, and quality improvement, among others, for continual healthcare improvement across a broad medical field (Lobiondo-Wood et al., 2018).

I have done a course in nursing research and statistics. Therefore, I have accomplished the first AACN essential as I have the skills to research and utilize the outcomes to improve healthcare across a diverse field.

Essential II: Organizational and System Leadership

The essential identifies the need for system leadership in promoting quality patient care. In relation to this essential, I have done health policy for advanced nursing practice. The course provided me with essential leadership skills and an achievement in my education aligned with AACN’s second essential.

Essential III: Quality Improvement and Safety

The essential identifies the requirement for healthcare experts to adequately prepare and integrate tools and performance measures in implementing quality principles in a healthcare institution (McComb & Kirkpatrick, 2017). I have learned the framework for advanced nursing practice.

Hence I have to achieve the skills to address clinical challenges encountered in my profession by focusing on improving patient outcomes. The achievement in the course aligns with the essentials.

Essential IV: Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice

The essential defines the requirement for the graduate nurse to apply research findings to solve issues in their work. I have done nursing research and statistics course, equipping myself with research knowledge and hence aligning my education with the fourth essential.

Essential V: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies

Informatics and healthcare technologies describe the need for master’s students in nursing to utilize patient-care technologies to provide and improve healthcare practices (Monsen et al., 2019). I have done nursing informatics, implying I have the necessity to utilize the current technology and communication network to coordinate and integrate into healthcare, thus aligning my education with the essentials.

Essential VI: Health Policy and Advocacy

Advocacy and health policy require master’s prepared health officials to have the capacity to intervene in healthcare matters through a developmental policy process and integrate advocative means to positively impact healthcare (Lobiondo-Wood et al., 2018).

I have done a course in health policy for advanced nursing. Therefore, I have gained the ability to influence and intervene process in medical standards and even advocate for my patients to provide quality healthcare.

Essential VII: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes

The essential defines the need for a graduate nurse within a team of professionals to communicate, consult and elaborate on healthcare matters. I have done a framework for advanced nursing practice, which has provided me with educational knowledge to align with the essential.

Essential VIII: Clinical Prevention and Population health for Enhancing Healthcare

The essential demands the nursing graduates to apply and implement patient-centered, organizational, and cultural concepts in formulating, providing, controlling, and analyzing the evidence-based practices in clinical preventive measures and population healthcare (Evans et al., 2017).

I have done a course in statistics, evidence-based practice, and health promotion and disease prevention and hence achieving the skills that demonstrate the alignment of my education with the AACN essential.

Essential IX: Master’s-Level Nursing Practice

It identifies the necessity for master’s level nursing graduates to have improved understanding level and ability to apply scientific knowledge into practice. The courses I have done in my master’s education, all combine provides me with the criteria to meet the essential.

Conclusion

The courses I have done so far in my master’s studies as a nursing practitioner student have enabled me to meet most of the AACN essentials. The courses have helped me to achieve the essential knowledge and skills that are in practical alignment with the AACN essentials.

References

Evans‐Agnew, R., Reyes, D., Primomo, J., Meyer, K., & Matlock‐Hightower, C. (2017). Community health needs assessments: Expanding the boundaries of nursing education in population health. Public Health Nursing, 34(1), 69-77.
Lobiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Grove, S. K., & Cipher, D. J. (2018).
McComb, S. A., & Kirkpatrick, J. M. (2017). Infusing systems and quality improvement throughout an undergraduate nursing curriculum. Journal of Nursing Education, 56(12), 752-757.
Monsen, K. A., Bush, R. A., Jones, J., Manos, E. L., Skiba, D. J., & Johnson, S. B. (2019). Alignment of American Association of Colleges of Nursing Graduate-Level Nursing Informatics Competencies with American Medical Informatics Association Health Informatics Core Competencies. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 37(8), 396- 404.