NUR 605 Week 3 Discussion 1: Analysis of Leadership Traits and Strengths
Emotional intelligence is defined in our course lecture as “the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions in oneself and in others” (PowerPoint Presentation: Emotional Intelligence). In our daily lives emotional intelligence is used more often than our subconscious mind realizes. We use it to be aware of our own emotions, or to suppress them when necessary. We use emotional intelligence when having conversations with new people, when we are put in new situations, and we use it to maintain relationships we already have. This is very important in not only our personal lives, but our professional lives as nurses and nurse practitioners as well. According to Christianson (2020), nurses provide clinical care through human interactions by developing relationships with patients, their families, and other members of the health care team. Meaning that emotional intelligence is vital to communicating as a healthcare team and communicating to our patients. Nurse leaders who are lacking in emotional intelligence may have trouble with reasoning or even clinical judgement.
At my current job, we have a nurse manager, and below her there is a charge nurse. The charge nurse is responsible for the clinic and what happens on the floor during the day, the manager oversees her and does more managerial things such as scheduling staff. On a day back in May, we had a patient that did not show for her morning dialysis time. We put a call out to her and left a message but had not heard back. The next day we got a call from her daughter, that she had passed- they assumed in her sleep. Since dialysis is a treatment that is done three times a week for all the patients, they get very close to each other, so when this patient did not show up, many patients were emotionally distraught. We are allowed to tell them that the patient passed, as long as we don’t tell them how, and we always ask the families permission first. When one patient found out, it spread like wildfire in the clinic, as she was a very well-liked patient. The charge nurse, who at times can be very tough on the outside, took it upon herself to write notes to give to each of the patients who were taking the death especially hard.
This to me, is a great example of a leader with a high level of emotional intelligence. A compassionate leader that can sense when people are upset about a situation, and find something that will help them to better handle their emotions is a nurse leader that I strive to be one day. A way that nurse leaders can enhance emotional intelligence is by being socially perceptive, like in the example I stated above. Responding appropriately to others’ emotions is a skill great nurse leader contains. A leader who is also aware of their own emotions is better equipped to read others’ and respond appropriately to them (Northouse 2020). Lastly, another way to enhance emotional intelligence is emotion regulation. For example, if you are at work, and you are mad about something, you must maintain your composure, and rationally deal with the situation instead of having an angry outburst. Emotional intelligence is something that can be attained if you first figure out your own emotions, then progress to perceiving other’s emotions.
Christianson, K. L. (2020). Emotional Intelligence and Critical Thinking in Nursing Students: Integrative Review of Literature. Nurse Educator, 45(6), E62–E65.
Emotional Intelligence- PowerPoint Presentation. (n.d.).
Initial Post
Complete the assigned readings and videos to increase your understanding of emotional intelligence. In 450–500 words, complete the following prompts:
- Provide an example of a nurse leader demonstrating emotional intelligence or an example where use of emotional intelligence could have altered an outcome of a situation you have encountered as a leader or with a leader.
- Include two strategies to enhance emotional intelligence.
Replies
Reply to at least two of your classmates. In your reply posts, in a well-developed paragraph (300–350 words to each peer), provide scholarly support to apply the identified traits and strengths to a leadership role.
Please refer to the for details on how this activity will be graded. The described expectations meet the passing level of 80%. Students are directed to review the Discussion Grading Rubric for criteria which exceed expectations.
Posting to the Discussion Forum
- Select the appropriate Thread.
- Select Reply.
- Create your post.
- Select Post to Forum.
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation
Welcome to class
Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to
I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.
Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.
If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.
Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.
Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.
I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
Hi Class,
Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Important information on Writing a Discussion Question
- Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
- There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
- Include in-text citations in your response
- Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
- Follow APA-7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor
- A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
- Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
- Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
- Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
- Follow APA 7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
- Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
- Here are some helpful links
- The is a great resource
This is a question and answer forum. In order to see other responses to these questions, you must first post your answer
This week we learned about emotional intelligence and how to incorporate it into our work lives in order to become a more effective
leader. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the process of understanding the emotions of ourselves and others and being able to adapt our emotions in order to best support the team. Northouse (2018) states that the five main components of emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. These five traits help leaders reflect on how their emotions affect relationships around them, and help leaders develop effective communication to produce cohesiveness amongst team members. Huber (2018) states, “The leader’s behavior, patterns of actions, attitude, and performance, all have a special impact on the team’s attitude, and behaviors on the context and character of work life.” (pp. 5-6) Implications of using emotional intelligence in the workplace is to allow nurses and nurse leaders to remain calm and professional during stressful situations in order to produce a stronger sense of unity amongst the staff and provide better patient care.
An example of EI being used in the workplace is during the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility where I work sent all health care providers including nurses, physicians, physical and occupational therapists, physicians, etc. a survey asking about current stress levels, coping methods/ needs, and suggestions for administrative support during this unprecedented time. Health care workers received these surveys at 1, 3, and 6 months into the pandemic. Questions included rating our stress level pre-COVID and now, as well as describing cases that were the most difficult and rewarding thus far. Additionally, the nurse managers on my unit also checked in with each nurse, during our annual reviews, to see how we were doing emotionally. They know 2020 has been one of the toughest years personally and professionally, so by encouraging community support, a stronger unit is created.
Soto, et al. studied the effects of psychosocial risks and emotional intelligence on nurses’ health, well-being, burnout level, and job satisfaction during the rise and main peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. (2020). Similar to my workplace, the researchers surveyed 125 nurses to assess their current stress levels. Researchers concluded that prolonged stress at work can lead to increased burnout. With the use of emotional intelligence in the workplace, nurses had better physical and psychological health, increased job satisfaction, and they were less likely to experience burnout.
Strategies to enhance emotional intelligence include working on self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. A leader needs to lead by example, and reflect on their own verbal and non-verbal communication, particularly when stressed or put into unfamiliar situations. This is often overlooked and leaders need to be consistent. Another way to strengthen emotional intelligence is for the leader to self-reflect on their stressors and ways of coping when stressed. This may include mediations, yoga, exercise, reading, etc. An effective leader acknowledges weaknesses and works on turning them into positives to create a healthier work environment. Overall, EI is essential for efficient and resourceful leaders.References:
Huber, D. L. (2018). Leadership and nursing care management (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier Publishers, Inc.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Chapter 4. In Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (pp. 122-124). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Soto-Rubio, A., Giménez-Espert, M., & Prado-Gascó, V. (2020). Effect of Emotional Intelligence and Psychosocial Risks on Burnout, Job Satisfaction, and Nurses’ Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(21), 7998.
Discussion Question Rubric
Note: Scholarly resources are defined as evidence-based practice, peer-reviewed journals; textbook (do not rely solely on your textbook as a reference); and National Standard Guidelines. Review assignment instructions, as this will provide any additional requirements that are not specifically listed on the rubric.
Note: The value of each of the criterion on this rubric represents a point range. (example: 17-0 points)
Criteria | Exemplary Exceeds Expectations |
Advanced Meets Expectations |
Intermediate Needs Improvement |
Novice Inadequate |
Total Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quality of Initial Post | Provides clear examples supported by course content and references.
Cites three or more references, using at least one new scholarly resource that was not provided in the course materials. All instruction requirements noted. 40 points |
Components are accurate and thoroughly represented, with explanations and application of knowledge to include evidence-based practice, ethics, theory, and/or role. Synthesizes course content using course materials and scholarly resources to support importantpoints.
Meets all requirements within the discussion instructions. Cites two references. 35 points |
Components are accurate and mostly represented primarily with definitions and summarization. Ideas may be overstated, with minimal contribution to the subject matter. Minimal application to evidence-based practice, theory, or role development. Synthesis of course content is present but missing depth and/or development.
Is missing one component/requirement of the discussion instructions. Cites one reference, or references do not clearly support content. Most instruction requirements are noted. 31 points |
Absent application to evidence-based practice, theory, or role development. Synthesis of course content is superficial.
Demonstrates incomplete understanding of content and/or inadequate preparation. No references cited. Missing several instruction requirements. Submits post late. 27 points |
40 |
Peer Response Post | Offers both supportive and alternative viewpoints to the discussion, using two or more scholarly references per peer post. Post provides additional value to the conversation.
All instruction requirements noted. 40 points |
Evidence of further synthesis of course content. Provides clarification and new information or insight related to the content of the peer’s post.
Response is supported by course content and a minimum of one scholarly reference per each peer post. All instruction requirements noted. 35 points |
Lacks clarification or new information. Scholarly reference supports the content in the peer post without adding new information or insight.
Missing reference from one peer post. Partially followed instructions regarding number of reply posts. Most instruction requirements are noted. 31 points |
Post is primarily a summation of peer’s post without further synthesis of course content.
Demonstrates incomplete understanding of content and/or inadequate preparation. Did not follow instructions regarding number of reply posts. Missing reference from peer posts. Missing several instruction requirements. Submits post late. 27 points |
40 |
Frequency of Distribution | Initial post and peer post(s) made on multiple separate days.
All instruction requirements noted. 10 points |
Initial post and peer post(s) made on multiple separate days.
8 points |
Minimum of two post options (initial and/or peer) made on separate days.
7 points |
All posts made on same day.
Submission demonstrates inadequate preparation. No post submitted. 6 points |
10 |
Organization | Well-organized content with a clear and complex purpose statement and content argument. Writing is concise with a logical flow of ideas.
5 points |
Organized content with an informative purpose statement, supportive content, and summary statement. Argument content is developed with minimal issues in content flow.
4 points |
Poor organization and flow of ideas distract from content. Narrative is difficult to follow and frequently causes reader to reread work.
Purpose statement is noted. 3 points |
Illogical flow of ideas. Prose rambles. Purpose statement is unclear or missing.
Demonstrates incomplete understanding of content and/or inadequate preparation. No purpose statement. Submits assignment late. 2 points |
5 |
APA, Grammar, and Spelling | Correct APA formatting with no errors.
The writer correctly identifies reading audience, as demonstrated by appropriate language (avoids jargon and simplifies complex concepts appropriately). Writing is concise, in active voice, and avoids awkward transitions and overuse of conjunctions. There are no spelling, punctuation, or word-usage errors. 5 points |
Correct and consistent APA formatting of references and cites all references used. No more than two unique APA errors.
The writer demonstrates correct usage of formal English language in sentence construction. Variation in sentence structure and word usage promotes readability. There are minimal to no grammar, punctuation, or word-usage errors. 4 points |
Three to four unique APA formatting errors.
The writer occasionally uses awkward sentence construction or overuses/inappropriately uses complex sentence structure. Problems with word usage (evidence of incorrect use of thesaurus) and punctuation persist, often causing some difficulties with grammar. Some words, transitional phrases, and conjunctions are overused. Multiple grammar, punctuation, or word usage errors. 3 points |
Five or more unique formatting errors or no attempt to format in APA.
The writer demonstrates limited understanding of formal written language use; writing is colloquial (conforms to spoken language). The writer struggles with limited vocabulary and has difficulty conveying meaning such that only the broadest, most general messages are presented. Grammar and punctuation are consistently incorrect. Spelling errors are numerous. Submits assignment late. 2 points |
5 |
Total Points | 100 |