Write a one page, double-spaced summary and answer these questions:

• What are the differences between stimulants vs. depressants?
• What are some factors that encourage individuals to abuse drugs?
• Have you ever encountered someone who you suspected was abusing drugs? Why did you suspect that?
• After reviewing the information above do you feel that you have a better understanding of what signs to look for? 
• How will this information inform your work in the healthcare field?

In 2007 the Star Ledger newspaper told of a young man (unnamed for his own protection) in Newark who witnessed a murder while walking home one day.  It was a territorial drug dispute that didn’t even involve the murder victim who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The man who witnessed the murder recognized a couple of the assailants who also recognized him. He ran and wasn’t found until police discovered him during investigations.

He knew the right thing but he also knew he could put himself, his wife, and young child in danger. There are laws to protect witnesses in NJ but these laws are not always effective. Some witnesses to such murders had been murdered by gang members eager to protect themselves.

The man in the news article eventually agreed to testify when police promised to relocate him and his family to Puerto Rico.

For our discussions this week, answer the following questions and then interact with the postings of others.

1) Talk to another person you know about Kant’s moral principle of a categorical duty to never make yourself the exception to a duty you’d expect others to follow (the categorical imperative).  What does this person think about it?  Do either of you believe there is ever such a thing as an unquestionable moral duty and, if so, how would that apply to the murder witness in this case?  If you think a witness to such a murder would be right to say nothing, explain if and when it is ever justifiable to follow a duty that could seriously cost you personally.

2) From the article “How to be True to Your Word” (LINK (Links to an external site.)), https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-be-true-to-your-word/       

 do you think the following statement about lying is true?  Share your thoughts: “We may think our lying is for a good reason: to keep from insulting or wounding someone we care about, to avoid our own discomfort, to smooth over conflict or to make someone happy.  Really, though, we most often lie to make our own reality more comfortable” (Cat Thompson, “How to be True to Your Word”, Experience Life, 2012).  What about the so-called “white lie”?  Is this kind of lie, sometimes called a pro-social lie, something morally justifiable as you see it, or not?

Discussion – Week 7COLLAPSE

Workplace Environment Assessment

How healthy is your workplace?

You may think your current organization operates seamlessly, or you may feel it has many issues. You may experience or even observe things that give you pause. Yet, much as you wouldn’t try to determine the health of a patient through mere observation, you should not attempt to gauge the health of your work environment based on observation and opinion. Often, there are issues you perceive as problems that others do not; similarly, issues may run much deeper than leadership recognizes.

There are many factors and measures that may impact organizational health. Among these is civility. While an organization can institute policies designed to promote such things as civility, how can it be sure these are managed effectively? In this Discussion, you will examine the use of tools in measuring workplace civility.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and examine the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, found on page 20 of Clark (2015).
• Review and complete the Work Environment Assessment Template in the Resources.

By Day 3 of Week 7

Post a brief description of the results of your Work Environment Assessment. Based on the results, how civil is your workplace? Explain why your workplace is or is not civil. Then, describe a situation where you have experienced incivility in the workplace. How was this addressed? Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 7

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Chapter 5, “Collaborative Leadership Contexts: Networks, Communication, Decision Making, and Motivation” (pp. 121–144)
Chapter 9, “Creating and Shaping the Organizational Environment and Culture to Support Practice Excellence” (pp. 247–278)
Chapter 10, “Building Cohesive and Effective Teams” (pp. 279–298)

Select at least ONE of the following:

Clark, C. M., Olender, L., Cardoni, C., & Kenski, D. (2011). Fostering civility in nursing education and practice: Nurse leader perspectives. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(7/8), 324–330. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e31822509c4
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Clark, C. M. (2018). Combining cognitive rehearsal, simulation, and evidence-based scripting to address incivility. Nurse Educator. doi:10.1097/NNE.0000000000000563
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf

Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(12), 535–542. doi:10.3928/00220124-20141122-02
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Document: Work Environment Assessment Template (Word document)

Required Media

TEDx. (2017, April). Jody Hoffer Gittell: The power of a simple idea [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7nL5RC5kdE

Laureate Education (Producer). (2009a). Working with Groups and Teams [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Week 7 Discussion: Initial Post 

Workplace Environment Assessment Results

According to the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, my work environment result has a sum total of 62, otherwise known as “barely healthy.” Two things that surprised me about the results were less than adequate communication on all levels and ineffective conflict resolution amongst peers. This barely healthy work environment has led to a very high turnover rate amongst staff, thus dropping retention rates amid the organization. Inevitably, this has offered keen insight into one idea that I noticed prior to conducting the assessment, organizational compensation. In an attempt to retain sufficient staff, the organization offers competitive salaries, benefits, compensations, and other rewards.

Civility or Non-Civility

The results of the assessment show that there is much work to be done regarding the civility of my work environment. Based on the results, the environment is barely healthy and one would argue that there is an aura of incivility. The biggest concern posed towards my work environment is lack of communication and respect. Staff are not having respectful, honest, crucial conversations that need to be had in order to make the work environment thrive. Instead, feelings are harbored, conflicts never get resolved and we have a revolving door of staff leaving the organization as soon as they join. Griffin and Clark (2014), incivility has no place in organizational development for it is harmful to the work environment. Measures must be put in place by organizational leadership to ensure shared responsibility in addressing the problem appropriately.

How I Experienced Incivility and Addressed It

Therefore, Clark (2015) speaks of the adventitious benefits of the DESC model when attempting to structure civil conversation. My organization could benefit from the implementation of the DESC model to address difficult conversation. For example, a bulk of the miscommunication comes from the nursing staff. As a blatant display of incivility, staff often time gossip behind the backs of peers and retain feelings of resentment towards one another. There is no discretion. As a new nurse on the unit, I recall several times where I was often ridiculed with no clear communication to follow. As an organizational standard, you are paired with a preceptor for the entirety of orientation. One of the main roles to learn during this time is the art of triaging and setting an acuity for patients for the department. As the triage nurse, you are the first person to lay eyes on the patient, determining for others in the department how severe patient’s condition is and how many resources they will need. During the triage process, there are several questions and commands that must be completed on every patient. New to the process, I was unfortunately missing some of the questions. In turn, this upset a number of the older, more experienced nurses, causing them to text my preceptor that I was not sufficiently trained. This upset me because I had no idea of my wrongdoing, for no one ever approached me to show me the correct method. Being the type of person that I am, I always look for resolution to problems. I then, sought out the nurse and approached her about the problem. I was sure to let her know that I was aware of the ridicule and I offered for her to show me the appropriate way to ask the triage questions. “For the sake of patient safety, healthcare professionals need to focus on our higher purpose—providing safe, effective patient care—and communicate respectfully with

each other” (Clark, 2015). 

To apply the DESC theory, the experienced nurse would have described to me the problem she had with me not asking all questions to the patient. Next, she would express her concern that the patient would not be adequately triaged. Following, she could then state alternatives as to how I may ask the questions. Lastly, she could have presented the consequences that the patient would eventually suffer, for the medical team might miss an important aspect of care, after not adequately being triaged. All in all, we as nurses have “professional and ethical obligation to foster civility and healthy work environments to protect patient safety” (Clark, 2019, p.64).

References

Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf 

Cynthia M., C. (2019). Combining Cognitive Rehearsal, Simulation, and Evidence-Based Scripting to Address Incivility. Nurse Educator, (2), 64. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000563

Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(12), 535-542.  

n 500-750 words, develop an evaluation plan to be included in your final evidence-based practice project. Provide the following criteria in the evaluation, making sure it is comprehensive and concise:

1. Describe the rationale for the methods used in collecting the outcome data.
2. Describe the ways in which the outcome measures evaluate the extent to which the project objectives are achieved.
3. Describe how the outcomes will be measured and evaluated based on the evidence. Address validity, reliability, and applicability.
4. Describe strategies to take if outcomes do not provide positive results.
5. Describe implications for practice and future research.

Prepare:

• Review the Resources and examine the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, found on page 20 of Clark (2015).
• Review and complete the Work Environment Assessment Template in the Resources.

By Day 3 of Week 7

Post a brief description of the results of your Work Environment Assessment. Based on the results, how civil is your workplace? Explain why your workplace is or is not civil. Then, describe a situation where you have experienced incivility in the workplace. How was this addressed? Be specific and provide examples.