Reflective Paper

Professional Practice Level 2

Instructor: Rachel Barr

Student: Brittany Tijani

Date: February 26, 2019

 Description: Today in class, the class was divided into groups, together the groups each
discussed some case studies with ethical dilemmas. The group worked well together and was on task
for the majority of the allotted time given. During the discussion, many ethical questions came up, the
writer felt comfortable taking the lead and guiding the direction at which the questions were focused.
Doing this enabled the group to communicate and discuss the ethical dilemmas while using class time
efficiently for the purpose of completing the scenario.

Feelings: When going through this case scenario, the writer felt empowered. The group took
direction and followed through easily. When redirecting the group back to the topic there was very little
hesitation, or struggle from members of the group. Taking on the leadership role seemed to come
naturally, it was not forced or pressured on the writer to be the leader. The group dynamics made the
leadership choice easily, however almost assumed. This could be due to the familiarity each group
member has or how each member of the group views each other and self.

Evaluation: Looking at the experience some good things that happened, the group worked well
together and took direction well, there was input from all members of the group, each member had
their own role in the participation aspect of the case study, as well each group member was able to
contribute their own unique experience or perspective with rationale for their answers. Some negative
things that happened included: the group as a whole would get distracted and off topic easily, sharing
personal stories that related to the scenario and getting off track seemed like a recurring theme for this
group, however with some redirecting the group returned to topic. With group discussions it made it
easier to look at different angles with different perspectives from other members of the group.

Analysis: Overall the group dynamics were positive and encouraged growth for all members.
The writer felt supported as the group leader, as well felt able to answer more questions from other
members of the group due to personal experience. With the scenarios, relating them to clinical
experience made the dilemmas easier to understand. The writer believes she would fall under the
transformational leadership style, which “is based on the trust and respect that employees feel about
their leader and therefore are much more motivated to do much more than is expected from them”
(Krepia,V.,et al. 2018, pg.189). The writer is able to encourage others to look at issues from different
perspectives, she is aware of the uncertainty of the health care environment, she also welcomes
questions from others while understanding the importance of interpersonal relationships. Some issues
the writer believes may happen with this leadership style might include the inability to act quickly in an
emergency situation, trying to empower others may cause lower self confidence in personal skills.
However, being aware of these issues will make it possible to still be a successful leader using this style.
“Transformational leadership is a process that motivates followers by appealing to higher ideas and
moral values where the leader has a deep set of internal values and ideas and is persuasive at
motivating followers to act in a way that sustains the greater good rather than their own
interests”(Doody,O.,Doody,C. 2012, pg. 1212), this makes it safer for staff to take risks and expand
boundaries and encourage creativity.

Conclusion: Other things that could have been done, were looking up more evidence to support
decisions, knowing more policies and procedures, knowing the full scope of the LPN, and guidance
under the BCCNP’s code of ethics. With the limited time the group had to discuss the scenario the
group was effective in discussing major issues relating to the client. More focused attention could have
been directed at the client specifically, the group focused on actions of the nurse and legal
responsibilities of the nurse however, this left less focus on the client and more attention on the action
of the nurse. Would this change the actions of the nurse? Not necessarily, although when dealing with
ethical dilemmas it is important to remember it is more than right or wrong it is someone’s life and it is
not ethically or morally appropriate to take the clients feelings for granted, including the client more in
the future is something the writer will advocate for.

Action Plan: The group worked well together and the writer remained calm, focused and
comfortable discussing a plan and if the situation arose again the writer would step into the role of the
leader again should the need occur. Bridging the theory – clinical gap is important in nursing, with
ethical dilemmas it becomes essential as often times these situations are not staged or planned and are
often not as simple to solve. Working with a group as the leader is a skill every LPN should have, having
this experience was a positive experience and a gentle way to step into the leadership role. The writer
welcomes the next opportunity to step into the leadership role and to take this experience and this
reflection to better lead the team.

References

Dahlkemper,T. (2018) Nursing Leadership, Management, and Professional Practice for the LPN/LVN 6 th
edition, F.A Davis Company, Philadelphia
Krepia, V., Katsaragakis, S., Kaitelidou, D., & Prezerakos, P. (2018). Transformational leadership and its
evolution in nursing. Progress in Health Sciences, 8(1), 189–194. https://bdcnl-
ezproxy.libraries.coop:2242/10.5604/01.3001.0012.1114

Doody, O., & Doody, C. M. (2012). Transformational leadership in nursing practice. British Journal of
Nursing, 21(20), 1212–1218. Retrieved from https://bdcnl-
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104433248&site=eds-live