Commitment to Professional Development and Lifelong Learning

Access the following to complete this Assessment:

· Human Metrics. (2015a)

· Walden University. (2015a). Mission and Vision

· Program Learning Outcomes: Master of Healthcare and Administration (MHA)

This assessment has four-parts.  Click each of the items below to complete this assessment.

Part I: Self-Reflection

Complete the HumanMetrics personality assessment. Based on your results, write a 3- to 4-page self-reflection as follows:

· Analyze your personal and professional strengths. What management, leadership, functional, and interpersonal skills do you consider to be your strengths? Why were these strengths included?

· Analyze your personal and professional weaknesses. In what areas do you recognize that improvement is needed if you are to perform as an effective administrator, manager, and leader? Are there areas in which you are interested but feel you need additional knowledge and skills? Explain and justify your rationale for selecting these weaknesses.

· Analyze at least three opportunities you have to further your professional growth and development. Include work-related opportunities or those outside the workplace.

· Describe at least three ways you would incorporate the practice of lifelong learning in your profession growth.

· Describe barriers or challenges that might keep you from achieving what you want. Include work-related barriers or those outside the workplace. Explain which barriers are of most concern and why.

Part II: Opportunities Analysis

Consider the varied opportunities for healthcare administrators, managers, and leaders today: the different settings, positions, and areas of expertise and knowledge that exist in the fast-changing healthcare environment. With insights from your self-reflection in mind, write a 4- to 6-page opportunities analysis as follows:

· Describe the roles and responsibilities of four different administrative and or managerial positions in four different healthcare settings (for example, a director of food services in a nursing home; a health information manager in a hospital; or a director of business development, contracting, and sales in a rehabilitation center). Select positions and settings that are of particular interest and relevance to you professionally. Explain why these positions interest you. Describe trends that impact the growth potential of these positions.

· Describe the strengths you would bring to each position as well as the weaknesses you would need to address, including any functional knowledge and skills you bring to the position or would need to gain.

· Analyze key unique and specific leadership, knowledge, and competency skills that are needed to be effective and innovative in these healthcare administrative roles. Identify at least four you need to enhance through additional training and mentorship and where skills can be developed.

· Describe at least two opportunities you have for expanding personal innovative leadership in the workplace. How and why might those opportunities yield positive results?

Part III: Plan for Professional Development

There are many paths that lead toward continuing professional development through lifelong learning. All require deliberate and informed thought and planning. Based on insights and information gained from Parts 1 and 2 of this Assessment, develop a 3- to 4-page professional development plan as follows:

Note: If your current place of employment provides a “Professional Development Plan Template,” you are encouraged to use this template.

· Describe which professional organizations you might join. If you are already a member of an organization, discuss how you have benefitted and how you could enhance benefits from your membership. Describe specifically what you can gain from involvement with these organizations and what you can contribute to the organizations.

· Describe at least three specific, measurable steps/actions you can take over the next 3–5 years that will enhance your professional career opportunities and help you reach your professional goals. Consider certifications that may better position you to gain new opportunities.

· Identify career goals in the context of the dynamic healthcare environment and the specific skills and knowledge needed to maintain a competitive advantage. Consider additional work experiences, even in your current workplace, you might seek that will enhance your opportunities in the future. Also consider what community involvement activities you might engage in that will authentically demonstrate your commitment to a community orientation and social change. Consider managerial and leadership skills you need to enhance. Explain your rationale for each, including how it will specifically help position you for continued growth.

· Describe at least five action steps needed for your “Plan for Professional Development.” Using a “Word Table,” break the steps down into specific, measurable steps that include target date, event, and milestone. Provide rationale for each action step

Part IV: Elevator Speech

As a healthcare administrator, you will be called upon to clearly and succinctly introduce yourself to many different people. It is helpful to prepare an “elevator speech” to express essential information about yourself and your goals. The term elevator speech is used in business to denote a short, simple message you can convey while positioned next to someone you would like to meet in an elevator. In reality, you may use an elevator speech when you meet people in a variety of settings and situations. Recall the goals you identified in your “Professional Development Plan.”

· Review the Walden University “Vision and Mission” statements web page, including the vision and mission statements for the College of Health Sciences. Also review the “Learning Outcomes—Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA).” Select one or two that are particularly significant for your career aspirations.

Prepare an approximately 30-second audio (or optional video) elevator speech in which you:

· Promote your strengths as a healthcare administrator.

· Explain how your goals exemplify the distinguishing characteristics of Walden University and the MHA program.

· Share your commitment to professional development and lifelong learning.

Option #1:  Reflection Journal Activity: 

Summary:

You are to prepare reflection in action notes in which you address what you have learned each week that you will take forward as an Advance Practice Nurse. Entries are to be made weekly and submitted via the Reflection in Action/Study Guide Assignment Dropbox.

Directions:

Each Entry should be at least one page in length and are due on Sunday at the end of each week.

Entries should consist of a 1-page entry regarding this week’s topic.  Discuss the topic in terms of

• How the content and assignments met the course objective(s).
• Summarize the key learning points you experienced for the week.
• Your understanding of pathophysiology as it applies to your current RN practice.
• Struggles or successes that you had for the week in terms of the course content.  This is meant to be a reflection on the course content, and less of a reflection on your feelings.

Week 8 entry should address the above and contain a summary of your experience in terms of application during your transition to the role of APRN

SOC/300 Assignment 2: Lending Institutions, Health Care, and Human Capital

Due Week 9 and worth 200 points

Use the Internet to research one (1) developing nation of your choice. Your research should include an examination of lending institutions, health care, and human capital, as well as the material covered by the Webtext in Weeks 6 through 9.

Write a three to four (3-4) page research paper in which you:

1.Explore whether or not funding from international lending institutions like the World Bank and the IMF are helping or hindering the social, economic, or political development of the country that you have selected. Support your response with examples.
2.Discuss, with examples, at least four (4) substantive ways in which a healthy population strengthens the economy of the country that you have selected.
3.Ascertain the degree to which the leadership of your chosen country has used foreign aid to improve its health care system. Support your response with concrete examples.
4.Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

•Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
•Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

•Determine how human capital is used and what effect gender disparity has on these decisions.
•Determine what role health plays in developing economies.
•Examine the role that the International Monetary Fund and World Bank play in transfers and the conditions they set to effect this funding.
•Use technology and information resources to research issues in sociology of developing countries.
•Write clearly and concisely about sociology of developing countries using proper writing mechanics.
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills. Click here to access the rubric for this assignment.