Reflection board by Alicia Alsleben

Reflection 5/19-5/25

alicruce — 2025-05-21 16:07:09 UTC

I am usually not very fond of Leadership classes. Many of them speak in nebulous terms and follow a business model for leadership and management. Since I have no interest in holding a managerial position, I have always considered them a waste of my time. I will say that I do appreciate how this class is different. It focuses more on the interpersonal and nursing aspect of being a leader. It feels more intrinsic to our world, and I appreciate that. I am actually enjoying this class so far.

Reflection 5/26-6/1

alicruce — 2025-05-28 08:06:59 UTC

Humility in the healthcare system is incredibly important. It's been something I have focused on and advocated for throughout my nursing career. I really appreciate the last several readings and leadership values have focused on humility and its importance. It feels very validating. I truly think it is an undervalued and under-acknowledged topic and concept.

Reflection 6/2-6/8

alicruce — 2025-06-08 23:43:01 UTC

In a government that is trying to erase DEI, I am so thankful that this college still centers its teaching and training around the importance of it. I have worked with many people representing many different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. All of the ones I have grown close to have been exceptionally skilled, intelligent, and capable. I truly bristle at the idea that your skin color or culture or background determines competence instead of your knowledge, skill, and abilities. I love that this is something that we are studying and passionate about!

Reflection 6/9-6/15

alicruce — 2025-06-14 00:27:27 UTC

I appreciated the vulnerability of our panelists in discussing topics and areas they have struggled and grown in. Ethics is an area that I am quite familiar with due to working in the ICU. I appreciated the breakdown of macro vs. micro ethics and those grey areas we occasionally find ourselves in. I also appreciated the links and additional information provided. It's refreshing to know that there are others out there that share my sentiments regarding justice and the well-being of others!

Reflection 6/16-6/22

alicruce — 2025-06-21 02:20:39 UTC

While I would say that ethics is a very important topic to me, I somewhat bristle (or rather roll my eyes) at philosophy. I fully understand its' pertinence, importance, history, and necessity. I just prefer concrete plans, ideas, and quantitative data to qualitative, idealized, unsolvable concepts. For me, philosophy certainly has its' place and its' roles. I appreciate its' role in reason and rationality. I do not, however, enjoy the "concepts and origins of man" discussions. Perhaps, it is because I grew up hyper-religious and ultra-conservative. I have explored those paths more than most and do not wish or enjoy returning to them.

Reflection 6/23-6/29

alicruce — 2025-06-26 00:43:10 UTC

I am quite surprised how uncomfortable I feel in putting together my arguments for the ethics debate. I purposefully chose the pro stance for my argument, only because I knew it would be incredibly difficult, and I wanted a challenge. I enjoy finding loopholes, but this just makes me feel kind of slimy. I understand the importance of seeing things through different lenses, but this whole situation really stretches the bounds of decency and ethical considerations.

Reflection 6/30-7/6

alicruce — 2025-07-05 19:51:01 UTC

While I cannot say that I am experienced in doing formal debating, I appreciated the opportunity to do one. I enjoy doing research on topics, especially ones that are interesting or controversial. I think that this was a good experience for all of us as we were able to really look at this topic from all angles. We understand why the hospital did what it did, but that doesn't mean that we still morally or ethically agreed with it. It really made me think about how I will handle these type of situations in the future as a provider. How do you balance the legal side with morality and ethics? I guess in the long run, it's all about continual and persistent advocacy through and through.

Reflection 7/7- 7/13

alicruce — 2025-07-13 21:19:23 UTC

I had an interesting situation relayed to me this week from some of my friends at the dog park. A known NP had an absolute meltdown there and became excessively and inappropriately verbally aggressive towards my friends over a dog altercation. My friends tried apologizing and separated the two dogs quickly and then tried to check in with her. She responded egregiously. I immediately thought about this class and how important professionalism is whether in office or public and how we do detriment to our profession when we behave poorly. Prior to this class I would have shook my head at it. But now, I'm even more appalled and disgusted. It's something I have really been contemplating all week and have really tried to take it to heart as a good lesson on the importance of what we say and do in and out of the hospital.

Personal and Professional Growth 7/14-7/20

alicruce — 2025-07-15 01:04:34 UTC

I'm quickly realizing the importance of having some legal knowledge and understanding as I move into the role of a provider. There are so many legal and moral grey areas to navigate as we take on more responsibilities and move further on to center stage as a care provider. Upon reviewing the ANA Code of Ethics (2015), Provision 3: Advocating for rights, health and safety and Provision 4: Authority and responsibility in making optimal decisions really take on a new and sobering meaning. While my values won't change, I do think they will be even more valuable as I navigate greater responsibilities. I appreciated the comment about differing opinions based on lived experiences. I think that truly hit home as I listened to each of the discussions. While I agreed with most takes on the circumstances, there were areas that I differed in opinion. I think that's good. It stimulates healthy dialogue and communication. Moving forward, I think it would behoove me to take a few legal courses as I know that inevitably I will find myself in an ethical conundrum in my practice as an advanced care provider. If I have learned anything over these last few discussions, it's that it is pertinent to sit down and consider all of the angles before jumping headlong into trying to solve an ethical dilemma.

American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics with interpretative statements. Silver
Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-
Ethics-For-Nurses.html

Reflection 7/21-7/27

alicruce — 2025-07-30 00:03:10 UTC

I enjoyed researching the nursing organizations. It's nice to know that there are groups out there that share the same passion and interest that I do and offer support and grants to encourage further research. I guess I didn't realize how many different nursing organizations there were out there. It is nice to know that there are organizations and agencies willing to support us in our journey throughout medicine and healthcare.