Students are expected to participate in the online discussions in the following manner:
- Complete the assigned reading before participating in discussions. Your participation points are derived from the depth of your responses. The discussion should be thoughtful, informative, and respectful.
- Initial post(s) must be a minimum of 250 words and peer replies must be a minimum of 150 words (in the body of the post; excludes references).
- 75% of your posts must be original work/thought processes. Synthesizing the literature and paraphrasing is acceptable, but more than 25% use of quotes is unacceptable.
- In-text citations are required in all posts.
- After reading other students’ posts, provide an in-depth comment/reply, or ask/answer questions about the topic under study. Add any new and current information you may have found in your reading and reference accordingly.
- Return to the Discussion Forum site later in the week and review questions/further discussion on the topic. Be sure to read and answer any comments/questions that students have about your previous posts.
- Points for participation in the discussions will be assigned according to the depth and number of postings following the grading rubric below.
- Suggestion: Write your Discussion responses in a Word document first, then post to the course. Do not attach the Word document but copy your post and paste it into the discussion forum.
General Rules for Online Discussion Netiquette
- Respect everyone’s ideas, feelings, and experiences.
- Be courteous. It is important to be honest and express yourself freely but be sure that you include praise as well as constructive criticism.
- When posting responses, back up your assertions with data and evidence. These are especially important if you disagree with a response or topic.
- Remember that online communication lacks non-verbal cues. Make every effort to be clear and concise in communication.
- Never use all capital letters. This is considered “SHOUTING!”
- Humor can be misinterpreted due to the lack of non-verbal clues. You may wish to use emotion-icons (such as smiley faces) or LOL.
Discussion Prompt(s)
Tom Joserine, a nurse manager of a 36-bed orthopedic unit, has decided that he is too busy to complete all the work that needs to be done. Nurse Joserine has recently read an article on delegation and has decided that delegating tasks to others is an excellent way to accomplish the mound of work that he has to complete. He believes that there are two tasks that take most of his time, disciplinary problems and quality improvement activities. Nurse Joserine calls the nursing coordinator, Janet Jeleen, into the office and informs her that she will now be responsible for all evaluations and handling of incident reports. Nurse Jeleen tells him that she will need some guidance on this new activity. Nurse Joserine informs her that the hospital has managerial classes in which she can enroll to help her with this new duty.
Nurse Joserine also calls Jo Ellen Mae, a clinical nurse specialist for the orthopedic unit, and informs her that she will now be responsible and accountable for the quality improvement activities on the unit. Monthly reports are due on the 10th of each month. He informs Nurse Mae that if she has any questions, she can call the head of the quality improvement committee. When Nurse Joserine leaves the hospital that day, he feels good that he has decreased his workload and happy that he found the article on delegation.
- Did Nurse Joserine delegate tasks appropriately? Why or why not?
- Who will be held accountable for the outcomes of the roles/tasks that Nurse Joserine has delegated?