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Approaching Competence: The description does not address how the candidate, as an advanced professional nurse, would use 2 of the social and emotional intelligence power skills to achieve each of the given results in the workplace. Or 1 or more of the described methods of applying the power skills would not logically achieve the given results for an advanced professional nurse. 

Evaluators comment: The application of interpersonal communication and self-awareness skills for achieving a professional presence and mindfulness in healthcare are aptly discussed. However, the response is insufficient because a discussion of how to apply the social-emotional intelligence (SEI) power skills to promote a sense of caring and belonging and to solve the problem of incivility in the workplace is not evident. Please describe how to use two SEI power skills to create a positive social presence to promote a sense of caring and belonging and to achieve a culture of joy to solve the problem of incivility in the workplace and initiate organizational change.

Approaching Competence: The discussion of how the candidate, as an advanced professional nurse leader, would implement the 4 steps of the “IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work” in the workplace does not include 1 strategy for each of the four steps. Or 1 or more of the strategies discussed are not logical for implementing the step in the workplace. 

Evaluators Comment: Implementing the “IHI Framework” steps includes strategies like using open-ended questions during staff discussions and holding team meetings to determine impediments to joy in work. However, as currently described, the response is insufficient because step three describes tactics to create joy rather than a system’s approach for making joy a shared responsibility at all levels of the organization, and step four is a short list describing the steps to testing a change rather than a strategy to use improvement science to test the approach. Please discuss a strategy for step three, commit to a systems approach for making joy in work a shared responsibility at all levels of the organization, and step 4, use improvement science to test approaches to improving joy in work in the organization.

Social and emotional intelligence power skills

As defined by psychologists John Mayer and Peter Salovey, emotional intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to recognize and also understand emotion in others and oneself (Clauss-Ehlers, 2010). This ability entails using emotional understanding to solve a problem, make a decision, and communicate with others. The levels of emotional intelligence include perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding and managing emotions. The healthcare industry has various challenges and therefore health professionals require social and emotional intelligence to address some of these challenges. Difficult workplace situations may require advanced professional nurses to use their social and emotional intelligence power skills to address the situations. For example, conflicts may arise over the course of an ordinary shift. Dealing with such a situation may be challenging but emotional intelligence skills help in addressing such issues. Advanced professional nurses need to understand how emotions drive their behaviour, the positive or negative impact emotions may have on people and how to manage emotions during difficult workplace situations.

The healthcare workplace environment may be challenging and stressful for providers. Some of the social and emotional intelligence powers skills that advanced professional nurses can use to manage difficult workplace situations include self-awareness, self-management, interpersonal communication, executive function, and social awareness. Self-awareness is the individual’s ability to identify and understand his/her own emotions. Besides a person recognizing his/her emotions, being aware of how one’s moods, actions, and emotions affect other people is crucial. Being self-aware encompasses having the capability to monitor emotions, recognize emotional reactions and perfectly identify each emotion particularly. This skill would help advanced professional nurses to recognize their own limitations and strengths and be ready to take new information and experiences. Therefore, self-awareness would help advanced professional nurses to understand how to respond in a certain situation in the best way without behaving in a way that will harm others. Self-awareness helps in reducing stress levels which translates to good decision-making during difficult workplace situations. This skill allows nurses to understand what is expected of them to respond positively to challenging workplace situations.

Self-management entails the ability to manage emotions and control impulsive feelings and behaviors in a good and healthy way, take initiative, be committed and adapt to change. Advanced professional nurses should have the ability to wait for the right time and place to express feelings and emotions. Self-management is important for advanced professional nurses in difficult workplace situations because it helps the nurses to practice being flexible and adapt well during a change. Difficult workplace situations may bring the need for change and therefore the skills help to ensure that advanced professional nurses are able to adapt a change to address the difficult situations. An individual must have the ability to use his/her emotions to make constructive decisions about one’s behaviour. Self-management helps to ensure that advanced professional nurses are not overwhelmed by stress during difficult situations. Stress may affect one’s ability to think clearly and assess emotions accurately.

Interpersonal communication is also a key emotional intelligence skill that advanced professional nurses can use to address difficult workplace situations. Interpersonal communication entails exchanging information, feelings, and ideas between two or more individuals. This may through non-verbal or verbal methods. Interpersonal communication skills are essential for advanced professional nurses during conflict management. Interpersonal communication skills help in promoting team spirit and respect for others. On the complex level, interpersonal communication translates into a person’s ability to differentiate among various interpersonal relationships and the ability to efficiently respond to respective situations and interpret how others react (Petrovici, & Dobrescu, 2014). Therefore, advanced professional nurses can use the skill to understand the hidden reaction of others before making decisions during a difficult workplace situation. The skills may also help the nurses to communicate efficiently to ensure the interaction is positive. This would translate into positive outcomes during a difficult situation. This skill also enables trust development and enhances collaboration which is fundamental in solving workplace problems.

Executive function is also critical for advanced professional nurses when addressing difficult workplace situations. Executive function encompasses a set of mental skills that include flexible thinking, working memory, and self-control. Mental skills such as focusing and following directions are required for emotional dysregulation. The multidimensional cognitive control processes in executive function are voluntary and effortful. Advanced professional nurses would use the skill to control their emotions, pay attention when solving a problem and think flexibly when addressing a difficult workplace situation.

Social awareness enables an individual to recognize, understand and interpret especially nonverbal cues that are constantly used by others when communicating. These cues help in understanding the feelings of others, the changes in their emotional state, and what they believe is important. Social awareness is based on skills of empathy, understanding the needs and feelings of others, and being concerned and taking an active interest in others’ needs and feelings (Taft, 2006). In work settings, social awareness widens to one’s ability to use the right political skills, being and principled. Strong social skills would enable advanced professional nurses to build meaningful relationships with others in the workplace environment. Some of the strategies advanced professional nurses can use to improve the five social and emotional intelligence power skills include taking time for self-reflection after a difficult situation, performing a self-assessment, trying mindfulness techniques, and learning and practicing assertive communication.

How to use two of the social and emotional intelligence power skills in the workplace

As an advanced professional nurse, I would use self-awareness and interpersonal communication to achieve various results. First, the skills would help me achieve a professional presence. Self-awareness would help me to act in a way that fits the professional code of conduct and ethics. I would ensure that understand how my moods, actions, and emotions affect other people. A combination of these aspects would help me portray professionalism and achieve a professional presence. Interpersonal communication skills would help me in establishing my confidence and credibility which would help me achieve a professional presence.

Self-awareness would help me understand my strengths, limitations, and emotions. This would help me in developing ways of addressing stress. Integrating this skill in my practice would help me achieve enhanced mindfulness in healthcare because I would have more ability to maintain openness, refrain from being judgemental, and being patient. Interpersonal communication would help me achieve enhanced mindfulness in healthcare by bringing a greater level of awareness to communication components i.e. speaking and listening.

Self-awareness would help me achieve a positive social presence to promote a sense of caring and belonging by enabling me to see myself clearly and objectively, monitor emotions, and recognize the emotional reactions of others. Through this, it would be easier for me to ensure I maintain a positive social presence by ensuring I avoid harming others through my actions, emotions, and moods and by being aware of others’ emotions. Interpersonal communication skills would help in assessing the intentions of others and emotional states. This assessment is critical in using appropriate communication methods to achieve a positive social presence.

Self-awareness would help me achieve a culture of joy to solve the problem of incivility in the workplace and initiate organizational change by enabling me to remain positive in the feelings and emotions that I portray. Interpersonal communication skills would help me to communicate positively without harming the emotions and feelings of others thus resulting in a culture of joy.

Implementing the four steps from the “IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work”

The four steps from the “IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work” are asking staff what matters for them, identifying unique impediments to joy in work, committing to a systems approach to making joy in work shared responsibility at all organizational levels, and using improvement science for testing approaches to improving joy in work (Perlo et al., 2017). I would implement the first step by presenting open-ended questionnaires followed by an open conversation that is based on the answers they present. Next, I would implement the second step by using team meetings as a forum for clinical staff to share impediments to joy in work. For this to be achieved, members should be encouraged to engage in open communication.

The third step is committing to a systems approach to making joy in work a shared responsibility at all organizational levels. I would implement this step by ensuring there is work-life integration. This involves providing education opportunities, enhancing non-paid time off options, creative scheduling, training, and promoting benefits utilization. The strategy to use in this step is prioritization. The last step is using improvement science for testing approaches to improving joy in work. I would implement this by identifying methods, theories, and approaches that may hinder or facilitate joy at work. The process of testing changes would include identifying the aim, measures, changes, and testing the changes.

References

Clauss-Ehlers, C. S. (Ed.). (2010). Encyclopedia of cross-cultural school psychology. Springer Science & Business Media.

Perlo, J., Balik, B., Swenson, S., Kabcenell, A., Landsman, J., & Feeley, D. I. H. I. (2017). IHI framework for improving joy in work.

Petrovici, A., & Dobrescu, T. (2014). The role of emotional intelligence in building interpersonal communication skills. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 1405-1410.

Taft, S. H. (2006). Emotionally intelligent leadership in nursing and health care organizations. Management and leadership for nurse administrators, 28-44.