Browsing by Author "Enghiad, Parivash"

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    Clinical Leadership Development Workshops for Licensed Practical Nurses in Supported Living in Alberta: An Exploratory Qualitative study
    (2020-03-27) Enghiad, Parivash; Venturato, Lorraine; Ewashen, Carol J.; King-Shier, Kathryn M.; Raffin-Bouchal, Shelley
    Aim: This study had three aims: 1) to develop and deliver a clinical leadership development (CLD) workshop for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who work in supported living (SL) contexts; 2) to explore LPN participants’ experiences, as well as the influence of the workshop on their attitudes, knowledge, and skills; and 3) to explore the feasibility of implementing a work-based CLD workshop for LPNs working in SL in Alberta. Background: Effective clinical leaders create an efficient and caring work environment, resulting in quality care for patients that attend to both their physical (e.g., safety) and psychological (e.g., autonomy) needs. In SL in Alberta, nursing care is primarily undertaken by LPNs, who work with both registered nurses (RN) and health care aides (HCA) in delivering quality care to older adults. As a result, LPNs are required to undertake clinical leadership (CL) roles that they are often under-prepared for. CL requires the development of a new set of skills for LPNs. To date, few resources have been devoted to developing educational programs to teach these skills, particularly in relation to work-based learning. This program addressed the issue of improving LPNs’ CL skills by developing and delivering a work-based CLD workshop. Design: An exploratory qualitative design was used, incorporating multiple data collection methods, including individual and focus group interviews, a demographic questionnaire, and a knowledge questionnaire. Interview data were analyzed using thematic description and the knowledge questionnaire data were statistically analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Result: The themes were captured in the findings: exploring and raising awareness of the LPNs role as a clinical leader; a sense of empowerment for LPNs in their role as clinical leader; the influence of the CLD workshop on teamwork and communication; and feasibility’s facilitators and challenges. The data affirmed the need for developing a program to help LPNs improve their CL skills, and understand and undertake their CL roles and responsibilities. The effectiveness of the CLD workshop was demonstrated through the LPN participants’ increased confidence, autonomy, and perceived control over decision-making. Following the workshop, the participants expressed a sense of empowerment, which resulted in changed attitudes about their capacity and their role. Conclusion: This study has shown the importance of LPNs understanding their role as a clinical leader, developing effective communication skills, and establishing a working relationship with and among their staff; it has also shown the significance of empowering LPNs. Limitations of the study included challenges arranging and scheduling the necessary time for LPNs to attend CLD workshop, availability and sustainability of the CL training for new staff, and refresher training for the existing staff.