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Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker

The term “knowledge worker” was first coined by management consultant and author Peter Drucker in his book, The Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959). Drucker defined knowledge workers as high-level workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal training, to develop products and services. Does this sound familiar?

Nurses are very much knowledge workers. What has changed since Drucker’s time are the ways that knowledge can be acquired. The volume of data that can now be generated and the tools used to access this data have evolved significantly in recent years and helped healthcare professionals (among many others) to assume the role of knowledge worker in new and powerful ways.

In this Assignment, you will consider the evolving role of the nurse leader and how this evolution has led nurse leaders to assume the role of knowledge worker. You will prepare a PowerPoint presentation with an infographic (graphic that visually represents information, data, or knowledge. Infographics are intended to present information quickly and clearly.) to educate others on the role of nurse as knowledge worker.

Reference: Drucker, P. (1959). The landmarks of tomorrow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

To Prepare:

• Review the concepts of informatics as presented in the Resources.
• Reflect on the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
• Consider how knowledge may be informed by data that is collected/accessed.

The Assignment:

• Explain the concept of a knowledge worker.
• Define and explain nursing informatics and highlight the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
• Develop a simple infographic to help explain these concepts.

  NOTE: For guidance on infographics, including how to create one in PowerPoint, see “How to Make an Infographic in PowerPoint” presented in the Resources.

• Your PowerPoint should Include the hypothetical scenario you originally shared in the Discussion Forum. Include your examination of the data that you could use, how the data might be accessed/collected, and what knowledge might be derived from that data. Be sure to incorporate feedback received from your colleagues’ responses.

Write a 4 page paper using the 5 guidelines stated below and Include a bibliography at the end of the paper, listing the references (including readings and lectures) you cited.

DIRECTIONS

In this class, you will be writing a review of Matthew Desmond’s (2016) book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.

Your task is to review the book, explain how it relates to sociological research on inequality, and draw on course readings and lecture material throughout your paper.In your review, you should answer the following questions:

1. What is/are the central research question(s) of this study?What is Desmond attempting to figure out or explain? (Approximately 1 paragraph)
2. Describe the methodology used to answer the central research question.Know both the general story line of “what the researcher did” and the specific type of data and techniques the researcher utilized. (approximately 1 paragraph)
3. Describe the key findings of the study.What is the general import of the study?Does the data Desmond collected support his analysis and argument?How and why? Provide specific examples from the book to make your point.(Approximately 1-2 pages)
4. Where does Desmond fall on various debates we’ve discussed in class?How would some of the other scholars we have read for class explain his findings?For example, think about how some of the theories and findings we have discussed in class would relate to the various findings in his book. (Approximately 2 pages)
5. Optional: Briefly discuss whether or not Desmond’s findings are convincing. Why or why not?Do you have any criticisms? (Approximately 1 paragraph)

This review should be a critical essay explaining Matthew Desmond’s research. The essay should demonstrate that you have completed the required reading and that you have thoughtfully considered the main points, argument, and contributions of his research.The essay should be well-written and organized, and it should utilize evidence from Desmond’s work to support your summary and analysis of the research.In this assignment, you will also explain how Desmond’s research can be understood within the sociology of stratification more generally, requiring you to cite at least three readings and lecture material, drawing connections to theories, terms, and ideas we have considered in class.

OVERVIEW:

Topic: interracial coalition and conflict.

The readings for this week deal specifically with the issues around the Black Lives Matter movement through the lens of Asian American communities. As you read through the material, you should be formulating a response to the following prompt:

After reading, consider how the experiences of Asian American communities complicate narratives and discussions of race relations in America, which have traditionally been drawn from a black-white racial paradigm. If Black Lives Matter is centered on social justice issues, particularly around the issue of police brutality, how should Asian American communities play a part in such a movement, if at all? What concerns among these different groups? In what ways are there crucial differences that also need to be acknowledged?

NOTE: Your paper should be presenting an argument, but that argument must be drawn from actual research and not just “Well, I think that…”.

PROCEDURE:

Complete the assigned readings for this week. You should complete all readings as if this were any other assignment. Also think about any additional sources that you would like to utilize.

Submit a proposal or outline for what you would like to write about. You will need to submit a short write-up that includes: 1) The argument that you would like to make, and ideally, also 2) a proposed outline of what information that you will cover as a part of your paper. The proposal will be the primary written assignment for this week, in lieu of the typical discussion forum. I will provide any feedback for your ideas as needed.

After you have reviewed your final proposal feedback, complete your final draft and submit it by the due date. There will be a separate submission link to upload your final paper.

FINAL PAPER REQUIREMENTS:

Failure to meet any of the requirements below will result in various point deductions.

1. 4-5 pages in length (1,200-1,500 words).
2. Do not plagiarize. All work must be your own.
3. Include works cited page (does not count as a part of the page total).
4. Must use at least THREE (3) of the assigned readings for this topic.
5. Must incorporate at least TWO (2) more outside (credible) research sources.
6. Consistent MLA/APA formatting throughout.

Write a Summary-Response Essay( 500 – 800 words) about one of the six short stories we’ve discussed, considering it as a case history about evolutionary processes and relating it to Wilson’s ideas about evolution. [You may also cite other evolutionists we have studied this semester (Sherman & Billing, Miller, Sapolsky, Buss, Webster etc)].

Include comments on the story made by classmates which you admired or learned something from: quote or paraphrase the comment, or some part of it, putting the student’s last name in parentheses at the end of the quote or comment. Be sure to say what it added to your understanding of the story or evolution in general.

The Stories:

Peter Watts, from Blindsight (2006)

David D. Levine, “I Hold My Father’s Paws”(2006)

James Van Pelt, “A Flock of Birds” (Links to an external site.) (2003)

James Shirley and William Gibson, “The Belonging Kind” (Links to an external site.)(1986)

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, “Frog Pond” (Links to an external site.)(1967)

Isaac Asimov, “The Last Question (Links to an external site.)“(1956)

Topic: What evolutionary processes are at work in the story (survival evolution, sexual selection, artificial selection, cultural evolution)?

You must, of course, construct or quote working definitions of the types of evolution you think are shown in the story (as I did in Weeks 12-14) and then apply the terms of the definitions to the events of the story, using quotations from the story to support your viewpoint.

Here FYI are the definitions I provided of the different types:

Here are the four types of evolution we’ve dealt with:

1. Natural Selection: the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring… believed to be the main process that brings about evolution. (OxfordDictionaries.com)
2. Sexual Selection: a mode of natural selection where members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with (intersexual selection), and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex (intrasexual selection).(Wikipedia)
3. Cultural Evolution: the idea that human cultural change––that is, changes in socially transmitted beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes, languages, and so on––can be described as a Darwinian evolutionary process that is similar in key respects (but not identical) to biological/genetic evolution (Dictionary.com)
4. Artificial Selection: The breeding of plants and animals to produce desirable traits. Organisms with the desired traits, such as size or taste, are artificially mated or cross-pollinated with organisms with similar desired traits (Dictionary.com)

You should also refer to and quote at least once from Wilson, classmates in discussion, or other evolutionists we have studied.

How to do this:

1. Develop an introduction for your paper which states what story and what ideas you will discuss. (Depending on your own writing process, this can be either the first part you write, or even the last!)

2. Summarize the story you chose in one paragraph

3. Then show the evolutionary processes at work in the story, quoting from Wilson or others to define the processes, then using examples and direct quotations from the story to support your ideas.

4. Include comment(s) by classmates.

4. In one final paragraph, provide a final comment on the readings. Tell me what you found interesting or important.

For your Reaction Paper, you have two options. Please review them carefully to ensure you choose the one from which you will benefit most. Note that each option must be written in essay format (do not answer the questions in a question/answer format). The essay must include a clear introduction (including a thesis), body and conclusion in APA format. The sample paper attached to the assignment details provides a clear example of the formatting and paper expectations for this assignment.

OPTION ONE:
The focus of this option is our secondary text, Confusing Love with Obsession. Your paper should be at least five pages (roughly 1,250 words) in length. in length. While additional sources or references are not required for this assignment, you must use the selected source to support your argument (i.e, cite the selected sources in your paper). If you choose to quote, paraphrase, or summarize additional sources (including the texts), you must document them in APA format. Your paper must have a references page.

These are the questions/points to consider to which you should respond in your reaction paper:

1. Using sociologist John Alan Lee’s love styles (refer to pages 261- 263 of Intimate Relationships, and pay special attention to Table 8.7 ‘Styles of Loving’ found on the top of page 262) from chapter eight of “Intimate Relationships”, what is the predominant love style for most of the characters presented in the book, Confusing Love with Obsession.
2. What character if any did you identify with most from the book? This can be either yourself or someone you know.
3. Briefly outline the characteristics of the Obsessive Love Wheel at each stage of the wheel.
4. After reading the book, what knowledge did you gain about love addiction?

OPTION TWO:

This option allows you to choose from a selection of several chapters of books by scholar Deborah Tannen that are available electronically from the APUS library. As with the other option, your paper should be at least five pages (roughly 1,250 words) in length. Additional sources or references are not required for this assignment, but if you quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source (including the reading or the text), you must document it following APA format.

These are the questions/points to ponder that you can use to develop your reaction paper, but feel free to ask yourself additional questions. Remember that this paper should give your reaction to what you have read, meaning you may agree, disagree, or both. However, you cannot merely say you agree. You must explain why clearly.

• After reading the selection you have chosen, think about either your own situation that reflects the subject of the reading or about situations with which you are familiar, or both. You should not use full names or real people, please! It is preferable to give people aliases rather than use their names.
• Outline some of the characteristics of the communication situations described and analyzed in the reading.
• Did you identify with the people and situations in the selection? How? If not, how do you engage differently in interpersonal communication in similar situations to the ones described and analyzed?
• After reading the selection, what knowledge did you gain about interpersonal communication in general?

Here is the selection of readings:

Conversational Style: Analyzing Talk Among Friends (2005)
Deborah Tannen

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/apus/docDetail.action?docID=10254482

Read Chapters Two, Three, and Four

Family Talk: Discourse and Identity in Four American Families (2007)
Deborah Tannen, Shari Kendall, and Cynthia Gordon, eds.

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/apus/Doc?id=10194219

Read Chapter 1 plus any other chapter, 2-11

Gender and Discourse (1994)
Deborah Tannen

http://site.ebrary.com/lib/apus/docDetail.action?docID=10086928