Practicum Journal: Health Service Administration, Townview Center

This practicum journal details a student's mentorship experience within a health service administration program at Townview Health and Rehabilitation Center. The journal focuses on the student's involvement in day-to-day patient care activities under the supervision of a registered nurse, including recording vital signs and patient admissions. The student observed and analyzed leadership challenges, particularly regarding staff call-offs and their impact on patient care, and the importance of leadership qualities within the healthcare setting. The journal reflects on specific incidents, such as a patient's fall due to lack of staff availability, and relates these experiences to theoretical concepts from relevant research. The student also discusses the role of healthcare administrators in planning, supervising, and coordinating staff duties. The journal highlights the transition from employees to leadership positions and the implementation of positive changes within the healthcare sector. It provides a comprehensive overview of the student's learning experiences, including insights into the daily work of a healthcare administrator, and the importance of punctuality and responsibility in patient care. The student reflects on the impact of leadership on the healthcare sector and its ability to improve outcomes.

Running head: PRACTICUM JOURNAL
PRACTICUM JOURNAL
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

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During the last semester of my master’s degree in health service administration, I have
gain experience in care of patient by working under the registered nurse supervisor. It was my
mentorship program which started from May 15 to 31st May. The journal focus on the role of
management that have faced issues of changes with respect to the census. The working employee
are least conscious regarding the high number of calls off and due to down in census there has
been cancellation of nurse and aides. For the journal submission, I would like to discuss my
mentorship at Townview Health and rehabilitation center which focused on the transition from
employees to a leadership position and how to be a fair leader. I will discuss about my
experience during mentorship where I was involved in day to day activities in care of patient
under RN supervisor.
Township Health and rehabilitation center is working to make their employee a perfect
leader. The center is facing the issue of calls off from the volunteer and not executing their
responsibility and duty with perfection. In my learning event I was assigned to take care of
patients, record their vital signs and take admission of new patient. I used to make reports of the
patients and give information to the supervisor for new admission. These learning activity has
helped me to work on my weak areas and additionally I came to know about the current status of
health care sector. During my mentorship learning activity I observed huge call offs from the
aides end and as the result there was poor management of the patient. I had to go from one floor
to another for the test, reports and admission which was the most difficult part. I was given night
shift in my learning activity were there was two calls off from volunteer and clinical handover
was the option to over-shadow their work. There has been delay in tests and examination of the
patients. Such incidence was sign of irresponsibility and lack of leadership quality. It is evident

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from the study of Herman (2016) that lack of leadership in staffs result in delay in effective
work. Such theoretical context actually have practical meaning.
I would like to describe incidence that took place during my learning activity, I
encountered a patient who had hip fracture. The patient tried to go to the bathroom by himself, as
no nurse was around him. As I saw I assisted him and reported the incidence to the health care
administrator. This incidence may have turned out to be worse and result in injury. From
research such topic Afsar, Badir and Kiani (2016) suggested that workplace irresponsibility
result of lack of leadership quality. Hence, to solve the issue we had meeting with the higher
authority. As per the study of Heiman and Artiga (2015) the role of Health Care Administrator is
to plan, supervise and coordinate the duty of the staffs and health care facilities. They had
comprehensive meeting where they explained process of positive working and way to improve it.
I analyzed there as well as my primary role during my practicum activities. The health manager
and supervisor majorly focus on the working of aides and nursing staffs in order to establish and
maintain the record of patients and keep them in security by the use of latest technology. They
work to establish leadership quality in every staffs so that we can self-coordinate our work
without nay hurdles. According to the research by Smit et al. (2016) transition of employee to a
leadership leads to less frequency of call offs and cancellation of nursing staffs. The crucial
negative point in my whole experience was lack of maintenance of record of patients. There was
delay in x-ray and test report which was leading in ineffective care of the patients.
I learned that, being a nurse I have to execute my work with punctuality and with
responsibility. My day to day activities have built an insight for leadership and become
accustomed with the reason of cancellation of nursing staff. I have learned so many things about
being a good leader and supervisor, administrator and manager in health care organization during

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my mentorship. I got golden opportunity to get engage in day to day activities in care of patients.
The learning from my mentorship has given me idea about the daily work of health care
administrator and I was able to know how they are indulged in implementing positive changes
for the betterment of health care sector.

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Reference
Afsar, B., Badir, Y., & Kiani, U. S. (2016). Linking spiritual leadership and employee pro-
environmental behavior: The influence of workplace spirituality, intrinsic motivation, and
environmental passion. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 79-88.
Heiman, H. J., & Artiga, S. (2015). Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in
promoting health and health equity. Health, 20(10), 1-10.
Herman, R. D. (2016). Executive leadership. The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership
and management, 167.
Smit, B. W., Maloney, P. W., Maertz Jr, C. P., & Montag-Smit, T. (2016). Out of sight, out of
mind? How and when cognitive role transition episodes influence employee
performance. human relations, 69(11), 2141-2168.