Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Critically reflect upon ethical principles relevant to your applied scope of practice

2. Formulate strategies for integration and functionality within a multidisciplinary team

3. Appraise leadership and managerial skills relevant to your scope of practice

4. Design a plan for ongoing professional development.

Task Description

You will need to complete a portfolio of three sections, as outlined below:

Section 1: Applied ethics

In this section, discuss two (2) situations where an issue involving ethics has come into play during your clinical practice. Please do not include any information that may identify any participants in the situations you describe. Please start with an introduction to the situation, and research/articulate the ethical principles you felt were in play and what any issues or conflicts were. Following this, please offer a discussion of your thoughts and findings based upon the following questions:

• Were the issues resolved? If so, how? If not, what was the result?
• How did you feel about either being involved in or bearing witness to the situation?
• How will this affect your future clinical practice?
• Are you comfortable with your current knowledge of ethics as part of your practice? Is there any self development you need to undertake?

Section 2: Integration into a multidisciplinary team

Health care professionals have an ever-increasing responsibility to act as members of multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring good communication and teamwork form the foundation of quality patient care. In this section of your portfolio, research and document what you feel are important qualities to espouse and skills to engage to ensure you are an effective member of a multi-disciplinary team. In documenting your response, also consider:

• Why the integration of health care professionals is important to quality patient care?
• Barriers to effective team membership or engagement.
• How these barriers may be overcome (in the interests of patient safety and advocacy).

Section 3: Leadership & management

In this section, reflect on situations you have experienced during your own clinical practice and/or clinical placements in this course and document your thoughts on areas such as:

• What you think are good overall qualities or traits to espouse as a leader or manager?
• What you think are good communication strategies to engage?
• Your visibility & accessibility as a leader/manager?
• Your experiences with mentoring (either as a mentor or mentee)
• How you currently offer feedback (positive & negative) and could you improve?
• Promoting positive practice environments including advocacy
• Conflict management.