Assessment InstructionsPreparationFor this assessment, you may choose one of the following three options for a performance dashboard to use as the basis for your benchmark evaluation.Option 1: Dashboard and Health Care Benchmark Evaluation SimulationIf you decide to use one of the simulation dashboards for your evaluation, review both dashboards, as well as the relevant local, state, and federal laws and policies linked in each dashboard. Choose one of the dashboards and consider the metrics within it that are falling short of the prescribed benchmarks.Option 2: Actual Dashboard From a Professional Practice SettingIf you choose an actual dashboard from a professional practice setting for your evaluation, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes:The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on.The specific type of care delivery.The population diversity and ethnicity demographics.The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization.Note: Ensure that your data is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information.Option 3: Hypothetical Dashboard Based on a Professional Practice SettingIf you have a sophisticated understanding of dashboards that are relevant to your own practice, you may also construct a hypothetical dashboard for your evaluation based on that setting. Your hypothetical dashboard must present at least four different metrics, at least two of which must be underperforming the relevant benchmark set forth by a federal, state, or local laws or policies. In addition, be sure to add a brief description of the organization and setting that includes:The size of the facility that the dashboard is reporting on.The specific type of care delivery.The population diversity and ethnicity demographics.The socioeconomic level of the population served by the organization.Note: Ensure that your data is HIPAA compliant. Do not use any easily identifiable organization or patient information.Report RequirementsStructure your report in such a way that it would be easy for a colleague or supervisor to locate the information they need. Be sure to cite relevant local, state, or federal health care laws or policies when evaluating metric performance against prescribed benchmarks. Cite an additional 2–4 credible sources to support your analysis and evaluation of the challenges in meeting the benchmarks, the potential for performance improvement, and your advocacy for ethical action.Note: The tasks outlined below correspond to grading criteria in the scoring guide.In your report, be sure to:Evaluate dashboard metrics against the benchmarks set by local, state, or federal health care laws or policies.Which metrics are below the mandated benchmarks in the organization? Evaluate weaknesses within the entire set of benchmarks.What are the local, state, or federal health care laws or policies that set these benchmarks?Analyze challenges that meeting prescribed benchmarks can pose for the organization or for an interprofessional team.What are the specific challenges or opportunities that the organization or interprofessional team might have in meeting the benchmarks? For example, consider:The strategic direction of the organization.The organization's mission.Available resources:Staffing.Operational and capital funding.Physical space.Support services (any ancillary department that supports a specific care unit in the organization, such as a pharmacy, cleaning services, and dietary services).Cultural diversity in the organization.Cultural diversity in the community.Organizational processes and procedures.How might these challenges be contributing to benchmark underperformance?Evaluate a benchmark underperformance in the organization or interprofessional team that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance.Which metric is underperforming its benchmark by the greatest degree?Which benchmark underperformance is the most widespread throughout the organization or interprofessional team?Which benchmark affects the greatest number of patients?Which benchmark affects the greatest number of staff?How does this underperformance affect the community the organization serves?Where is the greatest opportunity for improvement in the overall quality or performance of the organization or interpersonal team—and ultimately in patient outcomes?Advocate for ethical action in addressing the benchmark underperformance that has the potential for greatly improving overall quality or performance.At which group of stakeholders should your advocacy be directed? Which group could be expected to take the appropriate action to improve the benchmark metric?What are some ethical actions that the stakeholder group could take that support improved benchmark performance?Why should the stakeholder group take action?Communicate your findings and recommendations in a professional and effective manner.Ensure that your report is well organized and easy to read.Write clearly and logically, using correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.Integrate relevant sources to support your arguments, correctly formatting source citations and references using current APA style.Did you cite relevant local, state, or federal health care laws or policies when discussing the mandated benchmarks?Did you cite an additional 2–4 credible sources to support your analysis, evaluation, and advocacy?

Preparing a Strategic Career PlanGraduation and certification are the beginning of your career as an NP. Whether you are looking for that dream job or you have decided to open your own practice as an independent NP, you need a plan to get there. Before the Web and social media, job hunting was relatively simple. Job hunters perused the classifieds, made cold calls, and many times just showed up with a resume in hand. There has been a dramatic change in the last decade in how people find and get jobs, and NPs are no exception. For those seeking employment now, there is a wealth of resources available from mega employment websites to specialty blogs. Finding a job as an NP may not be a big challenge, but landing the position that you have passionately prepared for and pursued is going to take some work. A well-crafted cover letter and resume may be necessary items, but it may not be enough to get you exactly where you want to be. With so many opportunities and career trajectories available to NPs today, you need to focus and get serious about what you want to do and where you want to do it.DirectionsIn this Assignment, you will develop your own strategic career plan for starting your new career as an NP. There are many steps that need to be accomplished. Use the following guidelines to design your career plan. You do not need to include references. This is a plan that you may layout how you wish. Be creative, and really think about what you desire as a nurse practitioner. As everyone will have different goals, there are no right or wrong answers in this plan.It is time to take inventory and ask yourself some questions. What is your career vision? Be specific and honest. Where do you want to work? What are your short term and long term goals (give timeline). What are the most important things you are looking for? Discuss your desires for salary, vacation, sick leave, CME allowance, medical benefits, retirement, etc. Perhaps you have a niche such as managing chronic diseases in patients over 65 years old.Next, describe your ideal work situation. Is it a rural clinic or major trauma center? Who is your target patient population? Do you have a passion for a particular population or specialty? What schedule do you want? What are the priorities in your career right now? Where do you see your career in five years?How do you plan on researching opportunities (whether looking for employment or independent practice site)? List several methods such as job fairs, the Web, and medical employment agencies.Networking is essential for today’s healthcare provider. Discuss your networking ideas. What Internet resources might you use to network and connect with other healthcare providers?How will you prepare for the interview? What specific steps will you take?Imagine you are starting your own practice. What population will it serve? How will you market your practice? What personnel will you need to hire? How will you obtain funding? Will you be open extended hours to meet the needs of working patients? Will you be the sole provider, or will you hire other providers?