Class 501 Unit 4 Comment 3

Purpose: Comment the Discussion (Class 501 Unit 4 Comment 3

Thing to Remember:

Answer this discussion with opinions/ideas creatively and clearly. Supports post using several outside, peer-reviewed sources.

1 References, find resources that are 5 years or less

No errors with APA format 6 Edition

To Comment

Several weeks ago I was working my shift in the ER, when we received a call from registration that there was a man seizing in the car out front.  A group of us ran out with a stretcher, got the patient out of the car, and took him inside as he appeared to be having seizure activity.  Apparently the ER doctor was familiar with this patient and assumed he was faking, and made it clear to everyone, very loudly, that she felt that way.  She even went as far as to test his reflexes, and when his hand didn't fall and hit his face, she loudly stated that it was "miraculous".  I was very unhappy about this interaction, because fake or not the patient clearly was having some sort of issue that he believed he needed help with, and he didn't deserve to be treated that way.  I feel that had I have been more of an opinion leader, I would have felt more comfortable confronting the physician about her actions.

      "Opinion leaders are clinicians who are identified by their colleagues as likable, trustworthy, and influential" (Hamric, et. al, 2014, p. 277).  There are opinion leaders for every category imaginable, such as those who believe that healthcare cost and affordability is one of the major topics in healthcare today ("Nursing leadership").  Pharmaceutical companies have also recognized how respected medical professionals who speak highly of their products, can help them, and have utilized this for nearly a decade (Sismondo, 2013).

I see myself as an opinion leader because not only am I very opinionated, in my environment I have the most knowledge of work with pediatric patients, so many of my coworkers will ask me if they have questions in that subject.  

Hamric, A.B., Hanson, C.M., Tracy, M.F., OGrady, E.T. (2014). Advanced Practice Nursing: An Integrative Approach (5th ed). St Louis: Elsevier.

Nursing leadership from bedside to boardroom: opinion leaders' perceptions top line report. (2010). Virginia Nurses Today, 18(1), 4-6.

Sismondo, S. (2013). Key Opinion Leaders and the Corruption of Medical Knowledge: What the Sunshine Act Will and Won't Cast Light On. Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41(3), 635-643. doi:10.1111/jlme.12073