NURS85012- Week 9: Financial and Resource Management 

“Successful practice change efforts require both strong senior leadership and collective and distributed leadership throughout the practice. Leaders should recruit individuals to serve as evidence champions from all parts of the practice—including physicians and other clinicians, practice managers, and front and back office staff. Practices want champions who are not just focused on implementing a particular piece of evidence, but who share a vision and provide ongoing support for evidence- based practice.” 

-Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2018, p. 2) 

Change cannot occur with simply a good plan. Change can only occur with human support and resources to facilitate the change. As a nursing leader, your efforts to implement and sustain change are vulnerable to the champions around your efforts. 

This week, you will explore the role of the change champion. You will analyze the benefits and necessities of identifying and cultivating these leaders, as well as explore who these individuals might be in implementing your practice problem change. 

Reference: Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality. (2018). Using champions and opinion leaders to support learning, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/evidencenow/tools-and-materials/using-champions.pdf 

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

Contrast change champions and opinion leaders 

Analyze human resources needed to support practice changes 

Assess practice change progress and outcomes 

Learning Resources 

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce) ▾ 

Practicum Resources (click to expand/reduce) 

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Optional Resources (click to expand/reduce) 

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Discussion: Change Champions 

Change does not occur in a vacuum. Change must be made through leaders who initiate, support, and lead the change. Think of your identified or potential practice problem. Who are the leaders tasked with implementing this change? You should be a part of this list of leaders, but who else is championing the change? Who else is supporting the change and leading the way? 

Change can be hard, but change is also inevitable. Thus, change champions understand the purpose and necessity of change and offer this insight and support to the organization. How might your leadership skills and strategies produce more change champions? 

Photo Credit: AYAimages/Adobe Stock 

For this Discussion, you will contrast change champions and opinion leaders. You will consider the necessity of change 

for your practice problem, and explore the human impact and resources needed to support your proposed practice 

change. 

To Prepare 

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Review the Learning Resources addressing change champions and opinion leaders. 

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Reflect on the human resources that may be necessary to support your proposed practice change. Consider the impact of leadership styles in making this change. 

By Day 3 of Week 9 

Post a description of the differences between change champions and opinion leaders. Be specific and provide examples. Then, describe the human resources that may be necessary to support your proposed practice changes and 

explain why. 

By Day 6 of Week 9 

Read a selection of your colleagues’ blog posts and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days 

by expanding upon their responses or sharing additional or alternative perspectives. 

Submission and Grading Information 

Grading Criteria 

To access your rubric: 

Week 9 Discussion Rubric 

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Post by Day 3 of Week 9 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 9 

To Participate in this Discussion: 

Week 9 Discussion 

Assignment 1: Meeting With Your Preceptor 

Meet with your preceptor to share the project management tool you completed in Week 8. Meet with your preceptor to discuss, clarify, and verify the progress of your proposed practice change, based on your project 

management plan. Work with the preceptor to determine 

the information technology and financial resources needed for this practice change. 

This is an ungraded Assignment. There will be nothing due in Week 9. 

You are not required to submit this Assignment this 

week. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

Looking Ahead: Final Project Management Plan 

After meeting with your preceptor, revise your project 

management plan. Submit your final project management plan by Day 7 of Week 10. 

Photo Credit: NicoElNino/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images 

What’s Coming Up in Week 10? 

Next week, you will continue your exploration of your practice problem, evaluation of evidence, and development of your project management plan through working with your team and preceptor to further assess the problem. You will explore the impact of the practice problem and develop a communication plan. 

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