| Course | NUR 431 Leadership Practices for the Professional Nurse |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 8 |
| Paper type | Closing leadership reflection journal |
| Length | About 370 words, 3 pages |
| Format | Journal entry with APA 7 citations |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 431 Module 8
Module Eight Journal
What I Could Not Order: Influence Without Authority on a Rural Night Shift
In my first journal I asked how to stay close to the work without disappearing into it. I expected the answer to be about time management. It turned out to be about influence. As night supervisor I can make assignments, but most of what makes a night go well sits outside anything I can order. I cannot order the laboratory technician at home to answer the phone faster, the tele-hospitalist to see a patient sooner or a traveler to feel safe in the emergency department. I can only make those things more likely.
Three moments taught me that. The first was the float refusal. My instinct was to insist, and it made things worse; asking what the traveler could safely do produced a plan, and later a floating agreement that has prevented the same argument twice since. The second was the remark I made at 4 a.m. to a nursing assistant, which reminded me that people report problems to leaders they trust, and that trust is spent faster than it is earned. The third was the huddle. I could have mandated it. Instead, a nurse, a respiratory therapist and the tele-hospitalist group's director helped shape it, and the on-call staff now join because they see what it catches, not because I told them to.
The course readings named what I was learning. Kouzes and Posner (2017) describe enabling others to act as one of the core practices of exemplary leaders, fostering collaboration and building trust rather than directing. The review by Cummings et al. (2018) found relational leadership styles consistently associated with better outcomes for nurses than task-focused ones. Kotter (1996), for his part, placed a guiding coalition near the start of any change, which is exactly what made the huddle work.
I am keeping two practices. When I disagree with someone about an assignment, I will ask what they can safely do before I ask why they will not do all of it. And before I introduce any change, I will find two or three respected people outside nursing to shape it with me. Neither practice requires authority, which is the point.
References
Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S. P. M., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 85, 19-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.04.016
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). Wiley.
What the NUR 431 Module 8 instructions ask for
The final journal in NUR 431 usually asks you to reflect on your growth as a leader across the course. Prompts often ask how your leadership philosophy has changed since the first module, which concepts or assignments were most meaningful, how you will apply what you learned in your current role and what leadership skills you still want to develop. Many instructors expect you to refer back to your first journal and to at least one course reading, cited in APA 7. A page or two, first person, is the usual length. Grounding each point in a specific moment from your practice or your projects makes the reflection far more convincing than general statements about growth.
How this NUR 431 Module 8 journal example is built
This journal opens by returning to the question the writer asked in Module 1 and reports that the answer turned out to be about influence rather than time. It then uses three moments from earlier modules, a float refusal, a remark at 4 a.m. and a huddle shaped by a guiding coalition, to show how the writer learned to lead without relying on authority. The second part connects those moments to three course sources on enabling others, relational leadership and guiding coalitions. Its last paragraph commits to two observable habits. The writer and setting are composites, and the three sources are real.
Where the NUR 431 Module 8 rubric puts the points
Grading of the final leadership journal tends to reward how deeply the writer reflects, how firmly the reflection is tied to readings, how well it carries into current and future practice, and how clearly it is written. Depth shows when the writer describes a real change in thinking with a before and after, ideally quoting or summarizing their own first journal. Connection earns full credit when readings explain the change rather than simply appear in a list. Application is strongest when commitments are specific enough that a colleague could see them. Staying within the length the prompt sets, while covering all of these, is part of writing well for this assignment and is often noted by graders.
NUR 431 Module 8 help: the mistakes that cost points
Final leadership journals often lose depth by summarizing each module instead of tracing one real change in thinking. Another common weakness is general enthusiasm for leadership with no specific moment behind it. Some writers name readings without connecting them to anything they did. Others end with broad goals, such as being a better leader, that cannot be checked. Reread your first journal, find the question or belief it contained, show how specific moments changed it, use one or two readings to explain why, and close with practices you will carry into your next shift, stated so plainly that someone could watch you do them. Leave out anything you would not actually do.
Get NUR 431 Module 8 written to your instructions
Paste your first NUR 431 journal or summarize it, list the moments from the course that mattered most and add the final journal prompt. A closing reflection in your voice is ready in 24 to 48 hours, and the first sample is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
More NUR 431 papers and related RN to BSN samples
- NUR 431 Module 1 Journal: A Leadership Philosophy in the First Month
- NUR 431 Module 2 Short Paper: Two Leadership Theories on One Night Shift
- NUR 431 Module 3 Short Paper: A Float Assignment Nobody Wanted
- NUR 431 Module 4 Project One Team Analysis: The Night Team Nobody Sees All at Once
- NUR 431 Module 5 Short Paper: Tele-Hospitalist Coverage as a System Trend
- NUR 431 Module 6 Short Paper: Emotional Intelligence and Self-Care at Night
- NUR 431 Module 7 Project Two Leadership Action Plan: A Nightly Cross-Department Safety Huddle
- NUR 350 Module 8 Discussion
- NUR 300 Module 7 Final Project
- NUR 301 Module 2 Short Paper
- NUR 490 Module 8 Reflection Discussion
NUR 431 Module 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 431 Module 8 journal sample?
This page offers the full journal free: a night supervisor's closing reflection on influence without authority, linking three moments from the course to three leadership sources and ending with two specific practices. Journals built from your own course work can be requested.
What should the NUR 431 final journal include?
How your view of leadership changed since the first module, the moments or assignments that changed it, course readings that explain the change and specific practices you will use going forward.
What does influence without authority mean in nursing?
Leading people you do not directly supervise, such as colleagues from other departments or physicians, through trust, collaboration and shared goals rather than formal power.
Should I refer to my first NUR 431 journal?
Yes. Comparing your current view with what you wrote at the start is the clearest way to show growth and is often explicitly expected.
How many sources does the final NUR 431 journal need?
Usually one to three course readings, cited in APA 7 and used to explain your reflection rather than listed at the end.