Leading and Management
Leading and managing take on different meanings depending on one’s perspective. A registered nurse (RN) in healthcare may not fully internalize his or her role as “leader” on the team, but the responsibility inherent with licensure to practice, understand expectations and fulfilling them, is essential. Effective delegation is an important leadership strategy for any RN to learn and execute, as patient outcomes are ultimately tied to the RN assigned.
In the scenario provided, there were several key factors that could have resulted in a poor quality outcome for the patient. There were a number of tasks assigned to the Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), which required special training or competency. It was difficult to validate that the LVN had been deemed competent to perform the more specialized skills with the information available. Clarifying the LVN’s skill set and having full understanding of her training would have been critical for the RN in charge. Further, the LVN was simply not delivering the care that had been assigned. The RN needs to critically evaluate the situation. The LVN may have felt intimidated, lacked the skill, failed to understand the assignment, or any other variety of reasons. The point is the patient was not receiving the care needed and an intervention was required. “Delegation is both an art and a science. It includes cognitive, affective, and intuitive dimensions,” states Marjorie Barter (2002). All RN’s, regardless of assignment, should remember that “leaders do more than delegate, dictate, and direct. Leaders help others achieve their highest potential,” (American Nurses Association). The RN would have been remiss in not pursuing an answer to why the LVN appeared to be avoiding ce...
... middle of paper ...
... to serious harm to the patient. In the State of Texas, RN’s are ultimately accountable, and failure to embrace that responsibility and manage it effectively can be costly for all involved. The RN should not be resisting the idea of leadership, but rather engaging in building tools, knowledge and resources to help facilitate his or her role as a leader for the sake of patient care.
References
American Nurses Association. (n.d.). American Nurses Association. Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://www.nursingworld.org
Barter, M. (2002). Follow the team leader. Nursing Management, 33(10), 54-57.
Five rights of delegation. (n.d.). Texas Board of Nursing. Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://www.bon.texas.gov/practice/pdfs/Delegation-fiverights.pdf
Murphy, S. S. (1995). Scope of Practice. Legal handbook for Texas nurses (p. 41). Austin: University of Texas Press.
The American Nurses association defines delegation as, ‘The transfer of responsibility for the performance of a task from one individual to another while retaining accountability for the outcome’ (Saccomano, 2010, p. 523). When delegating to staff or members of your team, it is important that it is used appropriately and within the proper guidelines. It is common to see RNs delegating in the hospital setting to the LVN or nursing assistant, however, the RN must know the limitations and what is within their scope of practice. Unfortunately, even if the nurse uses these guidelines, conflict can still occur with other staff making the process more difficult. Having the responsibility to delegate, especially as a new registered nurse, can be daunting,
Approximately 100 years ago a Board of Nursing (BON) was established to help ensure the protection of society through rules and regulations of proper nursing practice. The goal of the BON is to provide “regulatory excellence for public health, safety and welfare” (National Council of State Board of Nursing [NCSBN], n.d., para. 1). The duties of the board is to implement the Nurses Practice Act, handle licensures, accredit nursing programs, develop policies, rules, and regulations and develop standard practice (NCSBN, n.d.). As we continue throughout this paper we will be looking specifically at the Mississippi Board of Nursing (MSBN) and how it is governed.
Nursing leaders ' responsibility extends to become a voice for the nurses and for offering quality in patient care, not just at their organizations but spanning the whole communities, interacting with law makers in revising regulations and laws, with researchers and educators. Nurse leaders, in particular those at manager and supervisory levels are spread sparsely. They are involved in business planning, human resources, information management and writing reports. It is advisable for them to refocus the leadership on care which matters to patients which is the essence of
As a nurse it is our primary job to protect and promote the well being of patients throughout the health care industry. Each nurse has the responsibility to practice faithfully and to uphold all ethical values. These values are outlined and regulated by two very important entities, The Nursing Practice Acts and the Texas Board of Nursing. Nursing Practice Acts, are specific laws in each state that define a nurse’s scope of practice. These acts were first established in 1909 with the purpose of protecting public health, safety, and welfare. Their purpose is to provide rules and regulations that will protect society from unsafe and unqualified nurses. Nursing professionalism is rooted in the ethics and ...
The comparisons of Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) and Registered Nurses (RN) are simply the bases for all nurses. LVNs and RNs protect the patient’s privacy, provide safe environments, and administer medications and treatments. The Texas Administration code (2007) says all nurses will, “accurately and completely report and document: the client’s status including signs and symptoms; nursing care rendered; physician, dentist or podiatrist orders; administration of medications and treatments; client response(s); and contacts with other health care team members concerning significant events regarding client’s status”(D). Nurses are to maintain a professional nurse-client relationship; it is their responsibility to know and recognize what that entails. Nurses are bound by law to provide nursing care without discrimination regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, health problems or socioeconomic status. Some other similarities include measures to prevent the spread of infectious pathogens, collaboration with other health care team members and patient, prevent patient harm.
Murphy J, Quillinan B, Carolan M. "Role of clinical nurse leadership in improving patient care." Nurs Manage 16, no. 8 (2012): 26-28.
In healthcare it is very important to have strong leaders, especially in the nursing profession. A nurse leader typically uses several styles of leadership depending on the situation presented; this is known as situational leadership. It is important that the professional nurse choose the right style of leadership for any given situation to ensure their employees are performing at their highest potential. Depending on which leadership style a nurse leader uses, it can affect staff retention and the morale of the employees as well as nurse job satisfaction (Azaare & Gross, 2011.) “Nursing leaders have the responsibility to create and maintain a work environment which not only promotes positive patient outcomes but also positively influences teams and individual nurses” (Malloy & Penprase, 2010.) Let’s explore two different leadership styles and discuss how they can enhance or diminish the nursing process.
According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is defined as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations” (American Nurses Association, 2016). Nurses have many jobs and responsibilities and wear many different hats. Nurses can perform at many different levels depending on their scope of practice which is defined by the board of nursing in one’s state of residence. It is important as nurses to understand and follow
The Nurse Practice Act defines the process of Delegation as Authorizing an unlicensed person to provide nursing services while retaining accountability for how the unlicensed person performs the task. It does not include situations in which an unlicensed person is directly assisting a RN by carrying out nursing tasks in the presence of a RN (Texas Board of Nursing). The nurse must consider patient safety as priority while assigning task to LPN/ Unlicensed Nursing Assistant. The five rights of delegation that is right task, the right person, the right circumstances, the right directions and communication by RN and right supervision by RN can help guide Registered Nurse in assigning patient care to LNP and UNP. The Registered Nurse must also
Hospital administrators will charge nurse leaders with ensuring that patient positive outcomes prevail while also controlling overhead. Nurse leaders are specially trained just for this task. Clinical Nurse Leaders are the experts that America’s patients will rely on to keep them safe and healthy in hospital settings.
Nurses in Texas works under their scope of practice when their acts are consistent with the Texas NPA and performing assignments for which their received training and evaluation, providing safety
...iation. (2009). ANA Position Statement: Patient Safety: Rights of Registered Nurses When Considering a Patient Assignment. Washington, DC: Author.
Huber, D. (2014). Decentralization and shared governance. Leadership and Nursing Care Management, (p. 246). St. Louis, Missouri:
In today’s society, leadership is a common yet useful trait used in every aspect of life and how we use this trait depends on our role. What defines leadership is when someone has the capability to lead an organization or a group of people. There are many examples that display a great sense of leadership such being an educator in health, a parent to their child, or even a nurse. In the medical field, leadership is highly used among nurses, doctors, nurse managers, director of nursing, and even the vice president of patient care services. Among the many positions in the nursing field, one who is a nurse manager shows great leadership. The reason why nurse manager plays an important role in patient care is because it is known to be the most difficult position. As a nurse manager, one must deal with many patient care issues, relationships with medical staff, staff concerns, supplies, as well as maintaining work-life balance. Also, a nurse manager represents leadership by being accountable for the many responsibilities he or she holds. Furthermore, this position is a collaborative yet vital role because they provide the connection between nursing staff and higher level superiors, as well as giving direction and organization to accomplish tasks and goals. In addition, nurse managers provide nurse-patient ratios and the amount of workload nursing staff has. It is their responsibility to make sure that nursing staff is productive and well balanced between their work and personal lives.
The nursing profession has changed drastically over time. The roles and responsibilities that nurses take on have increased and become far more complicated. Nurses are managers, leaders, supervisors and have become experts in many areas of care. Every day nurses are faced with the task of improving and strengthening professional leadership within their work environment. Managing good quality and eliminating risk is the major challenge in health care. All members of the team must work together to accomplish outstanding patient care. Budget cuts and nursing shortage in all areas of health care leads to less licensed staff, where use of unlicensed personnel have been used widely, where delegation is not an option, but a necessity. Nurses must be aware of delegation guidelines, what tasks to delegate,when to delegate for the safety of patients, liability of nurses and the facility.