ALAP: Leadership Development for Junior Nurse Corps Officers
Introduction
Staff Corps Officers (Doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Physician Assistants) in the United States Navy receive several topics of instruction during their five week Officer Development School (ODS). This school is the Staff Corps equivalent to enlisted Boot Camp or Officer Candidate School (OCS) which is a 12 week Boot Camp for Line Officers. During the five weeks at ODS, Staff Corps Officers are given instruction on topics such as, but not limited to, Naval leadership, Naval administration, Naval organization, sea power, military law, military indoctrination, Naval warfare, and damage control. As you can see, this is a large amount of information being taught over five
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Within the Navy it is said, everyone is a leader, but leadership is a trait some individuals are born with and others must learn. Throughout the Navy Nurse Corps developing these traits and skills are crucial career requirements. Without being a successful leader, one will never be afforded opportunities to lead numerous Sailors, thus preventing them from promoting through the ranks and potentially preventing them from making a career out the Navy. Horner (1995) describes leader development as, “a lifelong process that attempts to produce positive attitudinal, intellectual, and behavioral changes in individuals to make them more effective leaders; increase their capacity to lead and prepare them for new and greater responsibilities consistent with the accomplishment of organizational goals.” Among junior Nurse Corps Officers, most are unprepared for leadership responsibilities when faced with the opportunity because they are not natural born, well balanced leaders and have received very little training on the subject. This is one reason why the Navy Nurse Corps must attempt to integrate more leadership training within the …show more content…
As a nurse, Naval Officer, and leader I believe everyone deserves a chance to learn (ISLLC Standard 1), it is my job to ensure my Sailors are provided with the right tools to succeed (ISLLC standard 2), that it is my duty to develop Sailors through delegating tasks according to abilities (ISLLC standard 3), and make every attempt to be fair and ethical to all (ISLLC 5). However, not every military leader practices according to these standards and no two people lead the same way. Within the Navy Nurse Corps, or any organization, you are only as strong and successful as your weakest person. Therefore, unskilled or weak leaders can be detrimental to any organization which is another reason why leadership development training courses should continue past
The SPCC is targeted to commissioned officers in grades 0-5 (Lieutenant Colonel) or 0-6 (Colonel) who have been centrally selected to command TO&E (Troops, Organization & Equipment) Sustainment Units. This course provides training in modular force operations for newly selected command designees, enabling them to function effectively throughout their command tour. The focus is current and emerging sustainment doctrine and leadership topics for commanders. Training received during the SPCC at Fort Lee is intended to complement the Pre-Command Course (PCC) program of instruction (POI) at Fort Leavenworth, KS; making training consistent at both locations.
A leader must always lead by example, be self-accountable for his/her professional and personal behavior. Have moral and mental strength to do what is right, with confidence and resolution, even in the face of temptation or adversity. A leader must be committed to its SAILORS, so that its SAILORS will be committed to him/her. In today’s Navy, we must be leaders in
Whitehead, D. K., Weiss, S. A., & Tappen, R. M. (2010). Essentials of nursing leadership and
...o the students who are in SEAL training, but have not yet completed all 3 phases). The twenty or so men who graduate with stern faces and hardened bodies, show little resemblance to the wide eyed kids who arrived on the quarter-deck six and half months earlier to set sail on the journey of a lifetime. The moment of reflection and rest is short lived though. For now it is off to jump school, then assigned to a Seal team on the East or West Coast. Once on the Seal Team, it becomes clear that training has just begun. From now on they must prove worthy of wearing the coveted “Trident” Naval Warfare emblem. Once at Jump School these determined men will now start learning the proper techniques of jumping out of a perfectly good plane. This is known as Post BUD/s training. This is a thirty-week course that teaches you everything you need to know about war combat, and jumping techniques.
A military officer must manage pieces of one of the largest organizations in the United States government - an organization that accounts for the third largest piece of the American budget and is comprised of 1.3 million active sailors, soldiers, airmen, and marines, many of whom are tasked with being deployable to any location within 48 hours. This is only possible through concise, professional communication on the part of every service member, especially
For many officer cadets at RMC the First Year Orientation Programme (FYOP), is often the greatest challenge they will face both in their lives at the college and in their military careers in general. For First Years, the challenge comes from having to function in a stressful environment marked by daily inspections, demanding physical activity, frequent punishments, and limited time to connect with loved ones through either phone calls or email. Meanwhile, for the third and fourth years in charge of them, the challenge comes from making sure that their assigned ‘flights’, which range in size from eighteen to twenty individuals, successfully learn, often through the use of strict discipline, the skills they will need to effectively integrate
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.
2. Once accepted inside the academy, the cadets undergo both military and academic training so as to hone them for their roles as future military officers. They are exposed to rigorous training for the development of their stamina, endurance and physical characteristics. Their character is also developed as they engage in the different trainings requirements inside the academy. They were engaged in different trainings that will help them to be a better one. Cadets follow a daily schedule in which they wake up early, fix their beds, clean their rooms, and dress up for reveille. Since they are full in duties, they have limited time to do their own personal stuffs. This however, will help them to develop stability under pressure that despite limited time, they can still work for their compliances, prepare for their personal things and even for the next duty, both under the military training requirements and academic requirements. This set up is necessary since the cadets must be well trained physically, mentally, emotionally, and also academically.
They are influenced by their family of origin, their education, their work experience, and the people they interact with. For Ms. Eckert this has all brought her to her current career position and approach to leadership. She holds leadership not only as the challenge and difficult task that many people today see it as. She also views it as an amazing opportunity to influence others. Ms. Eckert also noted the importance of coaching others, both in their nursing development, and in their leadership potential. This is particularly important as we are facing rapid change within the nursing field. There should be a certain amount of mentorship to learn from those who have experience and to develop one’s own skill. For Ms. Eckert some of the main elements she discussed as contributing to a strong leader are the willingness to coach others, emotional intelligence, a sense of spirituality, valuing diversity, and openness to change and innovation. It should then be the hope of future nurses to emulate this idea of leadership and personal growth as members of the healthcare
Donnelly GF (2003). Why Leadership is important to nursing. In S Austin, M Brewer, G,
Whether it is in healthcare or in a corporate office, leadership is about having a vision and making it into a reality (Parker & Hyrask, 2011). In healthcare with all the changes that are constantly happening it is imperative that our leaders in nursing continue to evolve and continue to prioritize in their nursing units. To continue to embrace your career as a nurse leader it is essential to always make sure they have professional development and continue to provide great care for all their patients (Parker & Hyrask, 2011). This all needs to be done while they lead their staff and continue to have fiscal responsibility. To be a leader in the nursing field one must possess certain characteristics such as assertiveness
Leadership has always been a frightening word and a role I would often avoid. The thought of leading someone in the wrong direction is even more intimidating. Nevertheless, being a leader should not be something I avoid. However, I should embrace it now that I am seeking a degree in Nursing Education. Identifying my strengths and how to effectively implement them into my advanced practice role will assist me in becoming a great leader. Identify traits that I have can also help me understand how to use them in a leadership role. Hopefully, after this assessment I will view leadership from a different perspective.
Non-Commissioned Officers are deficient in vital areas of leadership due to a lack of training. This leads to inexperienced Soldiers becoming inexperienced leaders. The NCO corps needs to develop and enforce comprehensive interactive training that will challenge the next generation to achieve a functional level of communication skills before advancing to leadership positions. This will generate leaders who can write effectively, speak meritoriously and teach adaptively while training others to do the same.
(Become a Nurse Leader. n.d.). A nurse leader is someone who leads by example and helps their team meet goals by empowerment and healthy work environments. Continuing my education and working on my Bachelor of Science degree will help me attain my goal later in life, of being a nurse leader. Being a nurse leader involves lifelong learning and advancement. I believe treating others how you want to be treated is a good way to be successful in leadership. Everyone makes mistakes and it is how we learn from them that makes us a better person. I will be a nurse leader that is honest and encouraging. I will use personal experiences to relate to my team. I will adopt characteristics from various leadership styles to form my own. If the situation calls for a more autocratic role such as during an emergency or code, that is the style I will use. If the democratic or transformational approach is more appropriate, then that is the style I will lean towards.
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.