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Nursing consists of many management and leadership opportunities. However, not every nurse is suitable for a position in which they lead or manage others. There are various styles of leadership, some of which are effective. An institution’s leadership has an impact on the quality of care provided to patients, as well as the attitude and values of the staff. In fact, “effective leadership among nurse managers has been associated with staff nurse job satisfaction and retention” (Azaare & Gross, 2011).
“The nature of leadership style in nursing management” written by John Azaare and Janet Gross discusses a study conducted to examine the various leadership styles of nurse managers and the views of the staff nurses on those methods. The study took place at two hospitals located in Ghana, Africa, where it has been suggested that within the organization of nursing leadership there is a deficiency of knowledge. There is not one specific style of leadership used among the nurse managers in Ghana.
This study began with a focus on answering three research questions pertaining to the character of the leadership style used by nurse managers, the opinion of the staff nurses regarding the leadership approaches, and the suitability of the leadership style for quality and efficient health care. The research design used was ethnography in which in-depth interviews took place that were semi-structured and flexible. Key informants, defined as staff nurses who worked closely with the nurse manager, nurses from hospital one, and nurses form hospital two were asked open-ended questions in a one-on-one basis to promote honesty.
At the first hospital nine units where nurses worked in shifts were under the leadership of a nurse manager. ...
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...d be taught how to effectively lead others. Perhaps being in charge and managing a nursing unit for a day, under supervision, would be a good learning activity for students.
Nurses who are interested in being a manager should be required to undergo leadership training before being considered for the position. If a nurse is already in a management position, but has not undergone leadership training, they should be offered a course.
Regardless of how one looks at it, effective leadership is essential to provide safe, competent care to patients.
Works Cited
Azaare, J., and Gross, J. (2011). The nature of leadership style in nursing management. British Journal of Nursing (BJN), 20(11), 672-680. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from http://cgez.waynecc.edu:2176/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=bf2057e4-de76-4f82-b311-e8e653e444be%40sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=20.
Whitehead, D. K., Weiss, S. A., & Tappen, R. M. (2010). Essentials of nursing leadership and
Roussel, L., & Swansburg, R.C. (2009). Management and leadership for nurse administrators. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Ferguson L, Calvert J, Davie M, et al. Clinical leadership: using observations of care to focus risk management and quality improvement activities in the clinical setting. Contemp Nurse. 2012;24(2):212-224.
Lorber, M., Treven, S., & Mumel, D. (2016). The Examination of Factors Relating to the Leadership Style of Nursing Leaders in Hospitals. Our Economy (Nase Gospodarstvo), 62(1), 27-36. doi:10.1515/ngoe-2016-0003
1.Casida, J., & Parker, J. (2011). Staff nurse perceptions of nurse manager leadership styles and outcomes. Journal Of Nursing Management, 19(4), 478-486. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01252.x
According to Yoder-Wise (2011), “Leadership is the use of personal traits to constructible and ethically influence patients, families, and staff through a process in which clinical and organizational outcomes are achieved through collective efforts” (p. 612). The following paragraphs will explain components of leadership of an anonymous healthcare facility.
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.
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.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2012). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application. (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Leadership is defined by Northouse (2013) as a transactional experience between persons whereby one individual influences a group of individuals who have a mutual goal. Leaders may hold authority attributed to them by the group, substantiated by how they are regarded, whether or not they have positional authority. In contrast to management, where the goal is to provide order through control, leadership is concerned with producing change through transformation and practical adjustments (Northouse, 2013). Because of the nature of nursing, its obligation to promoting health and healing of people, nursing leadership concentrates change efforts based on human needs and concurrently ponders the needs of administrations largely because they understand the interrelatedness of the two influences.
During my interview with Regina Martinez, BS RN and currently an Assistant Director of a home health agency, I discovered her leadership style matched the above quote. Martinez had extensive experience in management prior to joining the medical field. As a single working mother, she worked her way up from waitress to manger of a popular seafood restaurant. However, her dream had always been to become a nurse and she began her medical career as a certified nurse’s aide (CNA), while working through college. She graduated from nursing school with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and has been a Registered Nurse (RN) for more than two decades. She quickly earned the respect of doctors and fellow nurses, becoming a Charge Nurse on the floors she worked. She has worked as Medical Surgery nurse, emergency room, and as Director of Nursing for home health and long-term care facilities where she was responsible for over 150 employees.
One of the challenges facing nurses today is learning how to be an effective leader. Assessing and analyzing the style of leadership the nurse possesses is the first step in facing the challenge. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and understand the characteristics of my style of leadership from an assessment performed by Gallup Strength Finders and DiSC and compare the strengths I have in common with Eleanor Roosevelt.
...elly, P., & Crawford, H. (2013). Nursing leadership & management. In Nursing leadership & management(2nd ed., pp. 168-177). Canada: Nelson Education.
Doody, O., & Doody, C. (2012). Transformational leadership in nursing practice. British Journal of Nursing, 21(20). Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.ohiou.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3655bc92-b9ec-4a08-84d8-f5d3098ddfdf%40sessionmgr120&vid=17&hid=116
These characteristics of a nurse manager show how their leadership plays a role in their position in the nursing field. Without this position in the nursing structure, it would be very difficult to produce positive results in providing optimal patient ca...