Nursing Development

Nursing in healthcare settings has grown so complex that it is no longer possible to standardize, routinize, and delegate much of what the nurse does. Increased acuity levels of patients, decreased the length of hospitalization, and the proliferation of healthcare technology and specialization have increased the need for highly experienced nurses (McHugh, 2011). The complexity and responsibility of nursing practice today requires long-term and ongoing career development. Characteristically, the proficient performer perceives situations as wholes, rather than in terms of aspects, and performance is guided by maxims (McHugh, 2011). Experience teaches the proficient nurse what typical events to expect in a given situation and how to modify plans

A team leader is not only responsible for their own emotions, but also for the emotions of the team they lead and the clients of the team. McHugh (2011) discusses how leaders are responsible for influencing and directing their subordinates, and one of the most powerful ways to accomplish this is through the use of emotional dynamics. In order to influence and move people, one must possess the knowledge and skills of emotional competencies (McHugh, 2011). The same concept of an individual affecting other individuals through the use of their EI competencies can be applied to the group level. McHugh (2011) suggests that leaders who are emotionally intelligent are essential to developing a climate where employees are encouraged to perform to the best of their ability. When the leader is helping the group develop its norms, the climate that is developed maintains a consonance with the team leader’s individual personality (McHugh, 2011). If the norms developed reflect the team leader’s personality, it could be argued that the emotional intelligence norms developed on the team would reflect the emotional intelligence competencies of the team