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Observations about nursing leadership
Impact of leadership in nursing
What is power in nursing
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1. What type organizational structure does the facility you are precepting at use? How did you decide? The type of organizational structure that Willis Knighton Bossier (WKB) uses is the matrix structure. The matrix organizational structure has a vertical and a horizontal chain of command. (Marquis and Huston, 2015, p.315). This is the characteristic of the organizational structure at WKB because each floor/department has a similar chain of command. The patient care coordinator (PCC), who is in charge of the all the staff on his/her unit, is responsible for creating the staff schedule, and acts as an advocate for all patients. The PCC reports to the head nurse supervisor, who then reports to the superior. The head nurse supervisor is in charge …show more content…
How can nursing as a profession best improve its power base? Why? There are many different measures that can be taken to improve the power base for the nursing profession such as, higher education requirements and nurses recognizing that they are leaders. Higher education and knowledge of nurses is substantial to increase the power base because the more educated a society is, the more power that society can hold. The distinctive outlook is also significant to improve the power base because of the critical thinking skills, scientific knowledge and sense of care that nurses provide. It would be beneficial for all nurses to join the various organizations that advocate for nurses and the nursing profession because it is common knowledge that there is more power in groups. Ponte et al. (2007) explains that the nursing profession as a whole can establish power when nurses are “engaged in patient care, administrative leadership, teaching, and research”. They also identified several characteristics of a powerful professional practice including the aforementioned qualities of nurses as well as developing an impeccable character, collaborating effectively with other members of the healthcare team, participating in continuing education and skill development, and influencing decisions and resource allocation (Ponte et al., 2007). Nurses as individuals can work to improve the power base for nurses by adopting and maintaining the highest professional standards possible. According to …show more content…
However, when they lack the official status of a leader, they often fail to see their own strengths and make only limited efforts to establish a personal power base (p. 296).
In order to improve the power base set in the nursing field, it is imperative to teach upcoming nurses that they are leaders, even if they are not given a title of management. A leadership course should be a requirement in nursing programs, which will allow nurses to learn ways to adapt as a leader. All of these components are important to improving the power base but if the desire for change amongst the consumers and providers is not present, quality care that citizens want and deserve will not make its presence (Marquis and Huston, 2015,
Whitehead, D. K., Weiss, S. A., & Tappen, R. M. (2010). Essentials of nursing leadership and
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
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.
Healthcare is a continuous emerging industry across the world. With our ever changing life styles and the increased levels of pollution across the world more and more people are suffering from various health issues. Nursing is an extremely diverse profession and among the highest educated with several levels ranging from a licensed practical nurse (LPN) to a registered nurse (RN) on up to a Doctorate in Nursing. Diane Viens (2003) states that ‘The NP is a critical member of the workforce to assume the leadership roles within practice, education, research, health systems, and health policy’.
This addresses the environment in which nurses practices and strives for “an innovative environment where strong professional practice flourishes and where the mission, vision, and values come to life to achieve the outcomes believed to be important for the organization” (ANCC, 2008). This type of environment is accomplished by nurses working together towards a strategic plan outlined with facility policies and knowledge-based nursing and skills to achieve desired outcomes and accomplish organizational goals. I believe my facility does a great job with structural empowerment. Our nurse manager makes sure we know what our goals are as a unit. We review hospital satisfaction scores and infection rates to determine what practices need to be addressed for achieving organization and desired outcomes. We work to provide cost-effective care that exceeds national standards for excellence while working to strengthen bonds between staff members and making sure that at our facility “caring comes first”
Donnelly GF (2003). Why Leadership is important to nursing. In S Austin, M Brewer, G,
Organizational structure provides the framework to enable members of the organization to delegate responsibility, maintain accountability and structure authority. UMC utilizes organizational structure and has organizational diagrams readily available for review when necessary. The chain of command in the Neurotrauma Intensive Care Unit (NTICU) included the assistive personnel reporting to nursing, nursing reporting to team leader for the shift, sh...
Nurses are uniquely qualified to fill a demand for change through leadership. Unlike business minded individuals whose primary outcome concern is monetary, a nurses’ primary concern is organic: a living, breathing, tangible being. In a leadership role, a nurse might consider an organization as if it were a grouping of patients, or perhaps an individual patient, each limb with its own characteristics and distinct concerns. They can effectively categorize and prioritize important personal and professional matters and are therefore ideally positioned to lead change efforts. Perhaps most importantly, effective nurse leaders can provide clarity to the common goal and empower others to see their self-interests served by a better common good (Yancer, 2012).
Some aspects of the nurse’s job have been made easy and facilitated with the aid of other well trained professionals within their working environments. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2012), registered nurse’s performance has greatly improved over the years as a result of their coordination and partnership with the health care system with other health care providers. As a result, registered nurses are today seen to occupy important leadership positions in the healthcare system and they participate when they are making decisions for patients as well as for other
A very important concept that needs to be implemented world-wide is collaboration. Collaboration can be defined as “working with other individuals or groups to achieve a common goal. It differs from cooperation which involves groups working together to achieve their own individual goals’’ (Tomajan, 2012). This concept is critical in making the nursing image as clear and accurate as possible while also properly representing the profession. Worldwide, if nurses can represent themselves in a particular way, having the same ideals, morals, and knowledge, there would be little room for people to criticize the profession. Collaborating also allows for the formation of new ideas and discoveries, strengthening the knowledge of nurses and creating the opportunity for more authority. The entire profession as a whole need to help everyone understand what nurses really do for patients. Nurses are the invisible hand behind the success in every hospital or health-care facility. From a quick visit to the doctors to an emergency room visit, the ones the patients interact with and grow a relationship with are the nurses. The nurses know the ins and outs of every patient and have the direct connection with the patient along with tremendous knowledge and skills. This needs to be addressed in the media rather than challenging the nursing image. Giving
Support of a decentralized organizational philosophy can transform organizations, staff, and patients because it affects the culture, improves staff outlook, promotes personal involvement and encourages staff to reach higher levels of quality care. In my organization, nursing leaders should strive to involve all patient care units and staff in shared governance, educate unit leadership council chairs, and build on the positive aspects by empowering, motivating and developing staff members. These actions will increase creativity, responsibility, intellectual stimulation, and well-being.
They care and nurture patients back to health so they can develop and perform as highly as possible. Nurses must be willing to take the time to listen carefully to other staff members and patients for mutual respect and trust to evolve. Nursing leaders influence and motivate subordinates by building relationships and further developing the practice skills of individual team members. A Servant Leader makes sure the needs of the individual team members are addressed and any conflicts are dealt in way that enhances professional competency among nurses. Recognition that servant leadership advocates a more group-oriented approach to analysis and decision making helps to strengthen the organization and improve the healthcare community (Murphy,
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 power of knowledge gives a person the ability to influence other’s actions. In addition, when a person is knowledgeable and skillful in him/her profession, the rest of the team, including the leaders respected his/her decisions, actions or judgments. For example, nurses with years of expertise have the ability to exert power and authority over other staff with less level of knowledge. They may not be managers, but their leadership skills and outstanding competence made them role models in the delivery of quality patient care. They are valuable pieces inside the organization because they can guide the staff’s work toward the organization goals (Whitehead, Weiss, & Tappen,