Leadership : A Leader 's Role As A Nurse

The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey is the first national, standardized, publicly reported review of patients ' perspectives of hospital care. While many hospitals have collected information on patient satisfaction for their own internal use, until HCAHPS there was no national standard for collecting and publicly reporting information about patient experience of care that allowed valid comparisons to be made across hospitals locally, regionally and nationally.

HCAHPS survey is a patient satisfaction survey required by CMS (The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service for all hospitals in the United States. HCAHPS identified the attributes of affective support, health information, and quick response as the elements of nursing care in the interaction and relationship between patient and nurse that determine patient satisfaction. High score of these elements would increase the hospital competition.

Change can be challenging and studies have shown that most nurses practice the way they were taught, not by what has been proven to work (White & Spruce, 2015). Strategies for implementing practice changes that involve careful planning and the utilization of employees who can motivate participation, be champions for change, and influence others are important (Huber, 2014). Job descriptions, mission statement, and vision should all be incorporated with evidence-based practice and it is useful to have discussions with staff during any meetings. Using a variety of interactive strategies to encourage the acceptance of change and having leaders that are positive examples, who advocate for the use of evidence-based practice, provide resources and processes, and who are accountable for their actions is essential. Health care culture is affected by current issues and trends such as the expectation of patient-centered care with improved quality and safety, reimbursement changes, introduction of electronic medical records, and the increased need for

To transform health care successfully, nurses must be focused in improving quality of care. There are many reports that reveal evidence of quality deficiencies of the healthcare system, as well as, many systems and processes that guide quality improvement efforts.

Nurses need to understand the constant changes in the nursing profession. The shift is in patient care that transforms from specialty care to primary care and to deliver the care in the community rather than in the acute care area. Nurses would be enabled to practice within the full extent of their education, training, and competency levels creating better care in the health care community (Institute of Medicine, October 5, 2010). As an RN in surgery our department is constantly implementing more defined models of patient care through the use of teamwork, professional collaboration, and education of staff and patients. The nurses in our department demonstrate strong leadership capabilities that ensure the completion of assigned tasks.

The Clinical Leadership is an emerging nursing role among the interprofessional group of Registered Nurses. This role was developed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in collaboration with an array of leaders from the practice environment. Two American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) task forces were convened to identify (1) how to improve the quality of patient care and (2) how to best prepare nurses with the competencies needed to thrive in the current and future healthcare system.

As the health care system trends toward a new approach to delivering care, the nursing profession must become engaged in the transformation. According to the 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on nursing future, this revolution will have great impact on the nurse’s practice, education, and leadership (National Research Council, 2011). As history has unveiled, the profession, once again, has potential to grow stronger with the ever-changing world of health care. By shaping the nursing practice to conform to these changes, the demand for

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2012), the nurse manager plays an important role in clinical leadership including providing quality care and safe practice; moreover, participating in collecting data regarding care outcomes. The leader is responsible for designing and implementing evidence based practice to prevent any errors on the unit; the collaboration between the management and other healthcare professionals will enhance the improvements in the patient’s optimal outcomes (ANA, 2012). The nurse manager/leader will enhance the integration and cohorts of patients to achieve the optimal standard of care; when an error takes place the manager advocate for the patient’s safety, follow up on the event, and take the proper steps

Leadership is a shared responsibility of all nurses, regardless of job title, experience level, or area of practice. A strong nursing leader is an individual who thinks critically to evaluate their care, implements evidenced-based practice, advocates for their patients, practices within their full scope, and works to improve their skills throughout their career (Canadian Nurses ' Association, 2009). According to the Canadian Nurses ' Association 's position statement on nursing leadership (2009), it is vital that the "development of nursing leaders … begin at the onset of every nursing education program and continue throughout the career of every nurse" (p. 1). Although student and graduate nurses are in a position of learning, discovery, and development, they still have the potential to be strong leaders within their practice environment.

Press Ganey’s Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is an important survey used by my organization to change practices to deliver care that is focused on increasing patient satisfaction scores. HCAHPS is an important

Valentine (2012), had stated that, nursing leadership does has the ability to develop both leadership and the clinical skills. Nurses do have the opportunity to be trained on the latest technology and to operate medical equipments but sadly at the bedside they hardly get the opportunity to apply even a basic leadership principle. Nursing profession need to have the responsibility to support and encourage nurses to take up the leadership role and guide them to be a competent leader (Alleyne & Jumaa,

Catalano implies that leadership is the capability of a person to persuade the actions of peers and other members of an organization, motivate others within the circle to work towards a common shared goal that may include providing high-quality client care, maintaining a safe working environment, developing new policies and procedures, and increasing the power of the profession. (Catalano, 2015). Leaders generally emerge formally or informally and may consist of new nurses or seasoned well experienced nurses. The leader does not necessarily have authority delegated to him or her in the clinical setting the “power” usually emerges from peers within the group. (Anderson, 2012) Key attributes of an effective leader consist of: Providing effective

Globally the responsibility of clinical nurses is increased to play a leadership role within healthcare settings. Great leaders inspire and expect great performance, they foresee the future and direct people towards the desired future, they bring out the best in people, they inspire trust and deliver sustainable results. Leadership styles within the nursing practice can be weighed by understanding the relationship between management and planning, change operations and organization structure. Leaders can be managers but not all managers can be effective leaders, making leadership an important aspect of effective management (Tappen, Weiss and Whitehead, 2004). Good leadership creates good teams with low stress and better patient

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (n.d.), the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a standardized survey utilized to understand a patient’s perception of hospital care. The HCAHPS survey is comprised of five separate categories of topics, including your care from nurses, your care from doctors, your experiences in the hospital, when you left the hospital, and understanding your care when you left the hospital. The following will address three measures to improve patient satisfaction scores within the subject when you left the hospital.

Nursing as a profession is the largest component of the healthcare workforce in America. There are 3 million Registered Nurses in the country, and the Healthcare settings have been changing since the “2010 Affordable Care Act” (ACA). Nurses are the most influential in this fundamental transformation. However, a number of obstacles prevent nurses from being up to the professional code in their responsibilities and practices in the changing Healthcare environment, and these hurdles need to be jumped to lead change and advance health (IOM Report, 1)