Parkway: Leadership and Nursing Home Directors

Transformational leadership will guide the current metamorphisis that is taking place in the nations skilled nursing facilities. Long term care for elders is transitioning from the skilled nursing facilities to community based settings such as assisted living facilities, retirement communitities, home health and adult day care facilities. This leaves the traditional nursing home faced with the changing needs of health care in our society. It is forecasted that skilled nursing facilities will become the transitional acute care centers for rehabilitation as hospitals are now discharging complex patients earlier than before to satisfy HMO’s and financial restraints. The ma and pa nursing home of the past will have to succumb to this drastic change in order to survive financially. This transition must be led by transformational leadership in order to be successful. A study in 2008 by Neilson et all on the effects of transformational leadership in long term care, determined that this leadership facilitated a higher job satisfaction amongst long term care workers and a sense of well being. The employees who dedicate their lives to eldercare

This paper aims to address and discuss about the leadership and management of the nurse leader interviewed. This experience was a great opportunity to witness first hand how a nurse leader cultivate and manage their staffs in real life setting. Moreover, it provides a great access to gain insight and knowledge about nurse leaders’ vital responsibilities and role diversities in the organizations they work with. Nurse leaders pay more specific and close attention in handling the staffs and most importantly, patient care.

Nursing guidance is a complex but essential part of the nursing workforce. Guidance can come in the form of management and in the form of leadership. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but do not always mean the same thing. The nurse manager is often someone who has authority from the facility to be in management. The nursing leader may not have authority over other nurses, but may be a strong guide in the workplace for other nurses and nursing staff. Nursing as a profession is ever-changing and increasingly challenging. Nurse managers are tasked with an enormous variety of functions in their respective workplaces, budgeting, scheduling, hiring, disciplinary actions, implementing facility policies and procedures, and the

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

Having effective leadership and management is essential for any health care facility to operate. Both leadership and management are an essential part to delivering quality healthcare to the patients that they serve. The foundation to any facility is nursing which must be led by the best leadership and management available for its continued success. This is the key to helping that facility to achieve a high level of patient and employee satisfaction. Having adequate staffing for any facility is an issue that many facilities face due to the shortage of nurses. This paper will compare and contrast nurse leaders and managers thoughts with the use of contract employees to assist with the shortage of nursing staff. It will also show support with theory, principles, skills, and roles of the leader versus the manager. It will also identify the writer’s personal philosophy of nursing as well as explain her own personal style of leadership.

The 2000 IOM study of quality of long-term care recommended addressing nursing aide turnover by improving training, career development, gaining respect from administrators, clarity of roles, participation in decision making, organizational recognition, and management of workloads (Sullivan-Marx & Gray-Miceli, 2008). Nurses working in long term care facilities must comprehend their role as leaders and work together with unlicensed assisted personnel to engage in best practices to improve the scope of practice in long term care

The national nursing shortage is predicted to continue to rise to levels that have not been seen since the 1960’s (Fasoli, 2010). Managers must create an environment that is conducive to employees. The leader needs to promote organizational commitment and retain employees by promoting a positive culture on the unit. Nurses want an environment where they can provide high-quality care to patients and leaders must help facilitate and maintain this environment. Employees also want to feel like their opinions matter to the manager, and they have a say in the future of the unit. Employees do not want to feel like they are not important, or their voices are not being heard.

Leadership is essential in providing excellent health care in nursing. Being a nurse is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it easy to develop leadership skills that will enable a nurse to become the best that he or she can become in their career. High demands of taking care of patience that are in critical condition to the typical situations that cause nurses to carry heavy workloads. All of these aspects can contribute to pressure and stress in the work place when not handled correctly. According to two articles; the first article was written by Elizabeth A. Curtis, “Developing leadership in nursing: the impact of education and training.” The second article “Obstacles and problems of ethical leadership from the perspective

This paper will discuss different concepts of nursing leadership. It will define the Director of Perioperative and Cardiovascular Services personal leadership style and philosophy of leadership. It will discuss how this leadership style influences organizational behavior and the behavior of staff.

Long term care Facility A, managed by an autocratic individual that closely monitored employees, made all organizational decisions, and lead through intimidation and fear. Facility A nursing home administrator targeted and fired individuals that challenged authority resulting in exceptionally high employee turnover rates. Drastically different, resident-centered Facility B’s NHA demonstrated a democratic leadership style that fostered teamwork, collaboration, and encouraged group problem-solving, emphasizing cooperation and employee participation. Notified of a state inspection, Facility A assigned employees to specific areas throughout the facility to ensure state standards were met and devised temporary, short-term changes to improve processes and the appearance of the facility. Also notified of the state inspection, Facility B, known for previously-established high standards, prepared employees, engaged residents, and required no last minute changes to prepare for the surveyors since all patient records and standards were up-to-date and in place. Facility B incorporated strong leadership principles, employee engagement, and elevated standards into the culture of the organization to promote patient safety and remain resident-focused. In creating a culture which concentrated on patient care, employees are empowered to meet the goals, mission, and vision of the organization, there is low turnover rates, happy

The attention of the nurse leader should focus on influencing the staff nurse towards the realization of the hospitals goals. For the leader to be effective she must foster a work environment where the staff feel they have input. The leader appreciates that all people are created differently and must know each person’s strengths to assure they are able to attain positive patient outcomes (Gottlieb, Gottlieb, & Shamian, 2012). Staff need be aware that creativity is welcome and needed to accomplish daily tasks. For the leader to foster this environment she must, above all, be visible (Huber, 2014). When the day is falling apart, I have always felt refuge in seeing a face that can make things better. Secondly, the leader needs to be effective in communication (Huber, 2014). If the nurse is expected to perform a task properly, the nurse must be aware of what is expected and be informed of any changes of this expectation. Lastly, the leader can create democratic environment by motivating staff (Huber, (2014). A good leader will motivate by example. This means, if the leader expects staff to be on time to work, the leader must be on time also. If the leader needs staff to get creative about staffing hours, reward the person who comes up with a workable idea. If the nurse leader wants a nurse who practices autonomy, give the nurse the tools and freedom to make decisions, then recognize this quality. Most people want to go to work and do a good job, therefore, give them the resources to make this a

Due to the ever changing health care system and the reduction of resources, nursing demands are greater which has led to work related stress and ultimately nursing burnout. Nursing burnout has had a significant impact on nurses not only personally, but professionally in addition to impacting the delivery of quality care. Sadly, "we are facing an unprecedented crisis in the profession of nursing; many would be (and should be) nurses are choosing other careers, many wonderful nurses are leaving nursing, and many of the nurses who are staying in the profession are not happy" ( Todaro-Franceshi, n.d., para 3). As a nursing leader, the first step is recognizing that your staff may be potentially suffering from burnout and act upon it immediately, thereby, preventing job dissatisfaction and burnout. Literature continues to reveal that care providers, especially nurses and physicians struggle with this pervasive issue "which impacts their ability to relate to patients and focus on work in a way that avoids medical errors" ( cited by Rousell, 2016, Shandafelt et al., 2012, p. 51). The strategies in creating a positive work environment for nurses would be the

The study showed that the higher the hours per patient day and registered nurse hours per patient day, there was a lower level of missed patient care. It also showed that absenteeism played a role in patient care with higher absenteeism causing more missed patient care. Higher case mixed index values had lower missed patient care. The study is showing that patient care is not being thoroughly completed and that certain parts in the patient care is being missed. Absenteeism had the least effect on patient cares.

In the healthcare field, nursing leaders and managers face consistent issues in their respective practices that force them to alter the way they work and the way they think. In taking on a role as a leader within the field, nursing leaders and managers also take on the role of ensuring that work within an organization runs smoothly regardless of new issues that may arise in the healthcare arena. For instance, in today's healthcare environment, the issues of nurse shortage and nurse turnover have the capacity to alter the healthcare field and many of its respective branches and organizations should these problems not be managed properly by the leaders in the field. In viewing the issue at hand and in discovering how nursing leaders and managers are expected to act, and do act, in order to approach this issues, along with pinpointing the best approach possible to aid this issue, one can better understand which leadership styles are necessary for leaders to function.

What do the data on employee injuries, incidents, absences, and turnover suggest to you? Is there reason for concern about the company’s direction?