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The Field Of Nursing : An Esteemed Profession That Has Grown And Evolved Over The Past Centuries

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Nursing is an esteemed profession that has grown and evolved over the past centuries. Through leaders like Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, Mary Eliza Mahoney, and Dorothea Dix, the field of nursing has been developing to command the respect it deserves. Each day, nurse leaders are influencing the profession on a smaller, yet equally as important scale. Through managers, charge nurses, nurse educators, and more, nurses in leadership positions are spearheading changes that improve the state of our health care system. Leadership can be defined as "whenever one person attempts to influence the behavior of an individual or group—up, down, or sideways in the organization—regardless of the reason" (Hersey & Campbell, 2004). This is a very …show more content…

In this role she is responsible for educating nurses how to recognize when to call and provide support to the patient when she arrives to a call. Throughout her thirty-four years of experience she has developed into an excellent leader and learned many valuable lessons which she was kind enough to pass on. This paper will reflect on her career, what she has learned, and provide valuable advice to aspiring nurse leaders. There are many different leadership types and styles. Some styles are more effective than others and different people utilize different types in different situations. Rhonda described her leadership type as "coaching." She feels that you get the most out of your employees when you help and motivate them. When employees are disengaged, Rhonda tries to motivate them by working alongside them and helping them with their patients. If a nurse seems unmotivated, Rhonda will ask them how she can help out; she offers to help transport patients, turn them, or anything else that the nurse may need. By showing nurses that she is willing to help, she feels that nurses often follow her lead. I feel that by this description she exemplifies a servant leader. A servant leader is one who puts their employees first and values interpersonal relationships. Rhonda also described how she values her employees feedback and involves them in decisions.

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