The Nurse Manager : A Leader Of Nurses

Slide 1: The expectations of nurses today are higher than ever with goals such as achieving top percentiles in nursing and patient satisfaction, to being among the top leaders in quality outcomes, and to build productive work relationships and environments. Nursing leaders serve as the primary link between staff, physicians, and the community. They are expected to be innovative, highly skilled, possess a certain degree of nursing knowledge, and produce qualified individuals to care for the growing population. According to Lorber, Treven, and Mumel (2016) “nursing leadership is pivotal because nurses represent the most extensive discipline in health care”. Because of this growing need for diversity in leadership and my background in the military, I decided to focus on the MSN Executive Track at Chamberlain College of Nursing.

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

One mistake that new nurse leaders make is that they believe that the only way to get things accomplished, is to be direct and autocratic (Kerfoot, 2008.) The new leader’s fear of failing can influence them to take on the autocratic role to try and earn respect from their employees. However, this is not considered to be very effective among staff. When the professional nurse takes on the autocratic leadership trait and uses it on a daily basis, employees feel micromanaged. When a manager micromanages their employees they take the risk of lowering morale, and losing good workers (North, 2011.) Nurses have a lot of autonomy in their profession. They work independently and take responsibility for their actions. When they become micromanaged by their nurse leader, it takes away that autonomy and creates a work environment that is very low in morale, and can hurt the relationship between manager and employee. Often managers are experiencing a substantial amount of stress from the administration concerning budgets, deadlines, and high performance issues, but this does not justify micromanaging employees (North, 2011.) It is important to give your staff some independence; this lets them know you trust their judgment (North, 2011.) A nurse leader may also change their leadership style depending on if they are dealing with an inexperienced new graduate nurse, or an experienced veteran nurse.

Not all nurses go into the profession with leadership ideas. The nursing profession must produce leaders throughout the health care system. Leaders must function as workers, and administrators with leadership qualities, while still meeting their budgets and running effective units with high functioning and happy staff members. They need to trouble shoot necessary and work with the medical faculty while pleasing their staff and the administers.

I really had no idea what is was to be a nurse or let alone the responsibilities, the courage, and the determination it takes to not only complete nursing school and to continue to face the challenges of being an active nurse in the healthcare community. This leadership course and the clinical experiences I have had, provided me with an opportunity to grasp nursing beyond the what is taught at school. Understanding what it really means to be a nursing leader and the qualities of what a nurse must really equip him or herself on a daily basis are edifying. The purpose of this paper is to share with readers the valuable lessons I have learned and leadership qualities I have gained from several experiences, in addition to, how I will continue my journey and accomplish my goals as a future nursing leader.

A nurse’s role consists of providing care in a variety of settings to individuals, groups, families, and communities. They have to be strong, consistent and knowledgeable leaders, who inspire others and support professional nursing practice. When it comes to being a nurse in a top ranked hospital, leadership is an important part for a highly qualified professional practice

The registered nurse manager sees that the nursing staff is providing proper nursing care, following strict policy guidelines, as well as maintaining their budget and saving costs to avoid over-spending (Potter, p. 7, 2013). A manager is also responsible for being the leader of all nursing staff, whether that is in the hospital setting, nursing home, home health care, or other health care facilities. They are required to have professionalism, knowledge in advanced clinical practices, human resource management, financial stability, as well as coordination of patient care which is assigning patients to nurses, maintaining the workflow, and consistently monitoring the care and the quality that is being provided to their patients (Weiss, p. 19, 2015). Actually, teaching is also an important part that coincides with being a manager.

The four major components of nursing leadership are decision-making ability, influencing and directing others, facilitating process and relationship building (Paul, Day, & Williams, 2016).Very closely associated with leadership is the concept of management and though many people use the two terms interchangeably, it’s very important to know that leading is one of the key functions of management; the others are planning, organizing and controlling activities to pursue

Leadership is the multifaceted process of identifying targets and goals as well as supporting and motivating other people to act towards achieving mutually negotiated goals. In nursing, these goals and targets include coordination of day and night shifts, patient care, and change management. As such, nurse leadership skills are essential to ensure staff morale, successful operation of the shift, and managing challenging or difficult situations. Nurse leaders are, but not limited to, senior, frontline, and middle managers, chief executives, policy makers, administrators, and leaders in regulatory bodies. Nurse leaders must utilize their characteristics to demonstrate effective leadership and thus influence change.

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

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.

Nursing is a very complex career that at many times requires one to be a leader. Nurses can be leaders in formal roles and also on the unit during any given shift. Nursing is a career that truly tests the character and attributes of those who choose to enter this career. Leadership in nursing is vital in creating a successful environment for patients. According to Stichler (2006), “effective leadership is essential to transforming organizations into environments that are safe for both patients and staff” (p. 422). Therefore, it is vital that as new nurses start out his or her careers that they learn from great leaders who are already in the profession. There are several great leaders working in the field who have a plethora of

Being a nurse comes with many different duties and responsibilities. Every nursing job title plays a vital role in how a hospital runs. Nurses work together as a team to work efficiently with each other and to provide the best possible care to every patient. Nurses depend on each other to get their work done and for support along the way. Nursing students rely on current healthcare workers to teach them and show them how to function being a nurse. For example, an experienced nurse will show the tricks of the trade when it comes to time management or performing skills. Nowadays, finding a nurse that is eager to teach a new nurse or student are rare to come by. According to Cherry and Jacob (2014), “Today’s complex health care environment requires that every nurse – regardless of his or her role or setting – provide leadership to advance excellence in nursing practice and patient care” (p. 287). A good nursing leader has to exhibit certain qualities. They need to be genuine and compassionate in the care of others, have great listening skills, organizational skills, knowledgeable, and remain having a positive attitude.

What do you think of when you hear the word leadership? I think of someone who is in a position of power and is leading everyone to a better future. That could be considered a little idealistic, but it is a pleasant thought. Now we all know a leader is someone who leads people to complete sets of common goals and tasks. Leaders are everywhere. They are doing everyday things and seeing everyday people, but they are leaders in their profession, and that includes nursing. You could say that nursing is a profession that runs on leaders, and these leaders have different styles of moving about and getting things done. There are different types of leaders, different theories regarding those leaders, and what traits those individuals need to exhibit to be a good, or even exceptional leader.

Before I started this leadership/management coarse I had no idea what qualities a good leader manager needs to hold. I had no idea a registered nurse was considered a leader/manager. Now that I have reviewed all the chapters in the Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing (Marquis & Huston, 2015) I have a full understanding of how important leadership/management functions play in a nurse’s career. Chapters 12-25 describe roles and functions that are needed for a nurse to become a successful leader/manager. These chapters discussed the roles and functioning of organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling.