Every Nurse Is A Leader

Tiffany Kasten DQ1

The charge nurse in my unit (NICU), makes assignments, solves problems, keeps track of impending deliveries to which we will be invited, makes rounds for status updates, makes sure assignments in the 'back' nurseries are reasonable and appropriate. She helps out w/critical pts and admissions; if all three admit nurses are used up, she may have to take the next admit, or try to move babies around to free up other nurses. She does not take a patient assignment unless there is absolutely NO choice. She assigns the "chores"--checking frig temps, meds, transport stuff, calibrating bedside testing equipment--and makes sure they are accomplished. The charge nurse needs to have a lot of patience, good people skills, be able to prioritize in their sleep. He/she has to work w/medical staff, respiratory, ancillary personnel, and the 16-22 or so nurses. They staff for the oncoming shift after making rounds and getting updates on the babies to ensure acuity and proper staffing ratios.

Although there are no educational requirements beside obviously and RN license, most charge nurse positions require applicants to have 2-5 years of experience preferably in that unit before doing so. According to William, "The charge nurse makes assignments and delegates tasks, determining what role each nurse plays within the department. She needs skill in matching employees with the assignments that complement their strengths. She also needs to inspire respect from her employees so they recognize her authority. In addition, a charge nurse sets the tone for the department and ideally sets a positive example for others to follow."

Williams, E. (2018, December 27). Characteristics of a Charge Nurse. Retrieved from  https://careertrend.com/characteristics-charge-nurse-29135.html

Layla Loveless DQ1

Clinical Nurse Leaders (CNL) are nurses who can practice in any healthcare setting across the continuum of care (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2020). The role of the CNL was developed by the AACN in collaboration with other nurse leaders. Initially, this was done to enhance the quality of patient care and help prepare nurses with the skills they need in a transforming health care system (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2020). A Clinical Nurse Leader can work at the point of care with patients being the center focus, while also collaborating with other caregivers. The role of the CNL can extend to policies, data collection, and payment structures, in order to provide quality care that is the safest for the patient (Southern New Hampshire University, 2018). The AACN recognizes that quality patient care starts at the bedside. However, nursing leadership moves past this to the managerial and administrative levels. To bridge this gap, Clinical Nurse Leaders act as a relay. They have a responsibility in evaluating patient outcomes and recommending changes. In order to be successful, Clinical Nurse Leaders acts as an advocate for both bedside nurses and patients. It is because of this bridging role, CNL need to be successful in building relationships with coworkers and coordinate care between team members (Sacred Heart University, n.d.). 

Two prominent leadership styles are democratic and affiliative. A democratic leadership style would allow other nurses/team members to have a say in the decision-making process, but ultimately relies on the leader to make the final decision (Sacred Heart University, n.d.). This style of leadership is beneficial because it encourages open communication with staff and actively seeks input from the team. An affiliative leadership style would place the team members first. This style promotes positivity in the workplace, team building, and conflict resolution. This leadership style would be beneficial to help build a sense of community and trust among the team members (Sacred Heart University, n.d.). 

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2020). Clinical nurse leader (CNL). Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/CNL.

Sacred Heart University. (n.d.). The many roles of a clinical nurse leader. Retrieved from  https://onlineprograms.sacredheart.edu/resources/article/the-many-roles-of-a-clinical-nurse-leader/.

Southern New Hampshire University. (2018). What is a clinical nurse leader? Retrieved from  https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2018/08/what-is-a-clinical-nurse-leader

Quinetta Petite DQ1

There is a growing rise and need for nurses now because of the current burnout of those already employed, as well as those seeking steady employment due to the global pandemic COVID19 and those who are motivated towards a career that is selfless and helps many others. Along with growing rates of the career itself, there is the growing capability for nurses to take more hands-on leadership roles within the field. Prior, there was certainly a hierarchy but now we are seeing more specific and formally trained positions. For instance, leadership within nursing can be considered any administrative or executive work alongside the daily medical duties they must fulfill. One job description is a Clinical Nurse Leader or Clinical Nursing Officers (CNOs). Their position requires that they develop new practices to maintain the quality of a patient's safety or properly implement and lead other nurses in the previous practices as well, providing training and care. To a certain degree, a CNO is someone who acts as a direct messenger between other people in leadership roles or management, such as a working physician, as well as patients to streamline effective communication and coordinate responsibilities. A couple of traits and leadership aspects outlined by the American Outline for Nursing Leadership, necessary for the appropriate and effective application of this role would be, ‘holding the truth’, ‘Holding multiple perspectives without judgment’, and ‘Diversity as a vehicle for wholeness’. (AONL 2015). Within this role, these aspects all create a beneficial leader. It is vital that a nurse in a leadership position make sure truth and integrity are a top priority to keep a patient's comfort and safety first, there also needs to be a severe lack of judgment, so everyone receives the same exact quality of care. To be successful a nurse in this leadership position must also appreciate the diversity of all kinds, again to be completely unbiased and caring. 

Reference 

ANOL. (2015). The Science, The Art, The Leader Within: Nurse Manager Competencies.

              American Origination for Nursing Leadership.  https://www.aonl.org/system/files/media/file/2019/06/nurse-manager-competencies.pdf

Trevor Taylor DQ2

Leaders must learn how to be consistent and effective advocates for their staff in order to cultivate quality relationships that will increase engagement and improve patient care and outcomes. Leaders can help create an engaging and productive work environment in order to maximize efficiency and develop a meaningful organizational culture. Listening to employees concerns and needs is one-way leaders can advocate for employees. Leaders must be excellent listeners who are adaptive to the employee’s needs. “When an organization supports and appreciates the input and ideas from stakeholders (e.g., employees, customers), respect and value are often noted throughout the organization and in day-to-day operations” (Whitney, 2018). Nurse leaders can advocate by taking in consideration their employee’s suggestions and work to make it happen.

Nurse leaders have the potential to make a positive impact on their employees by advocating for workplace safety and healthcare policy. Many times, by advocating for their employees, nurse leaders are advocating for patient care and improving their outcome. Some examples include approaching the hospital administrations to request lift and transfer device to improve patient transport safety, they can advocate for better staffing ratios, reasonable breaks during shifts and to increase security in higher risk areas such as the emergency department. Nurse leaders can advocate for their staff through policies that discourage bullying and nurse educators can advocate by improving patient care skills and critical thinking skills into the nursing curriculum, so employees are able to work in a better environment and act as decision-makers and serve patients in the best way possible.

References:

Whitney, S.. (2018). Every nurse is a leader. Trends in health care: A nursing perspective. Retrieved from  https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/5

Dayanis Hernandez Calvet DQ2

According to Tomaschewski-Barlem (2017), advocacy is the act of fighting for someone’s rights, or defending them. Therefore, nurse advocates can employ this theorem in fighting ascertaining patient and employee rights. It important to note that nurse advocates must not necessarily be leaders in a hospital, as a fellow employee can serve as an advocate, so long as they possess the skills. 

           One of the skills that a nurse advocate should possess is the problem-solving skill (Cullerton et al., 2018). A problem-solving approach in handling organizational matters has been proven to be the most effective. Problem solving entails the identification of healthcare challenges, analyzing the challenge, strategizing on best solutions, application of the proposed strategies, and evaluating whether solutions were effective enough. 

           Another skill that a nurse advocate should possess is communication skills (Tomaschewski-Barlem, 2017). With such a skill, a nurse advocate can effectively represent their views to the relevant persons through various means of communication, like writing and electronic. As a result, the nurse advocate will be able to persuade and influence their listeners, and in turn lead to changes. Effective communication will also lead to collaboration between departmental members. This will ensure there is enough support for the achievement of relevant changes. 

Example

           Having worked in the Emergency Response unit (ER) for a while, the department faced the challenge of understaffing. As a result, we could work overtime, and handle too many patients in a day. Sometimes, we even worked for more than eight hours a day, and this lead to fatigue and job dissatisfaction. The unit chose me as their representative to air their views in the administrative department. I wrote a letter to the department and asked that the ER unit be added some more nurses. Within a week, there was no response, and we decided to hold a peaceful demonstration within the facility. As a result, our issues were taken care of and more nurses were endorsed to the department. Looking back, I think holding a demonstration was a bad idea since in the end, patients suffered the most. Instead, I should have engineered negotiations with the administrative department and tried to influence them. 

References

Cullerton, K., Donnet, T., Lee, A., & Gallegos, D. (2018). Effective advocacy strategies for influencing government nutrition policy: a conceptual model. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15(1), 83.

Tomaschewski-Barlem, J. G., Lunardi, V. L., Barlem, E. L. D., Silveira, R. S. D., Ramos, A. M., & Piexak, D. R. (2017). Patient Advocacy in Nursing: Barriers, Facilitators and Potential Implications. Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 26.

ROSARY BOYLE DQ2

Good leadership is worth its weight in gold, you could be having a really rough day and your charge nurse steps in to help you and all of a sudden it's not so bad anymore. That's what leadership can do for moral and provide positive energy on the unit. When I worked as charge nurse I would pair a newer nurse with a seasoned nurse, this way they can both can learn from each other. You also need to be able to answer and show how to perform tasks if needed, this shouldn't just be a charge nurse that can do this. When you work together on a floor, whether it is with another nurse or a CNA, you need to work as a team. We are there to provide the patient/family with a nursing service, working together helps each other and the patients too. I was also a mentor on the ICU floor I worked on and that meant that when we had new nurses on the floor that have been through their training and now working on their own, they were paired with a mentor that they could go to for anything throughout the shift (Vidal & Olley, 2021). I liked this position and felt like I wasn't eating my young all the time.

Jo-Anne Marie Vidal, & Richard Olley. (2021). Systematic Literature Review of The Effects Of Clinical Mentoring On New Graduate Registered Nurses’ Clinical Performance, Job Satisfaction And Job Retention. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management, 16(4). https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.24083/apjhm.v16i4.739