My Vision of a Nurse Leader
The healthcare environment is constantly changing becoming increasingly more complex (Marshall, 2010). Nurse leaders can play a significant role in healthcare. The role of nurse leaders in healthcare is advocated for by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its report titled “The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health” and other organizations such as the American Nurses Association (Smith, 2011). Nurse leaders play diverse roles in organizations such as charge nurses and specialists. Previously, my vision of a nurse leader was limited to tasks performed by nurses in managerial positions. This perspective has, however, changed to include nurses in other roles such as staff nurses educating patients and students.
My vision of a nurse leader is a person who is resilient, an effective communicator, and who utilizes a transformational style of leadership. The healthcare environment is dynamic due to changes in regulatory requirements such as organizational, local, and national policies. It is also plagued by multiple and complex challenges due to changing patient demographics, patterns of chronic and endemic diseases, increased focus on patient safety, and emergence of new infectious diseases (Marshall, 2010). It is, therefore, imperative for nurse leaders to demonstrate resilience in the way they respond to changes. They should also be able to support other staffs in embracing change positively. They should help staffs see that changes are imperative and achievable (Frankel, 2011).
Good communication skills are essential for fostering trust amongst staffs and rallying them towards a common goal. Nurse leaders are constantly communicating with managers, physicians, staffs, patients, families, and non-employees. They should be able to communicate in a supportive, concise, and non-threatening manner using appropriate non-verbal expressions and a well-modulated tone. They should also have effective listening skills as a considerable proportion of time is spent listening. Lastly, they should be able to foster a safe and positive working environment that permits open and trustful communication (Smith, 2011).
Regarding transformational leadership style, for nurse leaders to be effective, they must be visionary, goal-oriented, and strategic (Smith, 2011). They should be dynamic, passionate, solution-focused, and have a motivational impact on other people. A good nurse leader seeks to develop nursing staffs under her charge through leadership (Sherman & Pross, 2010). Research findings suggest that mentoring fosters learning opportunities that help in the supervision and assessment of staffs in practice settings. Further, they suggest that supportive leadership styles that include coaching, mentoring, and supervision reduce emotional exhaustion, stress, burnout, increase self-esteem, and buffer the effects of a negative work environment (Frankel, 2011). This is because strong nurse leadership helps to create positive working environments. Overall, transformational leadership when employed shapes and changes the values and goals of staffs in achieving a collective purpose (Frankel, 2011).
In summary, the ever-increasing complexity of the healthcare environment has made it necessary for nurses to assume leadership roles. Previously, my vision of a nurse leader was limited to tasks performed by nurses in managerial positions. My vision of a nurse leader currently is a person who is resilient, an excellent communicator, and who uses a transformational style of leadership.
References
Frankel, A. (2011). What leadership styles should senior nurses develop? Nursing Times, 104(35), 23-24.
Marshall, E. (2010). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Sherman, R. & Pross, E. (2010). Growing future nurse leaders to build and sustain healthy work environments at the unit level. OJIN, 15.
Smith, M. A. (2011). Specialty focus-Magnet hospital: Are you a transformational leader? Nursing Management, 42(9), 44-50.
