Philosophy of Nursing Leadership
A good nurse can be described in many words. An outstanding nurse should be someone who shows care, who is compassionate and very kind. They should always be engaging, good listeners, good bedside manner and thorough in their duties. The philosophy of nursing is simple and straightforward. It comprises of the responsibilities and functions of nurses. It simply defines the nursing program (Sanford, 2012).
As a nurse, I do believe that I should lead by example. I base my leadership style on the philosophy of collaboration and teamwork. In this style, members of a team utilize each other’s strength and therefore are able to counter on their weaknesses. A leader can be described as someone who all the time listens keenly, and who can motivate effectively and inspire thus providing the team with strategic direction and a thoughtful vision. A leader will deeply understand people’s needs and will thoughtfully consider his actions and how they affect his followers.
When I started out as a nursing student, I could not explain the kind of journey I was embarking on. I just considered myself a normal student out to pursue a noble career and be transformed into a vocational devotee then start earning for my livelihood and later raise a family. As days went by, my life as a growing, nurse started to take a different approach and I started seeing life from a different perspective. I started interacting with patients and fellow staff members as life went by. This kind of experience has molded a different kind of person in me. I have become a person who always appreciates diversity, and who is flexible to force of change.
I have always been keen and this is a virtue I will keep on embracing throughout my nursing career. I have endeavored to know many of the organizational goals and the scope of leadership. This keeps a dream of leadership to be alive in me. Just as time goes by, the colleges and tertiary institutions in our nation produce fresh graduates into the health care industry. The graduates just like me start out with a very limited experience and knowhow of the practicality of their education in the job situation. Thus, I will take it upon myself to be a helping factor to such fresh entrants. I will embrace that kind of leadership that involves others in the affairs of leadership.
I will act as a mentor to the young men and women joining the nursing profession. I will act as bridge between them and the top management. I will make them feel that they belong, taking up their opinions and respecting their contribution when it comes to decision making for the organization. I do believe that, a person may learn a lot through induction. Thus, I will always be resourceful and even dedicate myself for the orientation program.
Being a fully pledged nurse leader, my leadership style will be inclusive. I will most of the time be taking my subjects out for team building. Here ideas will be exchanged and people will get to know each other well and also get to know what affects our strength as a team. If it is something to do with a questionable weakness from a member, through sharing they will be able to learn how to work on their weaknesses. I will create groups in which members of each group will exercise a rotational kind of leadership. This will cultivate the culture of leadership in different members of the various groups. It will also make, members understand how it feels to be a leader and work to improve on the leadership qualities thus molding leaders for the future.
I have learned that a true leader knows what he wants in life. His ambitions should not be to the detriment of the organization but be towards safeguarding of the organizational values for a better achievement.
Leadership gives forth the motivational foundation thus setting the stage to obtain commitment rather than compliance alone from the subjects being led. Giving guidance is not the final practice of a leader. It is just a part of execution that makes individuals to be aware thus setting a stage for the change of behavior (Karin, 2013). People who end up become becoming nurse leaders usually tend to posses two qualities. The most primary quality is that they are excellent clinicians. Nevertheless, they tend to have inborn leadership acumen, implying that they mentors naturally and offer guidance for their peers. The young nurses turn to these experienced professionals for professional, clinical, as well as for personal advice. Again, they are the kind of people who will identify the opportunities that are available for improvement thus volunteering to lead the initiative for improvement (Sanford, 2012).
I will conclude by saying that, leadership is a virtue, which is earned (Balowski, 2012). Throughout my working experience, I have thoroughly devoted myself into working towards becoming a true leader. I do believe that I have to some extend achieved some commendable status and I will always be humbled how many will turn to me for solutions in the future.
References
Balowski I., 2012, ‘Nursing Administration Portfolio’, Web, http://www.irenesn ursingadmini strationportfolio.com/philosophy.html
Karin R., 2013, ‘Leadership Philosophy’, Web, http://karinrklinger.tripod.com/id8.html
Sanford K., 2012, ‘Overview of nursing leadership’, chapter 1, Web, http://www.mhprofessional.com/downloads/products/0071601538/ knodel_ch01_p001-018.pdf
