Nurse Managers are leaders in the health system. They are in the position to advocate positive changes in the workplace. The nurse manager skills inventory is a valuable tool because this helps nurses know which they areas they need to improve in themselves. Identifying my strengths and weaknesses helps me formulate an advocacy plan that is appropriate to my workplace and my skills set.
Strengths and Weaknesses
“The Leader Within” is one of the three domains of the nurse manager learning framework. In reflecting about the different aspects of this particular domain, I have identified my strengths and weaknesses. I realized that I have an expert experience in the reflective practice. In the other three aspects I have competent practice.
Personal and professional accountability. My strength is in personal growth and development because I am committed to engage in continuing education and improving my skills. I am also competent in ethical behavior and practice. For my weakness in this aspect, I still lack in the certification and also in the professional association involvement.
Career planning. My strength is in knowing my role. I have an expert practice in understanding my current tasks. My weakness is in knowing my future. I still have a novice experience in knowing where I would fit in because of the dynamic demands of the health care system. I also consider the aspect of positioning myself another weakness. I am still in the process of developing an appropriate and flexible career plan.
Personal journey disciplines. I have competent experience in shared leadership, action learning, and reflective practice. My strength lies in the reflective practice. My weakness is in action learning. I still need to acquire more knowledge in the action learning techniques. Reflective practice reference behaviors/tenets. I have expert practice in tenants of reflective practice. My strength lies in appreciating diversity, knowing something of life and nurturing the intellectual and emotional self. I still need to develop further my appreciation of ambiguity because I feel uneasy and less confident when I do not have full knowledge about the situation. There is discomfort in facing the unclear. However, this challenge can be addressed by being exposed to more cases and listening more to what my co-workers have to say.
Advocating Change in the Workplace
Misinformation and miscommunication can have drastic results in the workplace, thus it is very important to strengthen communication among the staff and with clients. Access to correct information by the leaders in the health system is likewise critical in healthcare delivery especially in decision-making. Nurse Managers will have difficulty when faced with ambiguous situations. In order to make effective decisions, there has to be clear information from managers to staff and from the nurses to the clients. In the current setting, nurse managers and nurses do not have the luxury of time because of the intense demands of the nursing practice. Therefore, clarifying of tasks and making use of techniques that enhances communicating clear information is necessary.
I can advocate change in the workplace by providing feedback and leading by example. I will identify specific instances where information about tasks and health information has been very weak. Such evidence will be shared during the meetings or assessments. As a nurse manager, I can lead by example by clarifying my expectations about specific tasks and using tools that limit information errors. I will be able to carry out this advocacy because I possess the skills set to make this possible. I work well among diverse populations. I have a clear understanding of my tasks and responsibilities, and I am open to learn more about every situation. I am also knowledgeable about standards and procedures and I make it a point to uphold professional conduct at all times.
Personal Goal
My personal goal is to strengthen the areas where I am most limited and further enhance my strengths. I am weak in facing ambiguities, thus I intend to learn more about my role and the situations that I am most likely to face in my profession. I also intend to increase my involvement in professional associations so that I would have more opportunities to learn from my colleagues. Attaining certifications is another objective I would like to achieve in my career.
Advocating changes in my workplace is one of the things I will undertake to contribute to the improvement of my profession. I will familiarize myself with the standards in health care and observe how these are carried out in the workplace. The weaknesses of our procedures will be noted and I will propose measures for improvement. I also plan to further develop my skills as a nurse manager and be effective in my role as a leader. Among the things I will undertake in my career are to access higher education, be exposed to more diverse environments, and continue learning from my clients and colleagues. I also intend to regularly reflect about my journey and seek advice from mentors to further improve myself and my profession.
References
AACN (2006).“Nurse Manager Skills Inventory.” Retrieved from http:\www.aacn.org/wd/practice/docs/nurse-manager-inventory-tool.pdf?menu=practice - 2012-04-19
