The nursing practice constantly experiences challenges related to different aspects of care. Resolving these challenges effectively is determined by the leadership and the management in nursing. Nursing leadership and nursing management are terms that are persistently confused and interchanged, despite the different meanings of the terms. Understanding the meaning and contribution of leadership and management to nursing is critical in resolving common issues affecting the nursing profession. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a nursing issue and compare and contrast how nurse leaders and nurse managers would approach this problem. This exercise will facilitate identification of the approach that best fits my personal and professional philosophy of nursing, and why the approach is suited for my personal leadership role.
Issue: Nursing Shortage
The shortage of nursing staff in all settings of healthcare continues to obscure the efforts of the health care system to deliver high quality and accessible care to all citizens. The shortage is characterized by high demand for nursing professionals and low supply of the same. The shortage is not necessarily as a result of lack of trained and qualified personnel, but rather the incapability of the industry to maintain the personnel. The shortage is as a result of a myriad of factors, ranging from low attraction of graduates to the profession, to high turnover ratios among the nursing professionals.
The causes can emanate from the micro, meso, or the macro system levels and the impacts are felt at the three levels of the care system. It is imperative to understand the particular cause of the shortage in order to effectively curb the issue. Nurse managers and nurse leaders have critical roles to play in addressing the issue of nursing shortage. Based on their skills, expertise, and principles and theories that leaders and managers in nursing subscribe to, each is bound to adopt a different perspective in addressing nursing shortage at the organizational level. According to Kerridge (2013), a leader can also manage effectively, but a manager cannot lead effectively.
Nurse Leaders’ Approach to Nursing Shortage
A leader inspires and motivates a group of people – usually referred to as followers – towards achieving specific goals (Anderson, 2012). A leader doesn’t necessarily hold a position in the hierarchical organization of a healthcare facility. Nursing leadership is not necessarily defined by particular duties and responsibilities. The authority of a leader is in his/her power to influence others. A leader doesn’t work to merely fulfill his/her duties, but rather works with the intention of mentoring the team to work productively towards achievement of common goals. Leaders exhibit characteristics such as the ability to influence others, self-driven, passionate, accountable, honest, inspirational, focus, patience, and confidence, among other characteristics (Anderson, 2012).
A nurse leader would approach the issue of nursing shortage by patiently and passionately investigating the cause of the shortage of nursing staff. Once the cause of the shortage is identified, a nurse leader would then identify the needed resources to address the issue, and lead his/her followers towards utilizing these resources effectively and efficiently in order to address nursing shortage. A nurse leader would accept responsibility for the change initiatives needed to address this issue. According to Giltinane (2013), most nurse leaders subscribe to the principles of situational leadership theory. Situational leadership is characterized by the ability to quickly adapt to changes and situations. Main competencies of situational leadership include flexibility and ability to identify different competencies among the followers.
The nursing profession is dynamic and issues affecting the profession are equally dynamic. Causes of nursing shortage are similarly varied and addressing one cause can arouse another. Situational leadership skills empower the leader to adapt to these frequent changes without losing focus of the goals. Situational leadership theory posits that different nursing situations require different approaches, which enables the leaders to resolve any arising issues effectively (Giltinane, 2013). I would therefore expect a nurse leader to influence all stakeholders affected by nursing shortage by engaging them in finding a suitable solution.
Nurse Managers’ Approach to Nursing Shortage
A manager is supervises and directs a group of people – usually referred to as subordinates – towards the achievement of particular goals (Anderson, 2012). Nurse managers hold certain positions in the hierarchy of the organization in which they work. Nursing management is defined by particular duties and responsibilities as required by the position that the person holds. Unlike a nurse leader, nurse managers’ authority lies in his/her status at work. The roles and responsibilities of nurse managers are definite, unlike those of nurse leaders (Anderson, 2012). While nurse leaders motivate and mentor their followers, nurse managers use power to direct and supervise over their subordinates. Skills and characteristics exhibited by nurse managers include resource allocation and coordination, critical decision-making skills, supervisory skills, and adherence to rules and regulations. While nurse leaders utilize mentorship, inspiration and motivation to influence the followers, nurse managers use the reward and punishment approach to influence their subordinates.
In light of these characteristics and skills, nurse managers would approach the issue of nursing shortage from a different perspective. Unlike the nurse leaders who would invest time and resources in establishing the causative factors, nurse managers are more likely to allocate more resources to replace the nurses who leave work without necessarily establishing the causes. A nurse manager may not enlist the contribution and support of the stakeholders, but may instead choose to address the issue from his/her own perspective. Nurse managers are likely to be guided by the principles and tenets of transactional leadership theories.
Giltinane (2013) describes transactional leadership as a style of leadership characterized by rewards for compliance and punishments for noncompliance. Transactional leaders focus on managing people rather than leading the team. Transactional theory posits that individuals who subscribe to its principles determine the course of action singlehandedly and expect their subordinates to strictly follow the course of action without questioning. In contradiction, leaders engage their followers in decision making and in selecting the best course of action. The difference in roles, skills, theories, and principles to which nurse leaders and nurse managers subscribe leads to different outcomes when resolving similar issues. For example, the approach adopted by nurse leaders may lead to long term solution, while the manager’s approach may lead to temporary resolution of the issue.
Approach that Befits Personal and Professional Philosophy of Nursing
The approach that best fits my personal and professional is nursing leadership. Leadership is characterized by motivation, inspiration, facilitation, and mentorship, geared towards achievement of a common goal. Leadership is not achieved when one acquires a title, but it is achieved when a person is capable of influencing masses of people. This description of nursing leadership suits my personal and professional philosophy of nursing. The approach suits my personal leadership style because I plan to motivate and inspire others through my actions.
References
Anderson, L. (2012). The difference between nurse leadership vs. management. Nurse
Together, 1, 1.
Giltinane, C. L. (2013). Leadership styles and theories. Nursing Standard, 27(41), 35-39.
Kerridge, J. (2013). Why management skills are a priority for nurses. Nursing times, 109(9),
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