Introduction
The health care system is a complex and dynamic field that needs an effective leadership for it to provide safe, quality, and effective health care to patients. Since nurses play a central role in the delivery of health care, they require competent leaders who can transform the challenging nursing environment. According to Kirby (2010), “nurse leaders must evaluate, educate, embrace, enable, empower, espouse, engage, and excite front-line nurse managers in order to expand health care services efficiently and effectively,” (p. 208).
To enhance efficiency and effectiveness of nurse managers, an assessment tool is essential. Nurse Manager Inventory Tool is an appropriate instrument that assesses knowledge, skills, and behaviors of nurse managers. From the perspective of nursing, this essay assesses strengths and weaknesses of a nurse manager using the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool with a view of advocating for change and identifying personal goals in leadership.
Personal and Professional Accountability
In the nursing profession, personal and professional accountability is an integral part of leadership that nurses must cultivate. For nurses to attain personal and professional accountability, they must enhance their personal growth and development. Assessment of the nurse manager using the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool indicates that advancement in education and career planning are some of the strengths exhibited under personal growth and development.
The nurse manager also has strengths in ethical behavior and practice because of extensive understanding of the nursing profession and its standards. Iliad (2010) states that, “every health professional, in the exercise of his/her accountability, must safeguard and promote the interests of individual patients and clients, and serve the interests of the society” (p. 134). Knowledge and understanding of nursing ethics and standards is imperative in improving quality and safety of health care. However, the nurse manager has weaknesses in setting action plans and performing self-assessment annually. Moreover, the nurse manager weaknesses lie in the aspects of coaching and guiding skills, mentoring, and succession planning.
Career Planning
According to the assessment using the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool, the nurse manager has strength in understanding the job requirements of a nurse leader. The nurse manager understands that nurse leader has a noble role of transforming the nursing environment and the quality nursing care. Additionally, development of future career is strength because the nurse manager is developing career by keeping abreast with impending challenges that the health care system and the nursing profession are grappling with amidst myriad reforms.
Kirby (2010) asserts that, “the most significant investment a nursing executive can make in an organization and to the delivery of quality patient care is the development of current and future front-line nurse managers” (p. 208). Thus, as a nurse leader, the nurse manager is on a flexible career path that allows effective performance of leadership and nursing roles, which is a critical strength.
Personal Journey Disciplines
Personal journey disciplines comprise skills that aid nurse leaders to assess their strengths and develop them for the benefit of the nursing profession. According to the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool, the nurse has strengths in aspects of action learning and reflective practice because nursing entails problem solving activities and reflection of solutions. The nurse manager is striving to develop and utilize these strengths in resolution of issues that affect nurses and health care delivery.
Moreover, the nurse manager has strength in shared leadership due to the extensive teamwork experience gained during nursing. Bartunek (2011) argues that positive working relationships among health care professionals are critical in improving quality and safety of health care that nurses deliver. Hence, the nurse manager aims at improving shared leadership by promoting positive relationships amongst healthcare professionals and encouraging teamwork.
Reflective Practice Reference Behaviors/Tenants
As an integral aspect of the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool, reflective practice reference behaviors provide dimensions of leaderships that reflect leadership behaviors. The weaknesses of the nurse manager exist in aspects such as holding truth, appreciating ambiguity, valuing diversity, and intellectual and emotional development. In contrast, the strengths of the nurse manager lie in the competencies such as commitment, willingness to learn, personal discovery of potential, taking flexible perspectives, and reflective learning. These attributes have enabled the nurse to venture into the realm of leadership in nursing and make significant transformations.
In this aspect, the goal of the nurse manager is to become a supportive nurse manager who can transform the nursing environment. According to Tsai (2011), “a supportive manager shares values, believes in a balance of power, and provides opportunities for open dialogue with nurses” (p. 1). To be a supportive nurse manager, the nurse manager will utilize the diversity of medical professionals as an invaluable asset in building a strong team that delivers quality, safe, and effective health care.
The goal
Therefore, basing on the Nurse Manger Inventory Tool, the goal of the writer of this paper is to develop career as a nurse leader with objective of advocating for change in the nursing environment. To achieve the goal, the writer will advance education and advocate for the effective leadership in nursing by building strong teamwork, mentoring nurses, and promoting good relationships among medical professionals.
Conclusion
Since nursing is a dynamic and complex profession, combining nurse leader with advocacy enhances the transformation of nursing care. Assessment of the nurse manager using the Nurse Manager Inventory Tool provides a comprehensive view of the essential knowledge and skills, which nurses and nurse leaders require for them to reform the health care system. Therefore, the strengths assessed indicate that the nurse manager has enough competence and expertise that nurse leaders require in the management of the nursing profession.
References
Bartunek, J. (2011). Intergroup relationships and quality improvement in healthcare. British Medical Journal of Quality and Safety, 20(1), 62-66.
Iliad, P. (2010). Accountability and collaborative care: How interprofessional education promotes them. Health Science Journal, 4(3), 129-135.
Kirby, K. (2010). Are your nurse managers ready for health care reform? Nursing Economics, 28(3), 208-211.
Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationships between organizational culture, leadership behavior, and job satisfaction. Health Services Research, 11(98), 1-9.