The discussion of leadership in nursing is important to have with professionals working at different organizational levels as well as having varied responsibilities in terms of providing patient care. The current interview was conducted with a peer operating in a Registered Nursing (RN) role in a surgical unit, both in the post- and op- responsivities. The primary concern for the nurse is managing the well-being of patients undergoing different kinds of surgery. Apart from this, the RN is highly focused on being an advocate for the staff and address their concerns, conduct meetings with the management to communicate those needs and values, as well as enable help when and where it is required.
For the RN interviewed on the topic of leadership, professionalism was defined as going by the scope of practice, being accountable for one’s responsibilities that do not go ‘above and beyond,’ maintaining professional relationships with everyone involved in the care process, getting work completed in time and working in teams, being responsible when fulfilling one’s responsibilities, as well as being honest and fair with patients (Pullen, 2016). All of the mentioned characteristics of professionalism enable to RN to approach one’s responsibilities seriously and with the utmost degree of care for the needs of patients.
Leaders in organizations are stewards of healthcare because they manage various processes to achieve the desired patient outcomes, they are trustworthy, and view organizations as whole contributors to enhancing health among the population. In addition, the interviewee mentioned that positive leader within healthcare organizations are open-minded and are happy with their work, which helps other to get inspired to be involved in the care process and be the as effective as they can be when caring for others.
When discussing the influence of power and influence, the RN mentioned that these qualities were integral to managing the process of care and inspiring other participants of care delivery to be aware of their responsibilities. In no way should leaders be coercive or use power to diminish the value of practitioners who do not have leadership capabilities within an organization. Coerciveness in leadership is a negative trait that can lead to workplace conflicts between managers and subordinates (Cenkci, 2018). Any influence and professional advocacy that a leader has should be targeted at enhancing the care process and ensuring that patients receive the quality of services that they deserve and expect. This means that a true leader does not intimidate but who is honest and transparent about the goals of care.
The ultimate takeaway from the interview with an RN has been associated with the finding that good leadership focuses on facilitating processes within organizations that would lead to the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes and facilitating recovery. Leaders approach their profession with passion and are honest and transparent about what they want to achieve as well as what steps should be taken for reaching that goal. Therefore, positive leadership lies in effective connections between leaders and their followers, all of whom are expected to have similar goals in terms of care delivery. It is also important to mention that the perspective of a regular RN may be different from the opinions of healthcare facility leaders because they are at different levels of the care process and have varied responsibilities.
References
Cenkci, A. (2018). Leader power, conflict-handling styles, and subordinate compliance: A study on information technology professionals in Turkey. International Journal of Management and Economics, 54(1), 18-35.
Pullen, R. (2016). Leadership in nursing practice. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, 14(3), 26-31.