Introduction
I teach and practice the mission, vision, and values of the organization. I am responsible for the physical and human resources of the work team. In addition, I lead them in process improvement activities. My work also involves collaborating with other health care providers and caregivers and using group processes for interdisciplinary decision making and problem solving. I utilize the nursing process and evidence-based practice to work collaboratively with the core team, including the patient, staff members, primary care provider, registered nurse (RN) care manager, and patient support technician, and expanded team, including the caregiver and other family members and internal and community-based services involved in providing care to the patient, in developing the patient-driven, holistic care plan for life.
My other roles include providing the patient, staff members, and family health educator with a focus on self-management, prevention, and wellness based on the patient’s goals. I collaborate with faculty members from affiliated schools to facilitate educational experiences for students and create and utilize networking opportunities with other nursing managers within the facility and in the larger medical center community.
I am actively involved in evaluating practice for any program or service within the health sector based on established professional, community, or regulatory standards. I make recommendations for changes needed to meet those standards. I utilize established guidelines in accordance with functional statements, performance standards, and workload monitoring systems. Further, I initiate appropriate corrective action in response to performance problems. I am a prepared leader in advanced practice across the health continuum. My roles include participation in and use of research, development and implementation of health policy, leadership, education, case management, and consultation.
Vision
My personal vision is to develop skills and relationships that can enable me to effectively tackle complex issues that arise in the health system and build a strong health delivery and coverage system for posterity.
Mission
To provide the highest level of healthcare by fostering a supportive and rehabilitative environment tailored to accommodate the specific needs of each individual resident and staff member. To create an atmosphere in which health care providers are connected and compassionate in their activities, putting their political and social biases and competitive spirits aside and providing impeccable healthcare services in the best interest of the patients.
Core Values
In concert with the core values of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the following are my personal core values:
- Respect
- Integrity
- Commitment
- Caring
- Empathy
Strengths and Core Competencies
- I possess maturity and patience, both of which have helped me in circumstances during which my colleagues have become frustrated and unhappy, especially when they have full knowledge of what is supposed to be done (Atkins & Murphy, 1993).
- I have a capacity to manage my ego and am capable of ensuring that it does not override my service delivery capabilities. Moreover, I have the ability to engage in self-reflection before I undertake to do something that might put my leadership abilities into disrepute. Through self reflection, I am capable of discerning between what is good and bad for the organization. I participate with others in self-reflection.
- I am prepared for and embrace uncertainty, which has helped me to develop optimism within the organization, even at times when things do not seem to be working correctly.
- I have the capability to develop a viewpoint that enables my team and I to look at a problem as a challenge that has to be surmounted but not an impediment towards realization of outlined goals. Problems have to be viewed using a different perspective.
- I have the capacity to respect other people’s opinions, regardless of how skewed or myopic they might be. I also respect the experiences of other people (Bennis & Nanus, 1985). This capacity to be open to other people’s input has helped me to establish consensus on how some organizational matters should be handled (Cohen & Austin, 1997).
- I am exposed to new ideas, thoughts, and people. I am open to practicing what I have learned through exposure, experience, and reflection, with the full knowledge that these ideas, thoughts, and people are just learning opportunities (Cook, 2004).
- I have the capacity to reward excellence to show individuals that their work is good. Before I reward excellence, I take it upon myself to seek the input of other stakeholders on standards that have to be met to declare one’s performance exceptional. This is because what is good to me may not necessarily be good to other parties.
- I have the capacity to identify natural opportunities by being present and listening to what is happening. I am capable of asking people about which skills they need to have and tools they have to make them realize their vision. I learn by participating in focus groups, taking part in surveys, and answering questions.
Areas of Improvement and Underlying Challenges
- I attempt to recognize and accept the consequences of decisions made by my superiors.
- I try to establish a customer-oriented culture that calls for engaging the services of individuals who can fit well within the culture of an organization.
- Despite the fact that issues relating to acceptance of creative ideas have not fully taken shape, I intend to make it the organization’s principal priority. Also, I plan to encourage the completion of benchmark studies within our organization. I previously endorsed a culture in which problems are solved at the lowest levels possible; however, it has not been fully implemented. Therefore, I intend to continue to work on achieving this goal.
- I plan to initiate a program in which resources are shared across the medical center.
- A major challenge for me has been the scarcity of resources and limited staff. I have had to make sacrifices in some areas to improve the care that our department provides.
- A serious challenge that I have faced has been related to how my decisions impact others outside of my scope of practice.
Self Analysis (Personal SWOT analysis)
Personal strength and core competencies
- I am capable of developing teaming skills and making it an interdisciplinary approach where health practitioners and other people from different profession come together to ensure public health becomes a priority.
- I am capable of creating an environment where my juniors can observe and learn from me. This kind of mentorship enhances their leadership capabilities.
- I am capable of creating an environment where exceptional performers are given incentives.
- I am capable of making students who work within our system to help the community around to come up with solutions to the problems affecting them.
Personal weaknesses
Of the several roles that I serve, I tend to be biased in terms of not giving my 100% to other roles like collaboration with faculty members from affiliated schools to facilitate educational experiences for students and create and utilize networking opportunities with other nursing managers within the facility and in the larger medical center community. As pertaining this, I intend to intensify educational experiences for our students and network them with nursing managers.
Opportunities
I have created an opportunity for our staff members to do their academic research on health issues that emerge at the community level. When they get involved with the community, their work is primarily informed by challenges they encounter.
Threats and challenges I will face in the next two years
- A major challenge for me has been the scarcity of resources and limited staff. I have had to make sacrifices in some areas to improve the care that our department provides. This is an impediment that is likely to hang around in the next three years.
- A serious challenge that I have faced and is likely to persist if remedial measures are not taken relates to how my decisions impact others outside of my scope of practice as I may not have much control over such issues.
Resources
I have relied heavily upon grant applications with respect to staff training. Providing the right training to enable them to meet their professional needs is critical to me.
Goals and Objectives
- To ensure that the decision-making process and problem solving are done collaboratively with other health care providers, such as the primary care providers, RN care manager, and patient support technician
- To provide patients with adequate information on health education , staff members, and the family health education
- To provide staff members with adequate information on health education
- To provide family members with adequate information on health education
- To collaborate with the faculty members from affiliated schools to provide learning experiences for students
I will achieve these goals and objectives by encouraging the participation of stakeholders in the health sector, such as primary care providers, medical students, and nurses (Bass & Avolio, 1990). The goals and objectives will also be achieved by encouraging active participation of our staff members in health education. I will also undertake to encourage active participation of family members and faculty members in active health education.
Internally Focused Activities
- Integrating a collaborative spirit among the staff members by bringing people with different scientific training backgrounds onboard
- Creating an environment in which other staff members can learn from my actions
- Encouraging the creation of new leadership paradigms
Externally Focused Activities
- Focusing on community ownership by encouraging staff members to find opportunities for problem solving in neighboring communities.
- Creation of support groups that brings trainees together where they reflect on their own experience so that they can provide support to their teams when they come to their own organizations.
- Creation of partnership between hospitals and healthcare associations where members can dictate what could be done in the best interest of public health. These groups can be very effective when it comes to bargaining with government departments and law making institutions.
Timeline
References
Atkins, S., & Murphy, K. (1993). Reflection: A review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing,18 (1), 118-119.
Bass, B., & Avolio, B. (1990). Transformational leading ability development: Manual for the multifactor leading ability questionnaire. CA: Consulting California Press.
Bennis, W. G., & Nanus, B. (1985). Strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper Collins.
Cohen, B. J., & Austin, M. J. (1997). Transforming human services organizations through empowerment of staff. Journal of community practice, 4(2), 35-50.
Cook, M. J. (2004). Learning for clinical leadership, Journal of Nursing Management, 12, 436-444.