Nursing Leadership and Advocacy Essay

Introduction

The concept of combining nursing leadership and advocacy efforts offers new insights into the nursing profession. This phenomenon may be based on the perception of opinion leaders who assert that nurses rarely have a great deal of influence when it comes to issues such as increasing access to care and promoting wellness. As a result, guaranteeing patient safety and quality healthcare have emerged as being essential in spearheading leadership and advocacy principles. Consequently, this article focuses on highlighting the roles of a nursing leader in the educational and organizational context insofar as nursing leadership with advocacy is concerned.

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Personal and Professional Accountability

The ideal approach for offering a remedy to issues such as patient satisfaction, instituting a culture of safety and ensuring patient satisfaction would be being proactive. This leads to the realization of the fundamental purpose of the nursing manager which is to instigate changes in the clinical environment of a health institution. In recent times, the role of administrators as first-line leaders have become quite significant owing to the advent of medical technology, need for rationalization, diminishing lengths of hospital stay and the need for cost-cutting measures. In essence, a nurse manager is expected to take responsibility and demonstrate leadership skills. Nonetheless, my point of weakness in my nursing career would be spearheading the culture of change as a nursing leader owing to the limitations in knowledge of how to inculcate evidence-based practices in the nursing profession. In this regard, I would strive to familiarise myself with the nurse manager leadership interventions which have been incorporated in most healthcare facilities as the fundamental approach of harnessing a leader's proficiencies to be a champion of change. Indeed, such programs have been instrumental in illustrating the positive outcomes of ensuring the quality of service within the work environment as well as focusing on transformational leadership. Another approach that has been adopted to guarantee efficacy in nursing leadership is the introduction of certified nurse administrators coupled with the periodic ward rotation of such leaders. The reshuffling process is directed towards the realization of objectives such as improving nursing services, inspiring nurses' career development and instigating quality ward activity.

Career Planning

The concept of lifelong learning is rather significant in the nursing profession as it integrates the aspects of education that are continuously taking place in the life of an individual. Moreover, this would imply that the learning process is flexible, may be accessed at diverse locations and miscellaneous. When all this all is taken into account, there are several fundamental pillars which may be deemed to be futuristic regarding the tenets of education. One of the cornerstones of lifelong learning is the need to comprehend concept and integrate the necessary educational tools instead of merely attained designed knowledge (Waddell et al., 2015). The second principle is the fact that lifelong learning focuses on preparing an individual for job positions that are currently available and is associated with innovation that spearheads future professional development. The other pillar in the learning process is the need to develop cohesive interaction between various aspects such as the discovery of diverse culture and addressing the problems of conflict resolution. In the long run, the knowledge gained through education is vital in the modification of a nurse's wholesome development which comprises of the nourishment of the mind body and soul. In this regard, I would be required to harness my critical thinking skills which are instrumental in spearheading innovation and being more receptive towards the dynamism of the nursing profession. Ideally, I would be required to further my education through post-graduate studies, nursing certification courses and attending medical conferences. These programs would be instrumental in encouraging focus towards the adoption of evidence-based practices throughout the organizational culture.

Personal Journey Disciplines

Given that the current nursing practice gravitates towards establishing a network of team members, the group thinks concept during the process of decision making is taken into consideration. The primary approach of the group thinks approach involves developing the harmonious understanding amongst members which results in rational decision making (Keyko et al., 2016). Additionally, such an approach establishes an ideal communication channel as each team member is allowed voicing their opinions. Equally important is the fact that the group thinks intervention would facilitate smooth engagement with community members primarily in the implementation of interventions that focus on public awareness.

Most professionals that more often than not, nursing is perceived as a strenuous and seemingly tedious work which culminates in the development of agreements and conflicts. Such adverse occurrences may jeopardize the organizational or individual health at the workplace, evidence-based measures have been adopted with the aim of optimizing the performance of workers. For instance, most research studies focus on the need for time management for nurses as one could easily diminish the level of conflict and stress. Indeed, coming up with a comprehensive time plan for their daily tasks would guarantee less strain and collision with the employer or fellow employees. Since change is a continuous process, contemporary nursing theory dictates the need for the management of organizational change (Hinds et al., 2015). Some of the steps to be considered in ensuring the successful management of organisational change includes establishing the sense of urgency; forming powerful coalitions; developing the vision for change and coming up with ideal strategies; communicating the change vision; eradication of obstacles through systems change; building on the identified change and finally implementing the change.

Reflective Practice Reference BehaviorsContemporary nursing practice demands an in-depth comprehension of organizational behavior within healthcare settings. This occurrence has emerged as being fundamental in the sense that when interventions are undertaken to optimize positive organizational behavior, quality and proper patient care are guaranteed. From a theoretical point of view, nursing leaders are expected to formulate interventions of motivating employees owing to the emotional and energy draining nature of nursing practice (Kourkouta & Papathanasiou, 2014). As a result, motivation has emerged as a critical component in the realization of the organizational objectives as is epitomized in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This theory categorizes the needs of an employee as being love, esteem, safety and security, psychological and self-actualization. Indeed, when these components are reinforced, the motivational levels of a worker are optimized although they have to be met hierarchically. Alderfer's philosophy seconds the perceptions of Maslow where he states that security and psychological may be categorized as the mandatory minimum requirements which serve as the impetus to any employee.

The complex nature of the nursing profession necessitates the need for the establishment of team members based on their specialties. As a result, the treatment of the modern day patient demands extensive coordination amongst clinicians with the objective of achieving quality healthcare practice. Accordingly, I would need to overcome my weakness of poor communication skills. This may be achieved through the establishment of an active communication channel where each member of the organization is familiarised themselves with their roles. Moreover, such a process would facilitate the expression of my input and raise concerns as deemed fit, and in the process, medical errors such as the replication of duties may be avoided (Eng & Pai, 2015). Additionally, effective communication provides an ideal platform through which employees may be motivated. Indeed, the nursing leadership may employ positive communication skills by highlighting their activities and initiatives that have been put in place to offer support to the welfare of workers. Without a doubt, a motivated workforce ensures that the management has control over organizational activities hence it becomes easier to implement corporate activities.

Advocating for Change at the Workplace

Evidence-based research indicates that a nursing leader ought to ensure that detailed information on operations within wards such as turnover rates or the number of incidents is collected. Later on, this data is analyzed by team members to determine the context of the event as well as inferring the likely causes. Such insights are essential to a nursing manager as it provides a platform for identifying the underlying problems, formulate the necessary strategy and assess the outcomes for the impending change (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2013). For instance, I would lead the team in analyzing a particular clinical situation such as scrutinizing the sudden alterations in a patient's condition by interviewing some nurses concerning such incidents. Accordingly, the content of the interviews will be intensely evaluated, and inferences on physical assessment skills subsequently deduced. Such an approach epitomized the ideal activities that would typically arise in the quest of ensuring effectiveness in nursing leadership.

Personal Goal

My personal goal as a nursing leader would be focusing on improving the systems within a healthcare facility with the objective of realizing quality healthcare. This phenomenon may be based on the fact that nurses enjoy an advantage since they can identify the underlying strengths and weaknesses and the appropriate remedies for emerging issues. Equally important is the fact that a nurse may develop workarounds in dysfunctional systems hence the need to focus on patient-centered care and patient's safety. Consequently, as a nursing leader, I will strive to guide the decision-making process amongst team members.

References

Eng, C. J., & Pai, H. C. (2015). Determinants of nursing competence of nursing students in Taiwan: the role of self-reflection and insight. Nurse education today, 35(3), 450-455.

Hinds, P. S., Britton, D. R., Coleman, L., Engh, E., Humbel, T. K., Keller, S., ... & Walczak, D. (2015). Creating a career legacy map to help assure meaningful work in nursing. Nursing outlook, 63(2), 211-218.

Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2013). Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare-Revised Reprint. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Keyko, K., Cummings, G. G., Yonge, O., & Wong, C. A. (2016). Work engagement in professional nursing practice: A systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 61, 142-164.

Kourkouta, L., & Papathanasiou, I. V. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Materia socio-medica, 26(1), 65.

Waddell, J., Spalding, K., Canizares, G., Navarro, J., Connell, M., Jancar, S., ... & Victor, C. (2015). Integrating a career planning and development program into the baccalaureate nursing curriculum: Part I. Impact on students' career resilience. International journal of nursing education scholarship, 12(1), 163-173..