Nursing Leadership

Professionalism: Nursing Leadership   Order Description   respond to 3 of my classmates discussion post with at least 250 words. I need to add on to the discussion to further the discussion by adding information.. maybe state what you thought was interesting and add information to further discussion. The original discussion topic was:” Professional Behaviors The concepts for this module include Professional Behaviors, Commitment to the Profession, Leadership Principles, and Work Ethic. We all know and have worked with people who have lacked professionalism. Not only is this unpleasant to work with, but it puts our patients at risk. I also want to talk about leadership principles. I’m sure you have all worked with many different types of leaders. Just as there are many different types of leaders there are many different leadership theories. Even if you think “I’m a long way away from being a nurse leader, I’m still just a student” – this isn’t true. Every nurse is a leader in many ways. Learning now what makes an effective nurse leader can help you to realize your potential. For this discussion I want to you to put together a presentation about professionalism. For example, you might share what makes an effective nurse leader, but don’t stop there. If you choose to share this, also share examples you have encountered. What makes an effective nurse leader? How can you be an effective nurse leader? What situations have you encountered where an effective nurse leader could have made a difference? These are just a few of the items you could consider for this discussion. You may choose any part of this module to focus on, just make sure you also include scholarly resources to support your discussion. “ Discussion 1 This discussion is about professional behaviors in which I feel is so important in any job or career and not just in nursing. As our book states that it’s important to not confuse leadership with management. A manager has an official position and is in charge of running an office or development. A leader does not have an official position to lead. Also in our book on page 2490 it lists a bunch of effective qualities that a nursing leader could have. For example, some qualities that I feel like are key to being a leader are; being passionate and committed, direct client care, knowledgeable, being organized, attendance, accountability, and work ethic. Being in a profession where your behavior matters at all time, it is important to be professional. An encounter that I have come across is in appearance. At the clinic I work in, a new hired nurse walks in to work with leggings and high heels on. Appearance is vital and it is a form of nonverbal communication. I don’t think a patient would be confident in the nurse or be comfortable to express any concerns in their care plan while being inappropriately dressed. An article that I came across had to do with smoking and health education that influences nursing students. The purpose of the study was on the health consequences of smoking. The results of the study were that the students that smoked had less favorable attitudes and behaviors toward the prevention of smoking, which I feel this could tie into knowledgeable and committed to your profession. When we are educating our patient about the prevention of smoking and the risk factors and not being fully committed or passionate about it, I feel that it does not show leadership at all. Another encounter I have experienced, I am a circulator in procedures and on this one procedure the nurse and physician were joking around and laughing. A funny comment was made and the nurse flipped off the physician. I was very shocked and surprised. It was very unprofessional. Discussion 2 Leadership is needed in society. From the Starbucks Coffee down the street to the large hospital with 10 different medical units. The important role of leaders is to lead people, whereas in contrast; managers manage objects. Leadership is defined by everyone differently, but one common factor can be observed by most. Leaders usually have followers for a similar purpose and believe their leaders purpose. Leadership is not a task that can be handed down or easily replicated by others. What makes someone a leader over others? What makes a person different than a manager of things? According to St. Thomas University, the qualities of decisiveness, empathy, awareness, accountability, confidence, optimism, honesty, focus, and inspiration are mentioned as key elements to bring an individual up to leadership. A person will see measuring data, organizing, setting objectives, and communication as a manager (Spahr, 2015). The role of a leadership utilizes the human emotion to make change by way of inspiration and empowerment. A person empowering others is a single quality alone that makes a leader a unique role! As a nurse, they will not only become a leader to patients. The patient’s family members, the front-line staff, the housekeeper, the maintenance man, and the physician are all part of the collaborative care team that need them to show leadership. Styles of leadership vary by personality, upbringing, and environment. Some examples of leadership styles include charismatic, innovative, command and control, Laissez-faire, Pacesetter, servant, situational, and transformational. Each leadership style offers a unique approach to the social environment involved guaranteeing that there is no correct or incorrect style of leadership (Spahr, 2015). Servant leadership is my preferred leadership style in the work environment. A leader who is willing to serve their followers/employees can a humble attitude and promote teamwork. Positive attitude is mentioned by Alexander in Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning as an important piece of professionalism. The nurse that is optimistic helps affect those in their environment (Alexander, 2015). What can we do to become better leaders than yesterday? We can look to our leaders in history that shaped the books we read today. Rosa Parks was a leader and said “No.” when she could have continued to be a follower. We can question ourselves, “What do we want to change?” “What can we make this better?” Her leadership changed the world and is an example of inspiring people and notions. Are you going to a first follower, like Rosa? We can ask ourselves after before each nursing report what we can do to be a leader on the floor that day and reflect after our shift on the time spent with others. Was our time spent being leaders? Was our time spent questioning the integrity of nursing and being advocates for our patients and staff? Lastly, the basic question: what was our intention for this shift? If the answer was not to provide quality care, we can identify that something may need to change. Discussion 3 What is professionalism? According to our book, professionalism is "acting with knowledge, skill, and preparation of a professional." The way a person is dressed, the tone of their voice, their body language, and their approach to any given situation are all important pieces when talking about professionalism. I think an effective nurse leader is someone that has worked very hard in becoming a leader. Someone who is approachable and listens. Appearance is important, following the dress code set forth by the facility or company. If there are rules about tattoos being covered up, no jewelry, hair pulled back etc. It is important for the nurse leader to follow these guidelines to show professionalism to co-workers. Communication skills are one of the most important skills to have as a nurse leader. Effective communication is so important in order to communicate with your team productively. A nurse leader is knowledgeable about his or her profession and able to teach others what they know but is also able to learn from others as well. To me a nurse leader is someone that listens, doesn't take sides or stays neutral in disagreements, is able to communicate effectively, stays calm in stressful situations, approachable, a team player, helpful, knowledgeable, and able to discipline when appropriate without breaking confidentiality. answer the following question: Imagine that you are a charge nurse of a busy unit. You are responsible for making staffing assignments, and every time you make staffing changes a particular nurse gives you "push back". How do you manage this? How can you be effective as a leader with this type of attitude?