As a professional nurse, you have many career options. You could take the role of a clinical nurse, which typically involves providing care for patients in hospitals, clinics, or doctor’s offices.
You could also be employed as an ancillary staff member, which involves assisting doctors and other nurses in their work.
Alternatively, if you are interested in leadership roles, you can opt to be a nurse manager or nursing administrator.
As a nurse manager or nursing administrator, your responsibility will be to oversee the operation of a hospital or healthcare facility under your leadership; this will typically include monitoring unit costs and directing personnel on how to better meet patient needs and promote cost-effective care practices.
The nursing management position may also require event planning and administrative duties such as billing records preparation and financial accounting work.
The importance of nursing leadership can vary depending on where you work within the world of healthcare.
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The Importance of Nursing Leadership
Nurse leaders need to be able to balance the expectations of their healthcare facilities with providing quality patient care.
By creating positive relationships with subordinates and superiors, they can create an environment that allows nurses and other healthcare staff to be more efficient, organized, and motivated in their work.
Nurse leaders also have the responsibility of ensuring the safety and well-being of the patients under their care by identifying any issues or problems that may arise. This requires strong interpersonal skills as well as a clear understanding of how to deal with different personalities in various situations.
It is not uncommon for nursing management positions to require long hours at times for both inpatient and outpatient facilities.
Nursing Leadership in the Era of Patient Safety and Patient Experience
In the era of patient safety, patient satisfaction, and value-based healthcare, nursing leadership is becoming more important than ever.
As healthcare shifts towards technology, nurse leaders are required to be at the forefront of the shift in order to ensure that their staff continue to provide high-quality care for patients.
In some healthcare organizations, nurse managers may oversee the development of their own technology and policies with direct access to their facility’s board of directors.
With such a critical role as a nursing leader in today’s healthcare environment, it is important for nurses who wish to advance their career to consider how they can benefit from formal education opportunities provided by colleges and universities offering nursing management degrees.
Healthcare Benefits from Nurse-Led Organizations and Nurse-Leadership
In the healthcare industry, nurses play an important role at many levels.
Not only are they responsible for patient care and assisting doctors in their work, but they are also in charge of overseeing many aspects of a healthcare facility, including unit management, financial management, and even district nursing.
Nurse leaders can be found every step of the way as they oversee teams of medical professionals as well as the administrative staff who perform quality control and policy implementation.
How to Improve Your Nursing Leadership Skills
Being a good nurse leader takes time and patience. It also takes a skill set that can be improved.
If you are interested in this type of career, take the time to read about other nursing leaders and see what aspects of their work might apply to your own job description.
You can learn how to effectively communicate with subordinates or other staff members by attending training sessions on interpersonal skills or conflict resolution.
By learning how to handle difficult people, you can be better prepared for situations where your leadership may be challenged.
Consider taking courses in management and finance so that you have the background knowledge required for higher-level positions within health care facilities.
Here are a few ways you can begin to develop your leadership skills in the role you are currently in:
Know Your Role in the Team
Before you can be a good leader, you have to first understand your role within the team.
Even as a clinical nurse, your leadership skills can come into play when you are assisting doctors or other nurses with patient care.
Listen to Team Members’ Ideas and Concerns
Opportunities for leadership don’t always appear in a vacuum.
Listening to team members’ concerns can inspire you to take on a more active role in your healthcare facility.
Observe and Improve Your Team’s Workflow
By observing how your workflow is organized, you can better understand how to increase efficiency and performance for the team.
Being a good project manager as a nurse is about being a good leader.
Learn How to Delegate Responsibilities
The most successful nurse leaders of today are those who are able to stretch beyond their individual areas of responsibility and delegate tasks to others on the team who may have a better skill set or experience with a certain procedure.
At some point, your leadership skills may become so strong that you will be offered more responsibilities and opportunities in your current position as a nurse leader, and this is where the delegation will really serve you well.
Set Goals for Your Team
Your goals as a nurse leader may be different from those of other leaders in your organization; however, setting goals for your team will help keep everyone on track in terms of what they are trying to accomplish.
A team that has goals has a much greater chance of being successful than a team that does not.
Define Procedures for Dealing with Difficult People
We all know there are going to be difficult people in our lives, and we can learn to deal with them if we have the right tools and resources.
Nurse leaders are no different in this regard, as they may encounter difficult people within their organization.
Develop Your Interpersonal Skills for Dealing with People Under Your Charge
Dealing with people is at the heart of any leadership position, and your actions will set a tone for your team about how to treat co-workers or even patients under their care.
Every good nurse leader learns from their mistakes as they move forward.
As long as your learning isn’t done within the confines of your own head, you can achieve a level of leadership that other nurses look up to.
Practice Active Listening
One of the most important skills any nurse leader should develop is listening.
By actively listening to your team members and understanding their concerns, you can be better prepared to handle any conflicts that may arise.
Be an Example of Your Core Values and Mission Statement
Nurse leaders must be consistent in order to lead their teams effectively. Consistency is achieved when your actions match your words and beliefs.
If you want others to trust you, you must first project a level of honesty that is impossible to fake.
Being trustworthy is one of the hallmarks of a good leader.
Develop a Sense of Urgency
No matter how busy your days are, you must still learn to prioritize your tasks and organize them creatively to get the most out of your time.
By doing this, you will become a much more valuable nurse leader within your organization.
Be a Good Communicator
Nurse leaders must be good communicators in order to be effective in their role with the team.
One of the ways you can do this is by using communication techniques that build trust and rapport with others on the team.
Becoming a Nursing Leader Is an Important Career Move
Successful nurse leaders are able to get the most out of their team members by offering guidance and opportunities for personal growth.
Taking on a leadership role within your organization may not be as easy as you think, but when you learn to embrace it and build upon your strengths, you will be amazed at what this type of position can do for your career development.
By building a strong leadership foundation, you will be ready when an opportunity comes along that is beyond your current position.
Being a good nurse leader isn’t going to happen overnight, but with time and hard work, it is possible to make it happen.
Conclusion
The potential to reach a leadership position within your current hospital or other healthcare facility is there.
You just need to learn how to recognize the opportunities and take advantage of them in order to reach your ultimate goal of becoming a successful nurse leader.
Choosing a career path as a nurse is only the first step.
Developing your leadership skills will ensure that you are not only employable but that you have the skills necessary to thrive in any role or industry you choose.
Remember that gaining leadership skills as a nurse is just one part of the overall picture.
When it comes down to it, you have to be willing to put in the hard work and dedication in order for your leadership skills to pay off for you.
With that being said, it is advisable to develop your leadership skills as a nurse today so that one day, your skills can serve as the foundation for a more successful nursing career than ever before.
