Nurse Leadership Skills: Do You Have what it Takes?
Nursing is a dynamic profession that requires competent leaders at all levels. Practitioners need to develop leadership skills through education and at an early stage in their careers. The profession has an ever-increasing influence on most aspects of healthcare delivery. This means nursing managers need to exert this influence clearly and with confidence.
Although leadership skills in this field can be developed organically, they need to be focused to ensure effectiveness. Strong leadership is vital to the success of a transformed healthcare system. Yet, it is common for nurses to kickstart careers without considering the possibility of becoming a nurse leader. Let’s take a look at what nurse leaders do in the healthcare field and what it takes to become one.
What Do Nurse Leaders Do?
Nursing managers operate in various settings, including wards and boardrooms. Quality care starts in the wards, at the bedside. Senior nurses play a crucial role in these settings, holding patient care at its core. Unlike administrative roles, a leader's duty in the wards covers various aspects, including assessing cohort risk and evaluating patient outcomes. In addition, the clinical nurse leader makes decisions aimed at transforming care plans when the need arises.
Learning to become a competent, confident leader is a significant skill that can be nurtured throughout nursing education. Unlike staff nurses, leaders handle extensive responsibilities, such as implementing evidence-based practice, anticipating service delivery issues, leading teams, and drafting healthcare plans. They also make recommendations based on data that has been collected and analyzed.
The role makes it easier to contribute towards changes in the way medical facilities or organizations operate. Healthcare organizations and facilities value the services of an innovative leader.
Characteristics of Good Nurse Leader
An effective leader in the healthcare sector leverages problem-solving processes to maintain the productivity of nursing teams. To be successful, you need to demonstrate passion, dynamism, and a motivational influence on subordinates. In addition, you are expected to be solution-focused. Doing so helps you win the trust and respect of team members.
An effective leadership style ensures the successful development of clinical personnel and maintenance of high professional standards. Good senior nursing staff delegate tasks appropriately, act with integrity, make well-informed decisions, and resolve conflicts.
Key Skills and Qualities
- Self-awareness – allows you to evaluate and understand the impact of your emotions on staff and patients.
- Time management – managing time helps you become more efficient in the discharge of daily duties. A well-organized leader always makes the most of the schedule to handle operational tasks timely.
- Social awareness – demonstrate a keen interest in what staff and patients are going through. You can achieve this objective through active listening and identifying emotions. As a result, you can anticipate issues before they arise.
- Collaborative and team building skills – the ability to create good working relationships is vital. You need to identify a common purpose with the nursing staff.
- Political astuteness – as a leader, strive to make correct political decisions. Identify finer details of communication, relationships, and informal power structures. Good decisions are based on the accurate interpretation of social dynamics.
- Balancing performance expectations – while remaining true to yourself and your values, aim to create a delicate balance when it comes to meeting expectations and priorities of stakeholders, including patients, hospital management, and nursing staff.
Superior decision-making skills define a good nursing manager. In the healthcare sector, decisions are typically based on empirical science and research. This provides a practical way to achieve the desired outcomes. Yet, making the right call in a complex field like healthcare requires critical thinking and strong analytical skills. Many nurse leaders leverage the collective knowledge of expert networks to make informed decisions.
The Impact of Education on Nursing Leadership
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is convinced that education plays an integral role in developing competencies of nursing managers. The same applies to all healthcare professionals.
Healthcare organizations value the skills of degree holders in case management, critical thinking, leadership, and health promotion. Qualified nurses can perform optimally in a variety of outpatient and inpatient environments.
Are you looking to move forward in your nursing career by earning a Master of Science in Nursing? If you would like to become a nurse leader and don’t want to stop doing what you love to complete you degree, consider ECPI University for your education. With accelerated, online courses, you can continue to work and take care of your family while moving your career ahead. For more information, connect with a friendly admissions counselor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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