Organizational Analysis The Nurse Leader Sample Paper
Healthcare organizational analysis is crucial in ensuring that healthcare facilities run effectively and efficiently. The analysis helps to identify areas that require improvement and strategies that can be implemented to enhance the quality of patient care. Effective leadership and management are integral to contemporary healthcare and essential for any organization’s success. Nurse leaders, in particular, are vital in delivering high-quality patient care and promoting positive outcomes for patients and staff.
This paper examines the key characteristics that differentiate leadership and management, comparing and contrasting their respective roles and functions. The paper also aims to explore how trends, issues, theories, and evidence can be utilized as guidelines for making effective management decisions and evaluate the effectiveness of communication patterns in successful leadership and management.
Nurse Manager
The provision of healthcare relies on the role of a nurse manager in ensuring the efficient functioning of healthcare organizations. As the demand for nursing services continues to grow with an estimated projection of 15% by 2026 due to an aging population, an increase in the number of people with chronic conditions, and the emphasis on preventive care, nurse managers play an essential role in managing resources effectively to ensure optimal patient care (Cox, 2019). Their responsibilities include overseeing finances, staff, materials, and time.
Therefore, nurse managers must possess unique skills such as financial management, negotiation, recruitment and development of staff, conflict resolution, staying updated on technological advancements, and effective leadership to succeed in their roles.
I have the privilege of working under the leadership of a highly qualified and experienced Nurse Manager in my practice as a nurse in a busy health organization. She has a Bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree and a Master of science in nursing (MSN) degree from accredited universities, as well as certification as a nurse leader (CNL) and in basic life support (BLS) and advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) making her well-equipped to manage the daily operations of the nursing staff and ensuring quality patient care.
She has consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership skills and a commitment to providing the highest level of patient care in her five years as a nurse manager. She is dedicated to staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the nursing field. As an active member of several professional organizations, she regularly attends conferences, workshops, and seminars. She also subscribes to and reads professional journals to stay informed on best practices in nursing leadership and management.
One of my Nurse Manager’s most effective traits is her commitment to providing quality patient care. She sets a high standard for her staff to follow and consistently exceeds expectations as a leader. Additionally, her dedication to ongoing professional development ensures that she stays current with the latest nursing developments.
While I share my Nurse Manager’s commitment to providing quality patient care and regularly read professional journals to stay informed, I have a different perspective on developing policies and procedures. While my supervisor collaborates with other healthcare professionals to develop policies and procedures that align with the hospital’s mission and goals, I prefer a more flexible approach to accommodate each patient’s needs.
Nurse Leader
The nurse manager employs a transformational leadership style in carrying out organizational duties. As a transformational leader, she inspires her staff to exceed their expectations and achieve greater patient outcomes while fostering trust and mutual respect between the leaders and the team. Transformational leadership is an effective leadership style in nursing that can lead to improved patient outcomes, increased job satisfaction, better communication, higher levels of engagement, improved patient safety, and reduced nurse burnout (Asif et al., 2019). This leadership style has enabled her to lead her staff in providing high-quality patient care.
One effective way the nurse manager handles her responsibilities effectively is her commitment to ongoing professional development. She attends conferences, workshops, and seminars and reads professional journals, enabling her to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in nursing. This enhances her knowledge and skills and enables her to share this knowledge with her team and implement best practices in patient care (Mlambo et al., 2021).
The second effective method she uses to handle her responsibilities is her ability in managing resources effectively. This includes overseeing finances, staff, materials, and time. She must make strategic decisions about resource allocation to ensure optimal patient care. Her financial management, negotiation, and staff development skills have enabled her to succeed in this regard.
Thirdly, she is committed to providing quality patient care. She sets a high standard for her staff to follow and consistently exceeds expectations as a leader. This commitment to quality patient care fosters a sense of pride and purpose among her team members, who are motivated to provide the best possible outcomes for their patients. Finally, her effective communication skills are another example of her leadership effectiveness.
Communication is a vital component of successful leadership and management in healthcare settings, and the nurse manager ensures that her team is kept informed of changes and updates to policies and procedures (Brown, 2020). She also encourages open and honest communication among team members, which fosters a sense of trust and respect within the team and ultimately leads to better patient outcomes.
The nurse manager also demonstrates effective leadership skills in decision-making, strategic planning, and problem-solving. These skills enable her to make informed decisions and act to address challenges as they arise (Cakir & Adiguzel, 2020). However, one area where she could improve is in delegating tasks to team members. While delegation is an important leadership skill, the nurse manager tends to take on many tasks herself rather than delegating them to others, which can lead to burnout and reduced efficiency.
Communication
Effective communication is essential to successful leadership and management in healthcare organizations. One of the effective types of communication employed by the nurse manager is verbal communication. She communicates regularly with her team members to ensure they are aware of updates and changes to policies and procedures. She also encourages open and honest communication among team members, which fosters a sense of trust and respect within the team (Brown, 2020). The nurse manager, however, should utilize digital tools such as video conferencing to enhance the effectiveness of verbal communication further to reach a wider audience.
The nurse manager also uses written communication to inform her team members of changes to policies and procedures. She writes memos and emails to share important information with her team. The nurse manager should consider utilizing online platforms such as Google Docs or Slack, making it easier for her to communicate with her team members and ensure that her team can access the most up-to-date information.
The nurse manager also uses non-verbal communication as another type of communication. She often uses non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and eye contact to convey her message. This is particularly important when communicating with patients, as it can help to create a sense of trust and mutual respect (Ali, 2019). To further improve the effectiveness of non-verbal communication, the nurse manager should consider utilizing visual aids such as charts and diagrams to help her team better understand her message.
Conclusion
The nurse manager plays a vital role in healthcare provision and oversees finances, staff, materials, and time. She must possess a unique set of skills such as financial management, negotiation, recruitment and development of staff, conflict resolution, staying updated on technological advancements, and effective leadership to succeed in her role.
She exemplifies leadership in her commitment to providing quality patient care and staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the nursing field. The nurse manager’s commitment to ongoing professional development, resource management, effective communication, and effective decision-making are all critical components of successful leadership and management in healthcare organizations.
References
- Ali, M. (2019, January 15). Communication skills 3: Non-verbal communication. Nursing Times. https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/assessment-skills/communication-skills-3-non-verbal-communication-15-01-2018/
- Asif, M., Jameel, A., Hussain, A., Hwang, J., & Sahito, N. (2019). Linking transformational leadership with nurse-assessed adverse patient outcomes and the quality of care: Assessing the role of job satisfaction and structural empowerment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132381
- Brown, A. (2020). Communication and leadership in healthcare quality governance. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 34(2), 144–161. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhom-07-2019-0194
- Cakir, F. S., & Adiguzel, Z. (2020). Analysis of leader effectiveness in organization and knowledge sharing behavior on employees and organization. SAGE Open, 10(1), 1–14. Sagepub. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020914634
- Cox C. A. (2019). Nurse manager job satisfaction and retention: A home healthcare perspective. Nursing Management, 50(7), 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000558512.58455.68
- Mlambo, M., Silén, C., & McGrath, C. (2021). Lifelong learning and nurses’ continuing professional development, a meta-synthesis of the literature. BMC Nursing, 20(62), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00579-2