Methods of Effective Nursing

The first strategy that I feel is essential to demonstrating leadership in a subordinate role as a nurse is maturity.  Certainly, maturity can assume several abstract definitions. However, in the context of nursing, maturity is defined as the ability and willingness to assume responsibility for a specific task. Furthermore, responsibility carries varied meanings within the context of accepting and completing tasks. In an interdisciplinary team, cooperation and cohesiveness are paramount in offering patients quality care. Consequently, subordinate members of a team who are willing to proactively accept responsibility not only set a good example for other team members, they also create a more positive work environment by lessening the need of team leaders to micromanage.  According to a study by Luis Furtado, Maria Baptista, and Francisco Silva (2011), “Job satisfaction is an inherent feature of work and, as such, is valued in a very particular way; for nurses, job satisfaction is related to the physical, mental, and emotional effort needed to perform their tasks” (p.1049). As a result, subordinate members can function as leaders by minimizing the stress induced by micromanagement, which contributes to a healthier work environment.  

Complimentary to accepting responsibility to complete a task is the willingness to accept responsibility when a task is failed, and, in the context of nursing, this can often be traumatic and stressful. A subordinate member of a nursing team can mitigate these effects when he or she willingly acknowledges mistakes and recognizes the need for corrections and improvements.  The need for subordinate members to exhibit this form of maturity is especially vital on teams of nurses that have a high amount of young, inexperienced nurses, who typically need closer supervision from formal leaders. In summation, the best way for members of nursing teams that are not in any formal leadership role to display leadership is to show this type of maturity that, as studies show, augments the satisfaction nurses experience from their profession. 

Although medical professionals specialize in particular disciplines, the needs of patients remain complex and mandate the cooperation of medical professionals from variant fields. As a result, the need for nursing teams to assume an inter-disciplinary approach is critical. Not only does this approach allow nursing teams to effectively treat patients, but also, as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing suggests (2013), “An educational approach in which two or more disciplines collaborate in the learning process with the goal of fostering interprofessional interactions… enhances the evidence-based practice of each discipline” (para 6). As a result, a nurse must be flexible and willing to learn how to contribute to the success of an interdisciplinary team. As nursing schools continue to emphasis specialization, nurses must recognize the importance and practicability of synthesizing the knowledge of various medical fields. 

Another avenue by which a nurse can effectively contribute to a team is by cultivating and demonstrating sound critical thinking skills. Given the nature of inter-disciplinary medicine, nurses and other medical professions must be able to synthesis information quickly and efficiently. As previously stated, though medical professionals specialize, the complex needs of patients require that medical teams make collaborative decisions in which members capitulate and make efforts to examine situations from alternate perspectives. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2013) further suggests that “written and verbal communication skills, problem solving, understanding behavior, and developing values [are] vital to collaboration” (para 5). Consequently, the sooner nurses can develop the ability to critically think and synthesize information the apter they will be to meet the increasingly complex demands of the medical field. 

As I reflect on the four foundational principles of establishing a safe work environment, I think basic critical thinking skills easily lend themselves to augment a nurse’s ability to bolster a safe work environment, especially as it relates to psychological safety.  In any work environment, recognizing how one’s actions affect other people is paramount. Within the context of nursing leadership, learning this skill is especially significant. In a study conducted by Carol Wong, Heather Laschinger, and Greta Cummings (2010), they posited, “Authentic leader behaviors promote positive work attitudes, such as trust, among followers which subsequently influence positive work behaviors and outcomes” (p.890).  As a result, satisfying the needs of all team members possesses a residual effect on the quality of health care. 

Looking forward to a nursing career, I feel that being an active leader in an interdisciplinary team will require that I invite the perspectives and ideas of other members of the team. This will not only facilitate the need to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams but will also reinforce an atmosphere where team members feel their opinions are valued. 

I feel that the aforementioned comments related to maturity correlate to the need of nursing teams to be transparent. Surely willingness to assume responsibility for mistakes is fundamental to creating a culture of transparency. More so, I feel that emphasizing that mistakes are opportunities to refine approaches and techniques can make the work environment a place where team members feel comfortable. 

I feel that fairness is difficult to negotiate within the context of a nursing team. Mistakes can often carry traumatic consequences, but the need to ensure that individuals will learn from their mistakes is crucial. Furthermore, given that the workplace environment and quality of care possess a direct correlation, it seems paramount that team members feel that they will be accountable for their work whether their performance is satisfactory or unacceptable. As a leader, I feel that it is a leader’s responsibility to consistently evaluate every situation in which a subordinate team member must be disciplined.

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Interdisciplinary Education and Practice. (n.d.). American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Home. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/interdisciplinary-education-and-practice

Furtado, L., Batista, M., & Silva, F. (2011). Leadership and job satisfaction among Azorean hospital nurses: An application of the situational leadership model. Journal of Nursing Management, 19(8), 1047-57. Retrieved from the Academic Search Premier database.

Wong, C., Laschinger, H., & Cummings, G. (2010). Decisional involvement of senior nurse leaders in Canadian acute care hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(2), 122-33. Retrieved from the Academic Search Premier database.