2 replies

Reply1

The influence of leadership can be far-reaching in practice and improving patient outcomes even when not in a formal role. Describe advocacy strategies that you can use as a leader to create positive change in your current workplace. In response to peers, describe a time when you provided leadership and the outcome. Was there anything that you would do differently?

A leader can use some strategies such as analyzing the work capacity in the floor to keep the nurse-patient ratio within the safety range to prevent medical errors and patients care issues, empower nurses, being proactive leaders helping nurses who are overwhelmed for the assignment, ensure that nurses have the supplies to provide patient care, communicate with doctors to ensure patients with change of condition are evaluate and treat before their condition gets worse, empower organizational values and beliefs to ensure patient safety and team work.

I am the clinical unit supervisor at the hospital where I work. I have the responsibility to ensure a smooth and safe work environment. Being a leader involves the capacity to communicate openly and with respect, seeing everybody as equal, support nurses to be able to provide safe excellent care. Lead with optimism. Create a positive and healthy work environment. Be visible and available to others. Foster interpersonal and organizational trust.Cultivate relationships with others. Set goals and provide feedback when necessary. Produce meaningful work. Encourage autonomy and individual growth. Communicate and be transparent. Use powerful but simple strategies to keep others engaged (Clark, 2018).

Reference:

Clark, C. (2018). 10 tips to boost employee engagement. American Nurse Today, 13(1), 12-14. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/10-tips-boost-employee-engagement/

reply2

 Every nurse is a leader in her/his own right. Our impact on the patient outcome is unquestionable. Along with effective patient outcome we are also responsible for the advocacy of our profession and making it a better workforce. Health care is reforming and nurses will benefit in future from it but nurses presently are the ones who deal with work stress. Hence to see any advancement in reforms, we need to advocate for our profession (Tomajan, 2012). Advocacy skills can be defined as “The ability to successfully support a cause or interest on one’s own behalf or that of another requires a set of skills that include problem solving, communication, influence, and collaboration” (Tomajan, 2012, para. 7). I can be an active player in solving problems by listening to my team members concerns and suggesting solutions that are acceptable and beneficial to all. Working towards the implementation of those changes is also a way of giving back to profession and improving workplace environment. By taking part in shared governance is another way I can advocate to create a positive change in my workplace.

Being a proactive nurse in itself is a being a leader who is willing to bring about positive changes in the system and its people. This would mean looking at the problem from different angles, collecting data to support it, using latest technology to maximize resources, taking everyone’s opinion into consideration and working towards a solution that is acceptable and aims at achieving common goal. Empowering my team members and coworkers is another way to improve the workplace dynamics. This would give a sense of power and confidence to each member and tap the talent and innovation that is in each one of us. It would also boost the sense of responsibility and accountability in each member. Team dynamics would show positive change with this and result in better care and better work environment.

Reference

Tomajan, K. (2012). Advocating for nurses and nursing. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17. Retrieved from http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No1-Jan-2012/Advocating-for-Nurses.html

Whitney, S. (2018). Every nurse is a leader. In Trends in health care: A nursing perspective. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/5