A knowledge worker in the nursing environment is an individual who analysis the ever-changing and autonomous nursing environment to enable them to solve the problems and handle any challenges in the working environment. Nurse leaders working as knowledge workers require being aware of using available enough to get enough evidence before making any decision in the healthcare institution. The nursing environment is getting complex with time, which requires the knowledge worker to have informatics analysis capabilities and work competencies to run operations smoothly, ensuring the welfare of fellow employees, patients, and organization at large. Big data has been made possible with the innovations and technology in healthcare. A knowledge nurse leader should be able to establish the best data to use as evidence in running the institution.
Role of the Nurse Leader as a Knowledge Worker
In the 21st century, the nursing challenges continue to increase, and that requires the nurse leaders to be knowledgeable, to use the information in addressing the issues they face (Donley, 2005). There are various bases on which nurse leaders’ knowledge are retrieved. These are from the environment on which they work different health situations, training and development and benchmarking (Thomas, P. L., Roussel, Harris, Bender, Baker, Hites, & Murphy, 2019). Nursing requires high levels of knowledge, especially with the implementation of evidence-based practice, and that creates a promising framework in a health institution (Sorrells-Jones & Weaver, 1999). The nurse leaders should concentrate on the patients, being the most valuable customers for the healthcare institutions. Knowledgeble nurse leaders require the patient-centered training to make sure that the activities implemented in the hospital ensure patients welfare and satisfaction (Staun, Bergström, & Wadensten, 2010).
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Nurse leaders are supposed to act as examples in following professional ethics and ensuring the safety of the patients and workers. Knowledge helps the nurse leaders to gain the competence they require in ensuring that all stakeholders are satisfied in the working environment (Memarian, Salsali, Vanaki, Ahmadi, & Hajizadeh, 2007). When the nurse leaders are operating as knowledge workers, they can influence the practice of fellow nurses and their attitude towards healthcare provision. The nurse leader becomes an example and trains fellow nurses in applying the same knowledge in the provision of healthcare, thus improvising the results (Howell, Butler, Vincent, Watt–Watson, & Stearns, 2000). A nurse leader being knowledgeable is beneficial for the entire organization. The nurse leader works with fellow nurses and understands the work stressors and burnout and establishes motivation and improvement measures to ensure job satisfaction (Halperin, D. (2019).
Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics deals with integrating of nursing science with analytics science, and management of information in identification, definition, management and communication of data, information and knowledge in nursing activities. Nurse leaders require informatics competence, which they gain through knowledge accumulation and use by working as knowledge nurses (Smedley, 2005). Informatics competence helps to make evidence-based decisions. Considering that nursing is one of the most dynamic fields, with health issues evolving with the surrounding, a nurse leader operating as a knowledge worker can apply predictive analysis in preventative and curative practices (Carroll, 2019). Among the principles of effectiveness in leadership is knowledge. Nurse leaders should be knowledgeable about the working environment, the patients, other healthcare providers, and the changes in nursing. The knowledge should be integrated into ensuring effective leadership (Drucker, 2018). A knowledgeable leader requires being emotional intelligence, which allows them to understand the needs of the organization without their feelings interfering (Hess & Bacigalupo, 2010). When the nurse leader operates as a knowledge worker, productivity is expected to increase, and it can be measured by patients’ health outcome and nurses’ satisfaction (Drucker, 1999).
Different practices are changing in healthcare, and it requires the nurse leader to be aware of the safe and secure methods that should be used in varying situations. Physical restraints on the patients, for instance, have changed and healthier approaches are being used (Ackerman, Malloch, Wade, Porter-O'Grady, Weberg, Zurmehly & Raderstorf, 2019). The education level of the nurse leader determines the knowledge they have in the working environment (Reed & Lawrence, 2008). Continuous training and career development should thus be provided for the nurses and nurse leaders to ensure that they are using practice-based knowledge which will improve the overall production (O'Neil, Morjikian, Cherner, Hirschkorn, & West, 2008). A health institution should understand the importance of developing nurse leaders through continuous training and exposing them to situations in recognized institutions such as John Hopkins where evidence from knowledge is used in operations (Corning, 2002). Students are also receiving enough knowledge to prepare them to be knowledge workers (Lahti, Hätönen, & Välimäki, 2014).
Hypothetical Scenario, Data Collected, Data Collection and Knowledge Derived
One of the health services provided at John Hopkins Hospital is maternal care. Birth, antenatal, and prenatal services are among the excellent services in the hospital ( Newhouse, Dearholt, Poe, Pugh, & White, 2007) . To ensure the high levels of excellence, nurses are required to have enough knowledge in different ways of taking care of pregnant women and incorporating their cultural differences to ensure satisfaction. Therefore enough data has to be collected concerning pregnancy and how to take care of women from different backgrounds. When dealing with a pregnant Asian woman, for instance, the nurse assigned will collect data about the cultural beliefs of the patients and practices from the prenatal clinic and these practices are implemented in the checkups.in that way, the satisfaction of the customers is assured ( Editor, 2014 ). The nurses also receive training to equip them with the knowledge they require in their fields, thus job satisfaction and reduction of burnout ( Vera, 2019) . John Hopkins had databases where are used to provide information and for data collection purposes, and there is a research center which develops the evidence-based models to be used by the nurses ( Dang & Dearholt, 2017) . The knowledge derived from the research varies from taking care of pregnant women to different methods which are culturally accepted and integrated with pregnancy care. The use of knowledge in the hospital explains the excellent performance and high levels of satisfaction.
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