Over the years, the nursing department, as well as the entire healthcare industry, has been reporting cases of work-related hazards and low efficiency in terms of quality services. Additionally, significant challenges also continue to be witnessed in the healthcare sectors, which range from high-cost services, safe working environment, and accessibility of healthcare services. High population growth and increased in-out patient has contributed to some of the challenges faced by nurses and physicians. Thus, the healthcare providers have been left with the primary goal of ensuring that they provide cost-friendly and high quality to the people despite those mentioned challenges. They have the obligation of guaranteeing proper leadership in the healthcare sector as a way of addressing the problems and, at the same time, perfect their services. Therefore, it is challenging and crucial to be a leader in the healthcare profession since the leader must make sure all the problems are sufficiently addressed. A healthcare leader is also obligated to take accountability for the decisions they make towards impacting the patient's lives. These fundamental decisions may have consequences, and hence the leader should be critical thinkers and always innovative to ensure proper decision making. Considering this is a crucial role, the leaders should have all the fundamental skills and the appropriate training for effective and productive leadership performance.
General Meaning of Leadership
For one to be able to have a clear picture and true meaning of a leader, it would be wise to first go deeper into the definition of a leader and leadership in general. Generally, a leader is someone who sees things differently from others and how they can be improved so as others can follow his example and improve the overall performance of an institution. A leader is someone who others decide to follow voluntarily and willingly listens to. Therefore, a leader can be said to possess leadership, which is the process and the ability of an individual to influence others and make them behave and work in the desired manner. In other words, it is the act of inciting others toward achieving a common goal. However, leadership is broad, and different scholars and researchers have continued to develop different meanings, which all help to understand the true meaning and influence of leadership in an institution.
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Nursing Leadership
The complexity of nature in the nursing working environment has proven nursing leadership as a challenging and multifaceted process. The leadership process in nursing includes responsibility such as directing and supporting while at the same time, coordinating, motivating, and collaborating with other healthcare providers. Additionally, effective communications, as well as advocating for patient's health status, is another requirement in nursing leadership roles and qualities. In other words, nursing leadership is generally the art of showing other workers how things should be run through guiding their ways as well as actions. Leadership in nursing is currently the most crucial segment, especially with the advancing technology, increased patient turnout, and challenging working environment and thus requiring much attention. Therefore, nurses must thus be capable of leading not only the inter-professional teams but also the entire healthcare industry. Positive outcomes have continued to be witnessed where effective leadership is applied, such as the patient's health improvement and safety. However, leaders in nursing need to be aware that effective communication is the bases of a successful leadership term in the healthcare system. On the bright side, it is essential to note that leadership is not limited to top management levels only since it can equally be implemented at the bedside or even public health nurse as well.
Autocratic Type of Leadership
In a clinical setting, there are many types of leadership that are applied, but the one that fits best, especially during emergencies, and operation is the autocratic type of leadership. A directive or authoritarian kind of leadership is essential in nursing since the leader is given significant and crucial roles in the respective department. Giving orders and making complex decisions regarding healthcare provision is the work of an autocratic leader. This type of leadership is considered to be most effective in running things but also reduces creativity and team motivation in some circumstances. An authoritarian leader is mainly the boss, and no one is supposed to object to the direction or orders provided by him or her. Nurses who lead using this kind of leadership are allowed to make all types of decisions while giving orders and directions without encouraging questions or dissent. These types of leaders do not encourage mistakes as well as the individuals who make those mistakes. This type of leadership operates in what is known as the authoritative method of leadership. This style works best when dealing with simple or straightforward tasks and also in ensuring that legal clinical guidelines are followed accordingly. Additionally, sit fits in an emergency clinical setting where a leader makes all decisions regarding the emergency, which ensures efficiency.
Autocratic Leadership and Various Nursing Roles
One needs to be aware of the different types of nursing roles and the hierarchy of nursing to be able to understand how autocratic leadership comes in and how it influences the various functions. Three major tasks will be discussed in this segment and how the leadership topic is applied in them. First of all, it is important to note that nurses are usually ranked in accordance with the level of license, education as well as the level of experience in terms of the number of years. These three significant roles include Chief Nursing Officer, Bedside Nurses, and Unit Nurse Manager. Starting with;
Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) is considered the top of all nursing roles and the entire hierarchy in a healthcare setting where all the nursing directors reports. Generally, the CNO is authorized to take significant responsibilities of nursing care at a healthcare organization. This is a crucial position that not only requires experience but also high levels of education since they are the ones who direct primary healthcare responsibilities. Some of the roles of a CNO are to hire more nurses if needed so, creating new educational programs and making changes to existing nursing programs. The autocratic leader will be able to run these critical roles without questions and suggestions, which might compromise healthcare services. Any leader at this position needs to be authoritative for them to get the desired results effectively.
Bedside Nurse
The next role and position in nursing is the bedside nurse, who performs the role that requires or involves Registered Nurses (RNs). This role is another primary aspect of the healthcare system that highly determines the quality of healthcare services provided. RNs are authorized to care for critically ill patients in ICU settings, also work as a flight nurse as well as a school nurse and in the labor room to help in delivering babies. The role of a bed nurse requires an RN to work in direct contact with the patient while at the same time reporting to the nurse manager. RN works closely with the unlicensed staff monitoring their every move to ensure accountability and work efficiency. As an autocratic nurse leader, an RN will be able to authorize orders to the other workers without being questioned, which will ensure quality outcomes and a healthy working environment.
Unit Nurse Manager
Lastly, there is a Unit Nurse Manager who is given the mandate of managing the entire unit of staff nurses in a healthcare organization. Nurse Managers are, in some cases, allowed to operate more than one unit in addition to being in charge of bedside nursing staff in a health organization. One is appointed as a nurse manager when she expresses quality leadership skills and highly experienced with an additional advantage of a Master's of Science in Nursing. They also lead other technicians and assistants who generally work on that respective unit. Different additional roles include hiring and firing staff, change communication, and performance evaluation of all the team in the unit. A nurse manager will be fit to lead using Autocratic leadership, which will ensure no mistakes are taking place and that all staff follow the orders effectively without being questioned.
Application of Autocratic Leadership in Beside Nursing and Personal Growth
As a bedside nurse, working in an ICU setting, excellent leadership skills, and style is essential for ensuring quality results and better patient care and follow-up. Working in ICU is challenging and demanding since the patients are always in critical condition hence requiring extra care. As a Registered Nurse, the obligation of being entrusted with the lives of patients of all walks of life and background is challenging. It requires critical thinking to ensure proper understanding of the patient and decision making skills to deliver care effectively. With the autocratic type of leadership, one will be able to monitor and provide orders to other staff, such us assistive workers without hesitating or making mistakes. With the full power to authority and responsibilities, work will be productive with pleasing results of high-quality services. Having this knowledge contributes significantly to personal growth not only in my nursing career but also as a leader and mentor. Some of the challenges of working as a bedside nurse in the ICU include exposure to chemicals and other dangerous drugs and diseases as well as tiresomeness of continuous working daily challenges.
Qualities of a Good Leader
Being a good leader requires good behavior and commitment, and one has to possess some traits that will make him or her a good nurse leader. These traits enable the leader to influence others and lead as an example. The top three qualities that play a significant role in making a good nurse leader include critical thinking, courageous, and optimistic.
Critical Thinker
A successful clinical nurse leader should be someone who is a critical thinker to be able to solve daily challenges and make a crucial decision regarding quality care. Critical thinking trait allows the leader to have room for new ideas and make him or her life-long learner. A good example of how to show critical thinking in a working environment is to ask yourself some of the questions as outlined in the textbook. Like for instance, "Do I have the information I need? Is it accurate? Am I prejudging a situation…?" ( Weiss, & Tappen, 2015).
A Leader Must Be Courageous
A good leader should show signs of courageousness in the actions they do and the decisions they make. This trait is necessary since the work is full of challenges and risky tasks. A good example is the story of Billie Thomas, who showed courageousness when she spoke to her nurse manager regarding a problem she had observed while working (Weiss, & Tappen, 2015).
Optimism .
A leader is given crucial responsibilities and required to make effective decisions regarding problems and actions at work, and this may pose some discouragement if the actions or decisions do not bear fruits. However, a good leader should possess the trait of being optimistic to ensure that discouragement does not hinder them from achieving their goals or finding solutions to the problems. This means that a good leader should treat a problem as an optimistic opportunity to show effective leadership skills. For example, the challenge of exposure to chemicals and dangerous drugs should create an opportunity for the leader to make a decision regarding providing protective gear and education to nurses in the proper handling of the chemicals.
The Impact of Nursing Leadership
In recent years, the impact of nursing leadership has continued to be felt in the healthcare industry, especially in terms of production and efficiency, cost-friendly, and improved healthcare services. Leadership in nursing has also impacted the empowerment of nurses while at the same time enabling them to provide care with the ability to direct and supporting patients as well as the entire healthcare teams. Healthcare providers and researchers have been able to prove that there is a strong bond between nursing leadership and patients outcomes since proper leadership plays a vital role in ensuring quality outcomes. Some of these outcomes include shortening the length of stay in the hospital, reduced cases of medical errors, and reduced instances of pneumonia.
Conclusion
As seen throughout the paper, leadership is essential and has become an essential part of nursing practice. A leader should be able to possess the power of influencing others and make a crucial decision in a healthcare organization. Therefore, for one to become an effective nurse, then one is required to be an effective leader who portrays all the traits of a good leader, which includes critical thinking, courageousness, and being optimistic. Good leaders are obliged to set out good examples for others to follow and should take any opportunity to learn and grow. An autocratic leader would fit best in the nursing field as the position requires a straightforward and courageous leader who does not entertain misstates since any mistake can lead to severe damages or death of a patient.
Reference
Weiss, S. S. & Tappen, R. M. (2015). Essentials of nursing leadership and management (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company. ISBN: 978-0803636637
