To successfully carry out managerial functions, a nurse leader must be able to guide subordinates successfully. Leadership in modern management prevails in all areas of the professional activity of a manager of any rank (Western 25). The labor process takes place in certain social groups, and in each such group, there is a person to whom other people listen and who influences others. This paper provides a brief summary of the course on leadership and management in nursing. The course aimed to provide students with thorough knowledge on the leadership theory in general, certain aspects that are peculiar only to nursing, and other contextual information. It was divided into four parts, each of which talked about a particular skill set and theories related to management.
The first part of the course, named “Theories and Leadership of Management,” provided general background information required to understand any type of applied leadership. It discussed theories and styles in both leadership and management, included analysis tools to assess leadership situations, and provided information on global and local trends and a contemporary view on leadership. It is critical to be able to apply leadership and management theories in clinical settings (Porter-O’Grady and Malloch 166). As a practice activity, the course included an assignment in which the students had to use the methods in a simulated clinical environment. Students also joined an online nursing support group to expose themselves to real-life situations where leadership and management may be vital.
The second part discussed the essential skills that are needed to lead and manage effectively within a team. It touched on concepts like role transitioning, stress management, time management, critical thinking, effective communications, conflict management, delegations, and ethical and legal considerations. These skills are crucial not only to nurse leaders but also to the ones that work in other industries (Pardey 23). Practice activities included analyses of conflict situations, self-assessments, and group discussions.
The third part, “Advanced Skills to Creatively Lead and Manage,” as the name suggests, touched on topics that are beyond the essential skills taught in the previous section. It provided resources on skills that are not only difficult to learn but also challenging to assess. Topics were team building and motivation, budgeting and resource management, the provision of quality care, change and innovation management, and usage of information technology.
The last part of the course touched on the topic of management in human resources. Nurse leaders are not only responsible for leading and managing teams but also for the formation of those teams. They also provide such an environment in which subordinate nurses grow and thrive and are happy to work. This part was as thorough as possible: it included information and practice activities on staffing and retention, how to recruit and interview, how to establish a healthy environment in which the nurses grow. It also taught how to teach, coach, and mentor the nurses, how to reduce violence, and evaluate nurse performance.
There are many leadership and management courses that are too brief and which do not provide any practical skills that could be applied within the working environment. This course, however, was an exception because it was detailed enough to be useful for emerging nurse leaders. It went from general theory to practice and from basic concepts to sophisticated knowledge that is necessary for any nurse leader to succeed.
Works Cited
Pardey, David. Introducing Leadership. Routledge, 2016.
Porter-O’Grady, Tim, and Kathy Malloch. Leadership in Nursing Practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2015.
Western, Simon. Leadership: A Critical Text. Sage Publications Limited, 2019.