Introduction
Leadership entails using social influence to derive the best out of people to achieve a common goal. Professional organizations have created various competencies such as knowledge, skills, or attitudes that can guide nurse leaders to enhance their skills and provide guidance on how to succeed (Morse & Warshawsky, 2021).
The knowledge competency will help me to become always give the nursing students the best education in the field, for example on matters that pertain evidence-base –practice where the latest and best knowledge should be passed on to students. Ate leadership competency will ensure that I am capable ff making appropriate decisions and guiding the students to achieve their needs. This paper explores the competencies of Knowledge and leadership as viewed and includes a self-reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the two competencies relevant to my nursing specialty of education.
Personal Leadership Competency
One of the core competencies that guide nurse leaders is Knowledge. The knowledge competency encompasses Knowledge of the latest nursing practice and other critical elements of nursing practice. As a nurse educator, I understand the importance of having adequate knowledge to pass on to the next generation of nurses. One of my core strengths is my desire and ability to spend tie, even at a personal level, with students to ensure they grasp the Knowledge and information required to succeed as practitioners in the future (Morse & Warshawsky, 2021). I constantly read and review the latest and most relevant nursing information and am always ready to pass it on to students.
However, in the aspect of Knowledge, I recognize that I need to improve my ability to advise students. In many cases, enthusiastic students have their ideas and motivations, discouraging me from giving them the best advice as I believe it would affect their morale. Hence, I plan to improve my communication skills to ensure that I provide the correct advice even when t is not positive to enhance the chances of success for the nurse students.
The other core competency is leadership, which entails leading from the front and inspiring others to work towards a common goal. A leader is also expected to have visionary thinking on issues impacting the healthcare organization and the healthcare sector. The leadership competency also entails solving problems and conflict resolution to ensure that process flows as expected (Morse & Warshawsky, 2021). A necessary strength I have realized in my leadership skills is my ability to relate effectively with everyone and be accountable. However, I still need to improve my conflict resolution skills. Conflict resolution remains a crucial trait for nurse leaders, but I have yet to perfect my problem-solving skills, mainly because I am not an active listener.
Implications for Advanced Nursing Practice
My specialty track is education, where I will acquire Knowledge on how to improve the Knowledge and skills of nursing students to help them succeed as future nurse practitioners. Knowledge is one of the critical competencies that will prove crucial in enhancing my leadership skills in my specialty of nurse education (Morse & Warshawsky, 2021). The leadership competency swill allows nurse leaders to impart the latest and most appropriate knowledge to the students and the fellow practitioners to ensure they are ready for to deliver quality ad timely care to patients in an ever-changing healthcare sector.
Additionally, leadership skills will enhance inter-professional collaboration among nurse, physicians, and other professionals in the healthcare field. Any educator has to have the best possible knowledge in their field and constantly work towards improving their know-how (Heinen et al., 2019). Additionally, leadership skills are necessary for an educator in the area as it helps one to deal with and correctly guide the educative process (Morse & Warshawsky, 2021). By perfecting my knowledge and leadership competencies, I will grow as an educator in the field and enhance the delivery of quality care to patients by improving the training and Knowledge of nursing students.
Conclusion
Nurse educators are essential in the healthcare profession as they play a significant role in growing future practitioners in the nursing field. My strengths in leadership and consistent pursuit of Knowledge will help m to become a better leader in the area. However, I need to improve my conflict resolution skill, which a crucial in nurse leadership. This paper has enhanced my self-awareness as I have learned my strengths and areas I need to work on to become a better educator and a leader in the nursing sector.
References
Heinen, M., Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H., & Huis, A. (2019). An integrative review of leadership competencies and attributes in advanced nursing practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(11), 2378–2392. Web.
Morse, V., & Warshawsky, N. E. (2021). Nurse leader competencies: Today and tomorrow. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45(1), 65–70. Web.