It is believed that a nurse should have strong leadership skills. This should manifest itself in all areas of work and relationships with different people. For example, in dealing with patients, a nurse is a strong and significant person since they help people, “lead” them to recovery as a leader. On the other hand, when communicating with doctors, nurses are lower in the hierarchy, but they must show leadership qualities in their areas of responsibility. This way, they can gain respect from colleagues and become true professionals.
According to my philosophy, it is essential to distinguish between a leader and a manager and show the necessary qualities in working with subordinates. Managers usually act as administrators; that is, they assign subordinates to perform various tasks. Leaders, on the other hand, act as initiators and inspire employees. Thus, within the framework of leadership, nurses should not just assign tasks to colleagues. According to Weberg et al. (2018), nurses must do an excellent job with their work and, by their example, show others how to work.
In their actions, leaders, unlike managers, rely on the team and not on the system. Undoubtedly, rules are an essential base, especially in medical practice. However, decision-making must also be based on moral principles, the patient’s wishes, and the nurse leader’s previous experience. This approach allows them to act as meaningfully as possible and bring the most significant benefit to patients. This positively affects the leadership qualities of the nurse and inspires the whole team.
I believe that a crucial quality of a leader is professionalism, which is especially important in nursing. This is a great part of my philosophy so I am doing my best during studies to become a qualified specialist. Good knowledge of medicine allows nurses to stand out from others and work more efficiently. Experience and skills in working with patients make the latter more satisfied with interactions with health professionals. This leads to faster recovery and helps the nurse leader strengthen their status. Such a leader does not “stand still” but constantly develops, learns new things, and works effectively in complex cases.
The leader is not afraid of taking responsibility and making decisions. The leader has a clear vision of prospects, be they their own or the organization’s. Such a nurse knows what is worth striving for and what needs to be emphasized to achieve success. Alvinius (2017) states that this helps to carry out daily activities more consciously and emphasize those that will lead to positive consequences. The leader also faces all the changes that are inevitable in our time. In addition, the leader often initiates these changes since they can radically improve the functioning of a medical organization or at least a part of it. Even if the leader does not anticipate the negative aspects of change, they can take responsibility for these aspects and eliminate the consequences. As a result, change occurs calmly and orderly, leading to the best possible outcome.
I believe that my philosophy best fits the interpersonal nursing theory. All of the qualities described above have one common goal: to find the best way of communication with patients and use it to help it in the most efficient way. Thus, this approach would be extremely helpful in the advanced practice. Clearly knowing the rules and principles of such a philosophy is a great base for work. It helps overcome difficulties and provide the best care possible.
A nurse leader is a persistent and strong person with an active lifestyle. They are not afraid of difficulties and are ready to cope with them while helping others in this. They are prepared to change and change the system to achieve the most favorable results. They are interested in the subordinates not only working but understanding the meaning and importance of their work. This allows the people around the leader to reach out and bring about the necessary changes.
References
Alvinius, A. (2017). Contemporary leadership challenges. IntechOpen.
Weberg, D., Porter-O’Grady, T., Mangold, K., Malloch, K. (2018). Leadership in nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.