Leadership and Management Attributes
Competency
Evaluate leadership and management attributes that support critical decisions for nursing practice.
Scenario
You have recently started a position as a department director with five managers reporting to you. Earlier today, one of your managers reports that a client expired on her unit. She suspects that a factor that may have contributed to the client’s demise may be related to the actions of a nurse on her unit. This nurse has several notes in her personnel file that reflect potential client abuse. You and the nurse manager both have concerns that this sentinel event must be investigated.
Later in the day, the Chief Nursing Officer asks you to speak to new nurse managers to share attributes of leadership with the plan of enhancing their leadership skills. You see an opportunity to combine the situation of the client with a bad outcome, due to the alleged influence of one of the nurses, while building information to share this real-life situation with new nurse leaders.
Instructions
As a follow up to the investigation of the client’s unexpected death, generate an internal memo to your managers to reflect leadership and management attributes and include steps taken to investigate this unfortunate situation. As you create this memo, keep in mind that you should include:
At least five leadership and/or management attributes for nurse leaders, as well as how they can improve client outcomes.
Steps you would take to ensure the collection of data regarding this incident.
Describe how transformational leadership style may influence the process of investigating this professional nurse colleague that reports to one of your unit managers.
Provides stated ideas with professional language and attribution for credible sources with correct Help write my thesis – APA citation, spelling, and grammar.
Internal Memo:
To: Department Managers
From: [Your Name]
Subject: Leadership and Management Attributes Supporting Critical Decisions for Nursing Practice
As you know, one of our clients recently expired on a unit, and there are concerns that the actions of a nurse may have contributed to the client’s demise. We have initiated an investigation to ensure that the circumstances of this incident are thoroughly evaluated, and we can learn from this unfortunate situation to improve client outcomes in the future. In light of this situation, I want to remind you of the importance of leadership and management attributes that can support critical decisions for nursing practice.
Effective leadership and management attributes are crucial to ensuring high-quality patient care and improving client outcomes. Here are some key leadership and management attributes for nurse leaders:
Accountability: Nurse leaders must be accountable for their actions and decisions, and they must hold themselves and their team members accountable for providing high-quality patient care.
Communication: Nurse leaders must have excellent communication skills to facilitate effective collaboration among healthcare team members and ensure that everyone is working toward the same goals.
Critical Thinking: Nurse leaders must be skilled in critical thinking, which involves analyzing information, making sound decisions, and taking appropriate action.
Emotional Intelligence: Nurse leaders must have high levels of emotional intelligence to understand and manage their own emotions and the emotions of others, which is particularly important in healthcare settings where emotions can run high.
Empowerment: Nurse leaders must empower their team members by providing them with the resources, support, and autonomy they need to perform their jobs effectively.
In addition to these leadership and management attributes, we must take steps to ensure that the investigation into the client’s death is thorough and objective. Here are some steps we can take:
Collect all relevant data: We must collect all relevant data, including medical records, incident reports, and witness statements, to ensure that we have a complete picture of what happened.
Conduct a root cause analysis: We must conduct a root cause analysis to identify the underlying factors that contributed to the client’s death.
Involve multiple stakeholders: We must involve multiple stakeholders in the investigation, including nursing staff, physicians, and other healthcare professionals, to ensure that all perspectives are considered.
Maintain confidentiality: We must maintain confidentiality throughout the investigation to protect the privacy of the client and the healthcare professionals involved.
Finally, it is worth considering how a transformational leadership style may influence the process of investigating this professional nurse colleague that reports to one of your unit managers. A transformational leadership style emphasizes inspiring and empowering team members, promoting collaboration and teamwork, and leading by example. In this situation, a transformational leadership style could help to foster a collaborative and supportive environment, where everyone is working together to ensure that the investigation is thorough and objective.
In conclusion, effective leadership and management attributes are critical for nursing practice, particularly when dealing with unexpected events such as the client’s death. By promoting these attributes and taking steps to ensure that investigations are thorough and objective, we can work together to improve client outcomes and provide the best possible care to our patients.
References:
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.
Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Stogdill’s handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (3rd ed.). New York: Free Press.
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
