Select one theory discussed during Topics 4 and 5. Describe how this theory applies to your future role in advanced nursing practice (individuals, families, communities, and special populations)? Why or why not? Use examples from your current practice to illustrate differences or similarities.
Being a leader is not an easy title. You act as a parent, a teacher, a counselor or even a cheerleader. You have to create an environment where your staffs feel at ease to work and they can easily approach you with issues. Whether it is work related or personal issues. I had an unpleasant experience with one of my nurse manager in my previous workplace before moving here. Prior to me getting married I requested for night shift so I could use my days to attend marriage counseling. I went to her to explain the situation and she nodded to it. When it was time to draw the schedule for d next working period she placed me on day duties on the specific days that I needed to go for my counseling. I went back to remind her of my request and her response was she did not ask me to get married. She is noted for declining peoples request and she will make sure she places you on the day you have requested and she will keep a keen eye on you ensuring you do not swap with anyone. Fast forward covid came and she quickly requested to go to the isolation center to manage the place. She was granted the opportunity to go there but she was not made the manager. It was a great relief to us when she left. We later had a good substitute and working become more comfortable.
Nursing is not an easy job hence a leader should not make it worse for her staff. As a leader you should have a listening ear and be flexible but firm in decision making. Even if you have to decline a request you should make your staff understand why.
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Hello Rosemary,
I am sorry to read that you had a manager that didn’t care for their coworkers. I can share a similar story with you, I had a manager that will give me a speech about my lack of work ethic by requesting a day that was very busy. I had other coworkers that were able to cover my work and the manager didn’t like the idea of people getting time off. Every time I requested days the same process will repeat. I became annoyed and started to look for a different job since the manager had been working in the same place for over 10 years and she wasn’t going to change or leave. The other staff explained that nurses continuously left the job due to the manager’s attitude. The job owner was never involved in employee matters because the “chain of command” required me to handle issues with my manager. Retaliation from the manager was always felt by other coworkers or me and there was nobody to turn to and ask for help. The day I left the manager told me that I wasn’t going to find a better job and that if I wanted to return that she would consider taking me back. I thanked her and walked away to never look back on this job. I currently have a better work environment and I can request time off if I have PTO hours to use.
Work Count 238.
An ineffective leadership trait that I’ve witnessed over the course of my career is micromanaging. This notion of if you want something done correctly you have to do it yourself is damaging, it causes unhappy employees, fatigue, and burnout. Micromanagers also negatively impact the morale of the department because it says, “I don’t really trust that you know what you’re doing” so these leaders constantly second guess the abilities of their staff. Delegation is important because everyone has a role to play and when everyone plays their role correctly, processes run smoother. A leadership role is meant to inspire and lead not to control (Ringer, 2019). Employees need the room to develop their skillset and solutions to problem that arise. I will lead by example because how will I teach autonomy to patients and other nurses if I do not practice the ethic of Autonomy in my own nursing career. Strategies I may use as a future leader include active listening. Listening to suggestions from employees speaks magnitudes because the impression is they are heard and respected by delivering what is requested for a better work environment. Recognizing when employees are exceptional is another approach to good leadership, yes, correcting when it warrants but also celebrating. Communicating valuable information as well as creating a safe space for communication amongst employees is also vital. When leaders fall short so does the team, everyone suffers.
Word count: 234
Ringer, J. (2019). Top 6 Ineffective Leadership Traits | Judy Ringer. Judy Ringer. https://www.judyringer.com/resources/articles/top-6-ineffective-leadership-traits.php
