Topic 5: Every Nurse Is A Leader
Objectives:
1. Analyze personal leadership styles, traits, and qualities.
2. Evaluate the importance of servant leadership in nursing.
3. Discuss the importance of interprofessional communication as a nursing leader.
Assignment 1
Discuss a formal role where a nurse is in a position of leadership. Outline the essential responsibilities of that role and the educational preparation required. Explain what leadership traits, styles, or qualities are required to be successful in this role and why. How do these traits, styles, or qualities align with the Christian worldview?
Assignment 2
The influence of leadership can be far-reaching in practice and improving patient outcomes even when not in a formal role. Describe advocacy strategies that you can use as a leader to create positive change in your current workplace. In response to peers, describe a time when you provided leadership and the outcome. Was there anything that you would do differently?
There are a number of advocacy strategies that a leader can use to create positive change in the workplace, including:
Identifying and clearly communicating the issues or challenges that need to be addressed, and the desired outcomes or goals.
Building relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders, such as colleagues, managers, and community leaders, to build support and momentum for change.
Gathering and presenting data and evidence to support the need for change and the potential benefits of proposed solutions.
Leveraging your influence and leadership position to advocate for resources and support for initiatives that will drive positive change.
Engaging in active listening and collaboration to ensure that all voices and perspectives are heard and taken into account in the decision-making process.
Leading by example and demonstrating a commitment to the values and goals of the organization.
A time when I provided leadership and the outcome was when I was working as a charge nurse on a busy medical-surgical unit. There was a high rate of patient falls on the unit, and I worked with the nursing staff to identify the root causes of the falls and implement interventions to prevent them. Through my leadership, we were able to significantly reduce the number of patient falls on the unit.
If I were to do anything differently, I would have made sure to involve the nursing staff more in the decision-making process and empower them to take ownership of the fall prevention initiatives. This would have helped to build buy-in and commitment to the changes and likely led to even better outcomes.
Assignment 3
Leadership Styles and Nursing
The purpose of this assignment is to assess leadership styles, traits, and practices as a nursing professional, establish the importance of effective interprofessional communication as a leader in nursing, and to explore the role of servant leadership in nursing practice.
Read the study materials on leadership and complete the topic quiz activities to better understand your leadership qualities.
Upon completion, summarize and share with your group what you learned about your specific leadership qualities, so you can become familiar with how you are similar and different from your peers when it comes to being a leader.
As a group, review the study materials related to servant leadership. Using what you have learned about the tenets of servant leadership and traits and practices of successful leaders, create a 10-12 slide PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes. Add an additional slide for references at the end of your presentation.
Include the following in your presentation:
1. Create a slide that summarizes your leadership style, traits, and practices.
2. Compare the personal leadership styles, traits, and qualities of your group members, including commonalities between group members’ strengths and weaknesses.
3. Explain why it is important for nursing professionals to be aware of their personal leadership style, traits, and practices.
4. Discuss what leadership traits and styles are necessary to be an effective communicator. Explain the importance of leaders adapting communication approaches when working interprofessionally (across ancillary departments, vendors, community members).
5. Discuss how nursing professionals can benefit from integrating the tenets of servant leadership to empower and influence others as they lead.
6. Discuss how leaders who practice servant leadership and have a strong understanding of their personal leadership traits can successfully lead others and navigate the unique challenges that are part of nursing and health care. Provide two examples that illustrate your main ideas.
You are required to cite a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years, appropriate for the assignment criteria, and relevant to nursing practice.
Refer to the resource, “Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations,” located in the Student Success Center, for additional guidance on completing this assignment in the appropriate style.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
REFERENCE:
Helbig, J. (2018). Influencing Health Care Through Advocacy. Trends in health care: A nursing perspective. Retrieved January 4, 2022 from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/5
