Interview with a Nurse Leader

Abstract
Nurse managers play a critical role in the nursing profession. In essence, nurse managers are the primary interaction between nursing staff and patients. As the nature and form of healthcare continues to transform and grow, nurse managers will require more knowledge and skills to effectively perform their functions. As Moore et al. (2016) observe, nurse managers who contribute towards the creation of conducive work environments largely motivate nurses to better performance. It is important to note that many new nurse leaders envision themselves being more confident when working with others. Just like emotional intelligence, confidence is a learned trait. This paper synthesizes the results of an interview conducted with a nurse manager in an attempt to assess and evaluate role development in management and leadership responsibilities. The roles of Aviral, the nurse manager interviewed in this case, include triaging calls, such as giving medical advice to parents about their children. The type of leadership style she exhibits is democratic. In addition to being committed and friendly, Aviral is also mindful of the wellbeing of others and is always in factor of group deliberations. Most of the qualities she exhibits are listed by Northouse (2018) as the attributes of a good nurse manager.
Nurse Manager Interview
Nurse managers play a critical role in the nursing profession. This is more so the case given that they significantly impact patient outcomes. The role of the nurse manager is demanding. This is more so the case given that they are the primary interaction between nursing staff and patients. Towards this end, nurse managers play an important role in healthcare organizations, influencing nurses and the overall workplace. In essence, nurse managers have leadership and management responsibilities such as making sure that there is adequate staffing, making goals for the unit, managing budgets, hiring new staff, training, and evaluating performance of the staff. It is important to note that as healthcare continues to grow and evolve, nurse managers will be required to further advance their skills in an attempt to remain effective in a dynamic workplace.
Nurse managers are also responsible for the creation of a healthy and successful workplace. In that regard, nurse managers who create a good workplace can have a significant impact on nurse morale and motivation – effectively meaning that in this case, nurses are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs (Moore et al., 2016). In essence, nurse managers are indispensible when it comes to the growth and development of healthcare enterprises. It is important to note that many new nurse leaders envision themselves being more confident when working with others. Just like emotional intelligence, confidence is a learned trait.
In basic terms, confidence has got to do with knowing your role, staying focused, knowing when you need help, believe in your staff, and understanding your limitations (Raso, 2017). Confident leaders are strong about their position and they do not second-guess themselves. They are certain about their decisions. This is not to say that they do not consult. The right dose of confidence ought to be founded on experience and organization-wide consultations. In contrast, arrogance often has no basis other than what the bearer of the same perceives as being right or just. In that regard, therefore, confidence ought to be distinguished from arrogance in thinking about the role of managers, specifically nurse managers. Practice can build your confidence. In this case, practice could be gathered from taking leadership roles in volunteer settings, which expose one to leadership experiences. People who look for opportunities to practice their leadership roles will gain confidence in their ability to lead (Northouse, 2018).
Nurse Description
One person whom I found confident and also possessed great leadership capabilities was my nurse manager, Avital. She graduated from Tel-Aviv in 2001 in Israel and received her bachelor’s degree in nursing. Right after she graduated, she was an army officer for 3 yrs. Before becoming an army officer, she took a wide range of tests –all of which she passed. During the first year, she received training on how to manage people. Throughout her engagement in the army, she developed many competencies. Her desire was to play an active role in management. After she left the army, she worked in Israel in the pediatric ER as a shift manager for 5 years. Since she had experience working as an army officer, she did not need further training to work as a shift manger in the ER. At the same time she also worked part time in pediatric dialysis. She then moved to Massachusetts, and has been living here for the last 14 years. She has been working at the pediatric office for 10 years, and has been a nurse manager for 2 years.
Before Avital started her new role as a nurse manger, there was nurse manager who retired and had spent months training her. She even made a binder for her that she could use for reference purposes. Once she was done training, her role as a nurse manager broadened – with inclusions being triaging phone calls, such as giving medical advice to parents about their children. She is also the one who interviews and hires new staff members. Avital is in charge of running lab controls in the morning, monitoring the vaccine fridge temperatures, making sure high risk babies receive their synagsis vaccine, and ordering vaccines. From my perspective, she has a lot of responsibilities as nurse manger, which are inclusive of paper work. The only thing I thought she would not have to do is triage phone calls.
During the interview Avital told me her strengths include caring, delegation of roles, commitment to her job, and ability to communicate well. She stated that her type of leadership style is democratic. She gives credit for nurses doing their own work and works closely with them. For instance, she will praise the nurses for a job well done in triaging phone calls. Sometimes the nurses will have trouble answering one of the phone calls, and the nurse manager will be there to help them. The nurse manager sees all her staff as her equals. She tries to give suggestion without giving orders. If she sees one of the nurses is done rooming patients, she makes suggestions such as asking if anyone else needs help. She engages on the same level and make sure that everyone’s opinion is accounted for. She listens to all staff members and makes sure we all communicate well with each other. She is a good nurse manager who is not only committed and friendly, but also mindful of others. She also gets along well with others, is a strong motivator, and permits others to be involved in group decisions.
Role Analysis
In essence, the nurse leaders of today operate in an environment different from that of two decades ago. This is to say that while the roles of nurse managers have not changed much, today’s healthcare environment demands a different set of competencies. The said competencies could revolve around systems thinking, interpersonal effectiveness, and personal mastery (Marrelli, 2017). This is in addition to human resource management skills and financial management skills. It is important to note that having strong nurse leadership skills is critical for the creation of a work environment that is safe and healthy for both nurses and patients. Effective nurse leaders improve patient safety and create a supportive environment for the staff. Nurse managers are persons who have an influence on patient care, see to it that nurses are satisfied with their jobs - and are achievers, experts, critical thinkers, and effective communicators.
Nurse managers need strong communication skills to able to handle difficult conversations with staff, patients, healthcare providers, and families. To be an expert, you require skills and knowledge that is learned through leadership development classes. Being an achiever is getting the desired results. For nurse managers to be critical thinkers, they must have knowledge, planning, and learning skills (Henriken, 2016). The qualities that makes a nurse manger effective are inclusive of being able to prioritize, having a strong work ethic, honesty, loyalty, good judgment, and emotional intelligence (EI).
Effective leadership requires EI. Nurse managers can increase their EI by improving their ability to recognize and understand emotions in themselves others (i.e. patients). EI has a positive impact on nurse patient relationships, stress management, enhancement of communication skills, demonstration of compassion, and building teamwork (Lancaster et al., 2015). Waterbury et al. (2016) state that EI and self-awareness are important aspects in being a good communicator. Self-awareness involves understanding one’s strengths, weakness, and feelings. EI is defined as being able to express and understand your own (and others) emotions. Nurse managers with high EI and self-awareness are able to understand others (Waterbury, 2016). Also, Pipe et al. (2016) state that strong leaders have no fears and are lead to believe what is meaningful and true to them. Good leaders coach, influence others, and help guide others. A person must be aware of themselves and others, such as their strengths and weakness. In order to be a good leader, you have to be a good follower (Pipe et al., 2016). While it is important to have strong leadership skills, some leaders have weakness.
Comparative Analysis
The nurse manger whom I interviewed said one of her weakness is being responsible for everyone else. She points out that this can get stressful at times. Weakness in a nurse manager can also be seen as being too nice and not setting boundaries. In this case, you are likely to allow what has not been effective in the workplace to go on. Also, you could be perceived as not being firm in your role – which effectively means you are seen as having a weakness (Raso, 2015). Moore et al. (2016) state that nurse managers are hired based on clinical experience and not on leadership and management skills. There is the belief if the nurse can do well clinically, then they also will have good management skills. As a result, nurse managers are not prepared to step into the role of leadership and learn through a trial and error approach. Nurse managers learn how to lead from their mistakes (Moore et al., 2016). This in turn makes them stronger and able to learn how to be effective leaders.
During our interview, Avital also stated that there are times she has dealt with difficult patients. This does not, however, prevent her from staying calm, trying to help patients, while staying professional at the same time. However, if that does not work, she does always have a backup plan which is to have the patient speak with the owner of the company, i.e. Dr. Kramer. Avital believes that to be an effective nurse manager, you learn on the job, i.e. from experience. At present, she feels like she has had enough experience and does not need to take any additional training classes to enhance her skills as a nurse manager. This past month, she did attend an Employment Law Seminar which is a skills class. The class was about hiring strategies, managing employee performance, and problem solving strategies. I interviewed the nurse manager in my pediatric office because I felt she was a good role model. Her growth has been evident in all the years I have known her. I learned a lot about her during the interview.
It is important to note that all along, Avital was comfortable with our conversation, and I allowed her plenty of time to answer my questions. I maintained eye contact as much as I could and lent her my ear throughout the entire interview. The questions I asked her were open-ended and easy for her to answer. I had her full attention and was able to engage her thoroughly in the conversation – which is a good conversational tactic that Rubin (2015) recommends. I did have trouble thinking of questions to ask her during our interview. What I found most interesting during our conversation is in how she made her decision to be a nurse manager. When she was given the opportunity to take on a new position as a nurse manager, she felt honored but was not sure of whether to take up the role. She had personal reasons at the time, such as having a new baby and was not sure if she had time for both. She wanted to make sure she would be able to devote enough time to her staff as well as her family. She was fully aware of the level of commitment being the new nurse manager in our office demands.
I’m glad Avital made the decision to become the new nurse manager. During the last two years, she had done an amazing job. She and the supervisor have been working well together to keep this office running. The nurse manager is able to answer all the questions directed to her graciously and treats all members of staff fairly. Further, she is a good listener, is confident in all her engagements, helps with different patients, and is able to understand other people’s emotions. According to Glassman et al. (2018), nurse managers should be able to meet staff members’ needs and lead people towards the accomplishment of organizational goals. Nurse managers should be willing to take leadership classes so as to gain more knowledge and skills. This is more so the case given the role they play as part of the leadership team (Glassman et al., 2018). I think the nurse manager whom I work under has an important role to play to make this office strong and results-oriented. Every morning, she comes to work with a good attitude and is always ready to engage us in work-related issues. I do not know of anyone who has shown so much dedication in her job.
Conclusion
In essence, a nurse manager ought to ensure that a nursing unit is not only run in an efficient manner, but also functions as effectively as it possibly should. However, as it has been pointed out elsewhere in this text, the workplace environment in healthcare continues evolve. The said evolution could be on the basis of technology, patient protection, healthcare regulation, illness trends, etc. These changes could end up making the duties and responsibilities of nurse managers even more complex. For this reason, the relevance of continuous competence development cannot be overstated. In their diverse roles, nurse managers ought to ensure that the hospital environment in which they operate is functioning well. This calls for the forging of close working relationships with staff members with an aim of improving patient outcomes while at the same time keeping staff members motivated. It is clear from the discussion above that Avital has managed to effectively juggle staff issues with patient care concerns – with the result being a healthy working environment and the further improvement of the services offered. Overall, she had done an amazing job. Going forward, I believe that Avital will continue playing an active role in seeking to make this office strong and results oriented.
References
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