Professional Nursing Practice and Leadership

The Importance of Effective Nursing Leadership Today
Today, the nursing profession is under unprecedented pressures to deliver high quality patient-centered care in the wake of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. In far too many instances, nurses are being overwhelmed on the front lines of patient care, and it may be weeks or even months before the peak of the pandemic is fully experienced. Against this backdrop, identifying ways that professional nurses can help achieve this goal by assuming appropriate leadership roles has assumed new importance and relevance. To determine the facts, the purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the relevant literature, including the student handbook, to describe the importance of leadership for professional nursing practice. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings about professional nursing practice and leadership are presented in the paper’s conclusion.
Review and Discussion
In some ways, the nursing profession is unique because it calls upon virtually all professional nurses to be prepared to “hit the ground running” in a leadership role from day one of their career. For example, Standard 12 of the student handbook, “Leadership,” clearly states that, “The registered nurse demonstrates leadership in the professional practice setting and the profession” (p. 47). In addition, the student handbook also stipulates that one of the core competencies for patient-centered care includes “assuming the role of . . . leader based on the situation” (p. 52). Likewise, the American Nurses Association (ANA) also emphasizes that, “Leadership is an integral part of the nursing profession” (ANA leadership and governance, 2020, para. 4).
Taken together, these professional requirements therefore beg the question concerning what attributes constitute sound and effective leadership in the nursing profession. In this regard, a study by Delgado and Mitchell (2016) identified the top leadership qualities of nurses as including: (a) integrity, (b) communication clarity, and (c) problem-solving ability while the most common challenges that were identified for nursing leaders included (a) finding qualified practitioners, (b) scarce resources, and (c) team building efforts. It is interesting that nursing knowledge and experience do not appear on this list, suggesting that the qualities that exemplify nursing leadership do not necessarily involve direct patient care but rather understanding the “big picture” that is involved in its provision.
In addition, one of the more noteworthy findings to emerge from the study by Delgado and Mitchell (2016) was the fact that studies concerning nursing practice and leadership from decades ago remain relevant today. For instance, according to Delgado and Mitchell (2016), “Nursing leadership qualities are a constant amid the frequently chaotic advances in nursing and health care” (p. 11). This observation is particularly appropriate today given the rapid pace of technological innovations that have introduced new evidence-based practices for improving patient care.
Yet another noteworthy finding by Delgado and Mitchell (2016) was the fact that because it is central to the nursing profession, leadership is included as a curricular offering in nursing schools at all levels. For example, Delgado and Mitchell (2016) advise that, “Based on the belief that leadership is a valuable skill that can be taught, leadership as a skill is a part of all professional nursing education programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels and mandated by accrediting agencies” (p. 11). These observations underscores the fact that it is possible for all nurses to learn how to become effective leaders.
In sum, effective leadership is widely accepted as a fundamental component of professional nursing. Therefore, it is reasonable to posit that most if not all practicing nurses already recognize the importance of effective leadership in delivering high quality patient care, but some may not fully understand how they should proceed to exercise leadership in different situations, especially those that fall outside their “comfort zones.” Fortunately, as noted above, effective leadership in a nursing context is something that can be learned, and Meliniotis (2015) provides some substantive guidance for this purpose. According to Meliniotis (2015), nurses can learn how to become effective leaders by (a) identify gaps in their knowledge about a given situation, (b) consistently solicit feedback from others, and (c) periodically ask, “Am I working on the right problems?” In addition, Melionitis (2015) also recommends that nurses aspiring to become effective leaders should:
· Become more self-aware: This step requires ongoing self assessments and personal reflections in order to better understand the real problems that are arrayed against the provision of high quality nursing care.
· Understand their organizational culture: Even the most well intention and informed nurses will not be able to achieve their desired outcomes if they fail to fully understand the “in’s and out’s” of the organizational culture in which they practice.
· Show empathy: While empathy may be innate, there are some clear indications that help to express it such as ensuring that subordinates are provided with the opportunity to voice their opinions without being judged, recognizing the balance of power when dealing with direct reports and maintaining the confidentiality of information given in private.
· Learn to listen: In reality, this may be the most difficult attribute of effective leaders to learn since it demands a significant amount of effort to actually understand what others are attempting to communicate rather than simply hearing it and going on, and active listening can facilitate this process,
· Act as a mentor: Even in situations where there is no specific mentor-mentee relationship involved, nurses can serve in a mentorship role by modeling desired behaviors and practices.
· Inspire and encourage: While this step can also be exceptionally challenging, it is also an essential part of effective nursing leadership. For instance, according to Melionities (2015), “Burnout, dealing with absenteeism and reducing staff tensions takes careful skill [because] nursing is very demanding as a profession” (para. 8). Consequently, celebrating minor successes and rewarding top performance are also critical elements in effective nursing leadership. As Melionities concludes, “As a leader, you should seize every opportunity to motivate people by recognizing their worth, services or contributions” (2015, para. 8).
Conclusion
Given its importance to the provision of high quality patient care, it is not surprising that the subject of nursing leadership has been the focus of a growing body of scholarship in recent decades. The research was consistent in highlighting the centrality of nursing leadership as part of the profession, and that all nurses are expected to serve in a leadership capacity depending on the situation. Some of the more noteworthy findings to emerge from the review of the literature were the fact that studies concerning effective nursing leadership from decades ago largely remain relevant today and that leadership is something that can be taught and learned. These findings mean that even novice nurses should be prepared to lead others in times of need, and that need has never been greater than today.
References
ANA leadership and governance. (2020). American Nurses Association. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/leadership-and-governance/.
Delgado, C. & Mitchell, M. M. (2016, January-February). A survey of current valued academic leadership qualities in nursing. Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(1), 10-13.
Meliniotis, C. (2015, March 30). Effective nursing leadership. Elite Healthcare. Retrieved from https://www.elitecme.com/resource-center/nursing/effective-nursing-leadership/.
Student handbook.