Nurse Manager Shadowing: Leadership & Conflict Resolution
This paper reflects on a nursing leadership and management shadowing experience with a nurse manager of a Cardiac Progressive Unit. The student observes the manager's daily responsibilities, credentials, and transformational leadership style, noting how individualized attention, empathetic communication, and active listening shape the unit's culture. The paper examines a real conflict involving medication errors and how the nurse manager used compromise as a resolution strategy consistent with transformational leadership principles. It also compares the nurse manager's approach to the student's own democratic leadership style and discusses the professional development steps needed to pursue a nurse manager role.
- Observations of the Nursing Manager's Role: Daily shadowing activities and observed nurse manager behaviors
- Position, Credentials, and Leadership Style: Manager's qualifications and transformational leadership approach
- Conflict Resolution Situation: Medication error conflict handled through compromise
- Initial Impression of the Nurse Manager: Positive assessment with one noted limitation
- Reflection on Personal Leadership Style: Democratic style compared to transformational; development goals
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds abstract leadership theory in concrete, observed behaviors — describing the nurse manager's daily routines, communication habits, and team interactions rather than relying on definitions alone.
- Uses a specific conflict case (medication errors) to demonstrate how a leadership style operates under pressure, giving the analysis practical credibility.
- Closes with self-reflection by comparing the observed leadership style to the student's own, creating a clear personal learning narrative.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied theory analysis: it introduces a recognized framework (transformational leadership) and then systematically maps observed behaviors onto that framework using cited scholarly sources. This technique — defining a concept, then verifying it against evidence — is a core skill in professional nursing education and reflective practice writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper follows a five-part structure: (1) observational narrative of the shadowing experience, (2) credentials and leadership style identification with theoretical support, (3) case-based conflict resolution analysis, (4) evaluative reflection on the nurse manager's strengths and limitations, and (5) a personal leadership comparison and professional development plan, closing with a brief integrative conclusion.
Observations of the Nursing Manager's Role
During this course on nursing leadership and management, I shadowed the nurse manager of a Cardiac Progressive Unit at a healthcare organization. She has worked as a nurse on the unit for a decade and became its nurse manager three years ago. Prior to taking on that role, she worked in supervisory positions within the unit, which involved monitoring whether nurses were meeting their daily goals and identifying areas for improvement. The other nurses in the unit recognize her as a friend and mentor whose primary motivation is to enhance the quality of patient care. She has also received recognition from the organization's top leadership for her commitment to excellent patient care services.
The shadowing experience involved arriving at the healthcare organization at 7:00 a.m. and meeting with the nurse manager before she began her daily activities. Given the demanding nature of her role, shadowing took place once a week for at least five hours per session. Each day, she would begin by meeting with her colleagues for approximately 30 minutes to set goals and identify strategies for achieving them. Throughout the day, she regularly spoke with her staff and also took time to sit with patients in the unit. She ensured that all nurses performed their assigned responsibilities and reminded them of their roles and the specific goals for that day. Her regular conversations with patients were aimed at gathering feedback about the care they received and identifying opportunities for improving service delivery.
Based on my observations, she was an active listener and an empathetic communicator, particularly when spending time with patients. Through these interactions, she often learned things about patients that they had not shared with other nurses or healthcare professionals. She also focused on creating a healthcare environment characterized by strong physician-nurse collaboration, nurse-nurse collaboration, and nurse-leader collaboration. This teamwork approach enhanced the quality of patient care, since physicians received complete and timely information from nurses about patient concerns. At the end of each nursing shift, she would sit down with the nurses to review the day's activities and assess the effectiveness of care delivery. These reviews helped identify areas for improvement and gave nurses an opportunity to share their experiences in order to enhance the overall effectiveness of the unit.
Position, Credentials, and Leadership Style
The nurse manager I observed holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management. She has more than ten years of clinical experience and has worked in middle management positions at different nursing facilities. Prior to being appointed nurse manager of the Cardiac Progressive Unit, she served as a nurse supervisor in the same unit for more than three years.
Her leadership style can be described as transformational leadership, which she utilized to ensure that the nursing staff performed their duties as expected and met the unit's desired goals. According to Perez (2014), transformational leadership involves motivating subordinates through appeals to higher moral values and ideals. Her use of this style was evident in the individualized attention she gave staff members when discussing their goals and responsibilities. It was also visible in her clear commitment to the organization's vision and mission regarding excellent patient care and improved outcomes. The major characteristics of her transformational approach included individualized consideration and attention, idealized influence, and motivation.
Her empathetic communication and active listening further reflected transformational leadership principles by creating a highly motivating healthcare environment. She focused on building genuine relationships with both staff and patients while inspiring team members to work toward the unit's established goals and objectives. She consistently demonstrated confidence, respect, and loyalty, all of which inspired her subordinates to invest in enhancing the quality of patient care and contributing to the fulfillment of the organization's mission.
References
Cipriano, P. F. (2011, March). Move up the role of nurse manager. American Nurse Today, 6(3). Retrieved from
Hendel, T., Fish, M., & Galon, V. (2005, March). Leadership style and choice of strategy in conflict management among Israeli nurse managers in general hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 13(2), 137–146.
Perez, J. W. L. (2014). Impact of nurse managers' leadership styles on staff nurses' intent to turnover. Retrieved from Gardner-Webb University website: http://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=nursing_etd
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