NUR3120: Leadership in Clinical Practice

NUR3120 Assessment 1 Written Essay

Preamble:

This assessment asks you to complete a critical reflection about leadership theory and attributes you have observed in clinical practice. The aim of the task is for you to critically reflect on the leadership style observed and to make some critical assumptions and attributes which may assist you in your future professional development. The aim is to help you connect the theory of leadership to practice events.

The task:

Reflect on a recent clinical practice experience* where you have observed a situation that has demonstrated eitherexemplary leadership in action or where leadership was inadequate during the care and management of clients and /or staff. Your essay should include an outline of the situation / incident (this is not included in the word limit) detailing the relevant events associated with the incident / situation, so that the reader clearly understands the situation and associated issues.

Identify who was involved, what occurred, challenges faced and the outcome. Make sure you de-identify any information so that the people and venue involved remain anonymous. A reflective framework is provided below to guide your analysis. In your essay use a theory of leadership you have studied from your module activities to inform your analysis of the situation. The essay also requires you to discuss the implications for your own leadership roles in your future nursing practice.

Some of the leadership theories you have studied include:

• Transformational leadership
• Authentic theory/breakthrough leadership
• Servant leadership
• Congruent leadership

The 2000- word essay should cover the points below:

NOT included in the word count

• Overview of Clinical Practice Situation: Discuss who was involved, what occurred,challenges faced and the outcome. Make sure you de-identify any information so that the people and venue involved remain anonymous, pseudonyms are fine to use.

Included in the word count – this is a broad guide to how you may equate the word limits

• Introduction: State an overview of the clinical practice situation and the issues. Introduce the leadership theory that will form the basis for your critical analysis and give a brief mention of the implications for your own leadership in your future nursing practice.
• Initial reflections of the events: This section asks you to uncover your initial thoughts feelings about the event and the outcomes for all. It also asks you to think about all perspectives here (not just your own interpretation) and to uncover any implicit values / beliefs important to what happened in the event.
• Critical Analysis of the Clinical Practice situation using a selected leadership theory (900 words): You will need to draw on your understanding of the chosen leadership theory to explain the link between this theory and the actions, events and outcomes in the clinical practice situation. Analyse critically how leadership was demonstrated / not demonstrated appropriately according to the key elements of the theory and draw upon related peer reviewed literature to support your discussion.
• Implications for your own leadership practice: Explain how your critical analysis of leadership actions in the clinical practice situation will impact on your own leadership roles in your future nursing practice.
• Conclusion: Tie up the main issues and how they have related to the key issues of leadership theory. Briefly summarise the implications of your critical analysis on your own future leadership roles in nursing practice.

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Leadership
4. Leader’s Profile
5. Transformational Leadership
6. Leadership and Management
7. Implications for my leadership practise in the future
8. Conclusion
9. References

Abstract

Two of the most important aspects of the nurse’s role include leadership and management and enough emphasis cannot be laid on the importance of it in the health care industry. The main aim of this assignment is to critically analyse the leadership theory that can help nurses to carry out their duties in an efficient manner. Nurses play a very critical role when it comes to clinical practises thus they need to be equipped with skills that can help them to serve their patients in a better manner and help towards achieving the goals of the organisation.

Introduction

In this assignment we shall understand about the leadership styles and theories that are made use of in the clinical practise. To make things simpler to understand I shall be taking reference from the case of a leader nurse at the workplace and I shall be describing her leadership style that is based on the transformational theory of leadership because it is one of the most appropriate theories that can be used to clearly define the performance of a leader, their effectiveness and the style that is used by the leader so that they can attain the goals and the visions of the workplace. Also we shall be discussing about the nature of the role of the leader when it comes to the clinical practise for nurses.

Leadership

One of the most imperative factors that are needed in a nurse is that of leadership. The interaction that takes place amongst the leader and the other members of the staff that helps them to influence the goals that need to be achieved at the work place. Hence leadership can be called as an ability to give a sense of direction to the other staff members so that they can move towards obtaining their aspirations and future goals (Tappen, 2001).Leadership is looked at as an interactive process that is very dynamic in nature because it has numerous dimensions to it that include the following:

1. Planning
2. Organising
3. Directing the staff

Controlling

All the activities that take place in an organisation have to be steered by a process where all the efforts that are undertaken to achieve the goals and all the tasks that are given are basically managed by the process of leadership. Leadership can also be defined as making use of providing motivation to the group of individuals so that they can take steps of action that are in accordance with the goals and aims of the leader. This concept can be explained by understanding the fact that a group of people who have been motivated by another individual so that they can work together so that they can attain their goals at their workplace by making use of the appropriate means (Nursing Times, 2008). The staff can be changed into a unit that functions in an effective manner and is one of the most intrinsic components of an organisation. The style of leadership cans either formal or information in nature. It is considered to be a formal approach when the nurse manager shows the power along with the authorities that have given to her but within the fine lines of the legal framework that has been provided by the organisation. It is considered to be informal where the nurse manager does not make use of her skills and her ideas so that the performance of the work can be enhanced to have better outcomes.

Leader’s Profile

I will be discussing about Mrs Jones who happens to be a nursing officer. She has been working as the department head for the nurses since the year 1996 at the Army Base Hospital in the country of Oman. She is well known in the department for her friendly nature and intelligence. She is a hard working woman who has excellent communication skills, she has a very strong personality and is constantly motivating her fellow workers to work harder and deliver their best at their work places. Apart from this Mrs. Jones has an ability to make use of her skills for

problem solving and has immense experience when it comes to nursing and also leadership and the management of the nursing staff. She is a well known remember of the department of the quality control as well. Since she is in charge of all the operation theatres at the hospital she ensures that she maintains precision when it comes to the planning and the coordination of all the operation theatres when she has to schedule them. Also she looks after the staffing assignments that are given by the nurses so that there is enough room for coverage. Some of the responsibility that a leader has includes motivating the staff, setting them in the correct direction, controlling them and also evaluating their performances at the work place.

Transformational Leadership

The theory of transformational leadership is most suitable to the example that I have provided in the case study. The theory of transformational leadership lays emphasis on the fact that the workers can be helped to be become motivated so that they can be guided in the correct direction to attain their goals at the organisation by their leader. It is imperative to help the workers to commit themselves towards the goals and visions of the organisation. Transformational leadership is complete based on the concept of providing empowerment to other so that they can work together so that the missions and visions of the organisation can be achieved (Moiden, 2003). There are four components of a transformational leadership that are mentioned below:

1. Managing the trust of the workers
2. Giving attention to the smallest details
3. Take time for self introspection
4. Meaning of the work that is being carried out.

When it comes to trust it is essential to understand that all the decisions that are made should be based on fairness and equity as it will ensure that the leaders are given all the respect and are followed by the other nurses as well. The judgement of a transformational leader is very sound in nature and this helps in dealing with the issues of attention at the work place. Any health organisation is steered by the way it serves the members of the community and how it is working to obtain the vision statement of the organisation (Moiden, 2002).

Leadership and Management

While managing staff it is important that the leaders help in inspiring the staff by communicating with them and creating a culture where everyone is free to voice their opinions through a series of discussions and meetings where innovation is provided completed support. For transformational leadership it is essential that the leaders provide empowerment to the staff by including them in all the decision making as it helps them to feel as a part of the vision of the organisation. Also rewarding them for their performance is a must. In the case of Mrs. Jones she

ensures that she treats all her staff members in a very friendly manner along with communication skills that are acceptable to them. This has helped in building a relationship of trust amongst the staff members. A leader always makes certain that the staffs feels like a part of the visions of the organisation and because of this the self confidence of the workers is restored. A leader needs to constantly evaluate the performances of the workers so that all the weaknesses can be acted upon (Marquis & Huston, 2009).

Also the leader holds regular meetings with the members so that the establishment of a good relationship can be done and all their problems can be addressed into. Mrs Jones also shares the responsibly of the power that she has with all the staff members which makes them feel responsible and work harder so that they can accomplish the goals of the organising. She acts as a source of motivation by being hard working and consistent in her performance which in turn helps in stimulating the performance of the staff. Mrs Jones is a reliable leader and all the staff workers ensure that they follow all the decisions that have been made by her because they are for the best of the organisation. She is responsible in delegating the staff so that they can fulfil all their functions and leads to a rise in the commitment of the staff towards their goals and they are satisfied with all the efforts that they have made towards their work (Kershaw, 2013).

Implications for my leadership practise in the future

The leadership theory that I have chosen goes hand in hand with all the qualities that I posses and the behaviours that I have. It is imperative to have a nurse manager who is effective and can help in creation of an environment that is conducive in nature and provided the workers with a platform to thrive so that a stressful environment can be avoided completely. Transformational leadership the theory that I have chosen to highlight in this case study is based on my strengths that help me to be an effective nurse where I can help others to attain their goals along with me for the achievement of goals in the future. This is because, I feel that I seem to have the needed vision to look ahead into the future and ensure that I work in an efficient manner. Hence, I can communicate in an effective manner with all my workers so that we can all work as a group and display the best of our strengths (Kelly, 2008). Optimism is another quality that I posses as the work of a nurse is not always pretty and nice we come across numerous situations in a day that cannot be solved but being optimistic always helps as it helps us to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thus when the work that has been given seems to be impossible to accomplish it is very easy for a person to become discouraged (Grant & Massey, 1999). I ensure that I do not let this discouragement to be visible on my fellow workers instead I work toward finding solutions. And this helps me to view a problem in its complete prospect and optimism helps me to be a good leader as optimistic leaders are winners at the end of the day. Taking risks is a part of being a nurse as there are crises that need to be solved with immediate decisions however these decisions could impact the patient and the work as well hence critical thinking can help immensely and courage is greatly needed to take such decisions which I lack, if I do not have courage I will not be able to tend to situations where such skills are needed. I also need to learn to maintain balance with my work life and my personal life and it is one of my greatest weaknesses. Thus there are some goals that I have set for myself to become a better leader at my work place these include:

1. Working to improve upon all the weaknesses that I have as a nurse as they can stop be from being effective at the work place (Curtis, de Vries & Sheerin, 2011)
2. To come up with better approaches so that I can provide my best to the patients that I am caring for.
3. Never to stop learning, I also want to encourage others to ensure that they learn and constantly work to improve their knowledge so that they can provide their best skills to the organisation (Curtis, de Vries & Sheerin, 2011).

Conclusion

Leadership one of the most imperative skills that are needed by nurses in clinical practise. It can only be achieved by making use of the interaction that takes place amongst the leaders and the workers of the staff so that they can be influenced in the appropriate way to attain their goals. Transformational leadership this is very effective in achieving the above mentioned and is commonly used in the hospitals. It has been based on the concepts of empowering the nurses, providing them with motivation so that they can work together as a unit to attain the missions and the goals of the organisation (Cook, 2001). The example that I have given of Mrs Jones has been analysed in great depth and it is clear that her way of leading the staff is based on the theory of transformational leadership and she makes use of these skills in an effective manner so that the staff can be controlled and perform in an excellent manner. As a nurse I hope to follow in her footsteps and try and imbibe some of this leadership that she has to become successful in my endeavour as a nurse as well.