Homework Lance
Effective Approach in Leadership and Management
Grand Canyon University
NRS-451V
Effective Approach in Leadership and Management
Nursing shortage is a problem that has been around for decades and it is only going to get worse as the baby boomer generation get older. In Texas particularly, the nursing shortage is quickly rising. Texas is currently short about 16,000 nurses, and the shortfall is expected to worsen to about 60,000 nurses by 2030. (“How a 13 hospital,” 2017). Other factors that may also contribute to the nursing shortage may include the shift in population growth, the number of students applying to nursing schools and the aging nurses that are currently in the workforce. Without a doubt, the nursing shortage has had a negative impact on the type of healthcare that patients receive. Nurses are over worked, take on more patients than expected, the quality of care patients receive is also not as expected. With a decrease of nurses in the workforce, there is an increase in medication errors. The demand for qualified nurses is so great that some hospital systems go as far as recruiting registered nurses from other countries. In an attempt to close the gap, the Texas Legislature has passed the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act of 2001to provide incentives to increase enrollment in professional. While leaders and managers have different roles within the healthcare industry, together they can collaborate in providing safe and quality care during this national problem.State Bill 1258 Provides funding mechanism for the Nursing Faculty Loan Repayment Program (NFLRP) and loan repayment assistance in an attempt to create more nurse educators.
Effective Approach in Leadership and Management
Leadersare seen as individuals encourage the growth and progress of the organization. An effective leader promotes forward movement (Grand Canyon University, 2018). In order to accomplish this a leader must be able to inspire spirit of commitment from team members that will help him/her reach the desired goal. Through guidance, motivation and encouragement, a leader can help the team members work together towards the future. The leader should also assist the team members by sharing their skills, teaching new skills, being positive role models and willing to step in and help out. This is especially true when dealing with nursing shortage. A good leader must be able to make him/herself available when needed. By doing so the leader is opening up channels of communication and building trust and at the same time gaining respect. Nursing staff tend to respect and have a more positive reaction to a leader that they feel can relate to them.Effective communication is a skill that is acquired and a requirement in order to be able to lead. As a leader, he/she must be open to listen to the concerns of the staff members and find solutions to challenging situations. Verbal communication is the most common type of communication, but non-verbal can be just as important. Listening is key in non-verbal and the leader must be able to think before speaking, apologize quickly when a mistake is made, converse effectively, time comments, focus on behavior not personality, uncover hidden feeling and listen for feedback (Grand Canyon University, 2018).Leaders use communication as a tool for building trust. If the leader cannot communicate effectively with her team members, then the leader may have negative end results like nurses leaving and creating a nurse shortage in the unit.Trust is the glue that holds leaders and followers together (Huber, 2014).Another skill that is a characteristic of a leader is the ability to apply the problem-solving process. This involves the ability to think critically, isolate the problem, and develop a plan of action. This is particularly important when having staff that is new to the nursing field and look at the leader for guidance. Being a leader is not being at a higher rank but having higher responsibility than the staff nurses.
Managers
Management is defined as the coordination and integration of resources through planning, organization, coordinating, directing, and controlling to accomplish specific institutional goals and objectives (Huber, 2014). Managers have many roles, not only do they manage resources and implement and/or revise policies, they are also responsible for hiring qualified employees to assist in achieving corporate goals. They are responsible to providing adequate tools and training to achieve their tasks in a timely manner. Other duties include day to day administration and coordination of services provided by group of nurses. A good leader would also require to have excellent communication skills like leaders and allow their nurses to grow within their career by being allowed to practice to the full extent of their education and training, achieving higher levels of education and training by offering or having an educational department to assist nurses in sharpening or developing new skills, and by being considered partners with physicians and other healthcare professionals. Managers play an important role in nursing shortage, a negative reaction may come from a command and control concept. A manager’s leadership concept is an indicator of his/her success. Authoritarianleaders can create hostility and may create a high turnover rate causing nursing shortage in an institution. This type of leadership suppresses creativity and innovation. On the other hand, a manager that promotes empowerment, giving the authority, responsibility, and freedom to act on what they know and instilling in them belief and confidence in their own ability to achieve and succeed, has a better chance in retaining their nursing staff and having them volunteer for extra shifts or tasks whenever needed. Nurses that work under leadership that allows for growth tend to be more committed to an organization. Leading by example and having an open communication creates a more positive and constructive environment for nurses, in turn, patient care is rendered safely and patients are likely to be more satisfied.
Managers and Leaders
Managers and leaders work together to achieve a goal. Both demand working with people and create the foundation of the organization and functional framework. Managers and leaders impact the work culture and their main concern is to make resources available so that they can be used effectively and efficiently. While both roles would like to eliminate nursing shortage and improve patient outcomes, each have a different approach and a different role. Leaders tend to be more comfortable at taking risks while managers are more rational and under control problem solvers. Leaders are staff oriented and mangers are more task oriented. Management positions lean towards creating strategies, policies and ways to incorporate teams in their ideas. Leaders view problems as an opportunity to formulate new and creative solutions. They motivate and excite staff and lead others to solve problems and excel. Leaders have followers and managers have subordinates (“Leadership, n.d.”). Staff nurses tend to willingly follow a leader because of their character traits whereas a manager is obeyed because of their formal authority position.As seen, both roles are essential to the success of an organization. One is swaystowards leading people the other is directed towards leading an organization, all while attempting retaining qualified staff to deliver safe and effectual care.
Grand Canyon University. (2018). Role and Responsibilities in Leadership and Management.
NRS-451V Lecture 2
How a 13-hospital system is addressing Texas’ nursing shortage: Free tuition. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefng/2017/07/07/free-nursing-school
Huber, D. (2014). Leadership & Nursing Management, 5th Ed. Elsevier Saunders.
Leadership vs Management. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.diffen.com/difference/Leadership_vs_Management
(n.d.). Retrieved from www.legis.state.tx.us./tlodocs/77R/analysis/doc/BS00572E.doc
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