Our head controls the rest of the body because it encases our brain. The brain is the primary organ in regulating our body functions. If we put it this way, that brain leads our body function, it won’t be wrong. As students, our teachers lead us, and every company has a leader that leads their team and organization towards success. Leaders play a fundamental role in any organization’s success and motivate their team members to give their best. If we separate the leadership from a country, the country will have no purpose. Every aspect of our life and even a country needs someone to lead it and direct its course.
Hospitals are barely quiet, and they are home to many sick patients in dire need of care and treatment. We head to a hospital whenever we feel unusual about our health. Upon entering a hospital, we see nurses talking to patients, walking with doctors, and guiding patients about their health. Nurses comprise a significant portion of the health care industry. The profession of nursing involves thorough communication and coordination. Nurses mostly work in shifts, and these shifts thrive on the flow of information.
A slight mistake in conveying the information can cause chaos for patients. Nurse leadership holds a crucial responsibility to manage nurses’ needs, look after their tasks, and keep them motivated to serve. The healthcare industry is in flux due to pandemics, and planning is tricky. As a nurse, if you equip yourself with the right leadership skills, you can devise strategies for the challenges ahead. To upgrade yourself in this field, you can opt for DNP online program to equip yourself with the necessary leadership skills to lead a nurse team and revamp the healthcare services. A good nurse leader motivates their team member to pursue one common goal that revolves around patient care. If you aim to be a nurse leader, go through this checklist enlisting nurse leadership qualities.
- TECH-SAVVY
With the advancement of time, every profession has embraced technology. Leadership means to facilitate others and to make things easy for them. Nurse leadership must know about the right technology and its use to work efficiently and save time and effort. Electronic reports (ERs), clinical decision support (CDS), biometric data have streamlined many operations in the healthcare sector, and for nurses. Nurse leadership can streamline their operations and other aspects of their job through effective use of technology. It lessens the chances of human errors and makes it easily approachable for everyone in the communication loop.
- DECISION MAKER
Nurses have to bear this pain of deciding what is best for the patient based on their health condition. One of the essential qualities of a nurse leader is to have expert decision-making skills. Decisions made after thorough research and considering all the possibilities; offer desired results. Nurse leadership can enhance their decision-making abilities by joining communities with researchers, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. The problems can vary in the health care system, from concerning patient health to ruling out the cause of diseases. For combating the issues effectively, the decisions must streamline throughout the organization.
- GLOBAL MINDSET
A leader does not think on an individual level. They think and look at things from a broader perspective. A successful leader stays aware of the changes happening globally and know about cultural diversity. Nurse leadership must keep a tab on the changes happening in the healthcare industry worldwide. Doing so will help them develop decisions that will benefit every individual working in the healthcare industry. They can respond to the issues effectively, know about a new trend, and incorporate them in their profession. Having a global approach helps share strategies, find solutions together, and address the common issues together.
- COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Although we do not need to emphasize the importance of communication, it is an indispensable quality. Nurse leadership has to communicate inter disciplines and on multidisciplinary levels. They communicate with patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals concerning the need of the hour. They can facilitate collaboration by arranging the trainee programs engaging with experts and professionals. They can help the young nurses set their foot in the door by guiding them about their profession. Effective communication skills make it easy for leaders to know what is happening around them and address their staff’s problems. A leader who is open to suggestions or involving their members in discussions is more likely to enhance their profession’s quality.
- PROFESSIONALISM
Nursing is a dynamic profession requiring competent and skilled individuals to add value to the healthcare industry. Nurse leaders are representative of their department at every organizational front. Their conduct and demeanor speak on behalf of the whole organization. As we advance towards better decisions, nurse leaders can be part of boardrooms in no time. Practical nurse leadership can change the nursing profession’s future and help many other upcoming aspirants pick the best practices. Their professionalism in dealing with patients, talking to their heads, or collaborating with other hospitals is a worthy asset.
- WILLINGNESS TO LEARN
A leader who is flexible to learn is more likely to succeed than the one sticking to their static methods. The healthcare industry has continuous researches going on, altering the trends and techniques every day. The willingness to learn new treatment methods, adapting to new trends can pave the way for a leader to excel and move forward in their profession. The more you learn, the more you grow and polish your skills. Enrolling in continuing medical education programs will help the leaders learn new things and improve their work efficiency.
- EMPATHY
It is the essence of the nursing profession. With nurses caring for thousands of patients and helping them recover back to health, nurse leadership must have empathy. A nurse leadership that is kind and caring towards its staff increases productivity and keeps them motivated. Nurses are humans too, and having someone there to understand helps them survive the day and helps them cope with the stress they often endure. Nurse leadership is an advocate of their team and fights for their right if they need some favor.
CONCLUSION
Nursing is one of the most honorable and noble profession. People find it rewarding, and it has the highest employee satisfaction ratio. They have served humanity for ages and have always been the frontline fighters. Leading nurses requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Nurses are still there to help the patients, but they also need someone to guide their way and facilitate them during their work. Effective leadership learns to form its team members and teaches the ones needing assistance.
