Saturday, January 28, 2012
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is very important for businesses. Healthcare is a very competitive market, and having a strategic plan make a company more competitive. It is important for employees and members of a planning committee to have a plan and goals so that everyone know what they are doing and why they are doing it. There will be no question what the ultimate goal is, and everyone will be working towards the same goal. Planning helps a company run more smoothly and keeps everyone on the same page.
Some things I learned in class about strategic planning are that it is important it is important to know what you are working towards with short term goals to keep everyone on track. Communication is key when it comes to strategic planning not only with your team, but with every team that is involved. This was demonstrated during the activity we did in class. We didn't communicate with the other groups and no one won. It is important to communicate and work together for the good of the everyone involved.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Ethical and Legal Responsibilities
As nurses gain more responsibilities in their role they are going to be faced with more ethical and legal issues. As a patient's advocate we are always trying to do what we feel is in the best interest of the patient. This puts us in a situation where we can easily be faced with ethical decisions. I am grateful that there are ethical committees set up to help solves these issues. An ethical committee will be able to come in with an unbiased opinion, and see things in a different light than the other parties that are involved.
The main thing that I learned from our class discussion on ethics is that there is not a clear right and wrong when it comes to ethics. It is a very gray line, and what one person thinks is ethical another person may not is ethical. It is sometimes a very touchy subject, and must be approached carefully.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Leadership
1. Leadership requires personal mastery- In order for nurses to be effective leaders they must first master the art and skills of nursing themselves.
2. Leadership is about values- Nurses must poses good values in order to be viewed as a leader. No one is going to follow someone who the believe has poor values
3. Leadership is about service- Leadership in a sense is service. It is not like a manager where you are getting paid more to do more. You are giving your time and energy to serve those who follow you without compensation for it.
4. Leadership is about people and relationships- Nurses are dealing with people who look up to them on a daily basis. It is important for nurses to build a relationship with these people in order to be view as a good leader. We, as nurses want to influence people to make positive changes in their lives. They are much more likely to make these changes if they trust you.
5. Leadership is contextual- There are different situations in which nurses can be leaders. They can be leaders in the community, on the floor that they work on, in their families, and in their education. In each situation there is a different type of leadership that is necessary in order for success.
6. Leadership is about management of meaning- making things meaningful throughout your nursing career can hep you remember the important things you learn, and thus help improve your leadership skills.
7. Leadership is about balance- In order for a nurse to be a good leader they much have balance in their life. I feel a nurse with a good balance in her life would be more understanding, and work much better under a stressful situation than would a leader without balance.
8. Leadership is about continuous learning and improvement- Nursing roles are always changing and advancing. It is important for a nurse to continuously learn and improve in order to be a good leader.
9. Leadership is about effective decision making- Nurses are continuously in situations where they have to make decisions. A good leader will be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner.
10. Leadership is a political process- When I think of political process I think of democracy. Leaders are chosen by their followers. They are not appointed by someone above them like a manager. If no one chooses to follow you, than you are not a leader. This is true in any setting not just nursing.
11. Leadership is about modeling- I am a firm believer in the saying "lead by example" This is true in every area of life including nursing. It is hard to try to teach a patient about eating healthy and exercising to lose weight and decrease the risk of heart disease if you are over weight yourself.
12. Leadership is about integrity- Integrity is such an important part of being a nurse, integrity is also a very important part of being an effective leader.
2. Leadership is about values- Nurses must poses good values in order to be viewed as a leader. No one is going to follow someone who the believe has poor values
3. Leadership is about service- Leadership in a sense is service. It is not like a manager where you are getting paid more to do more. You are giving your time and energy to serve those who follow you without compensation for it.
4. Leadership is about people and relationships- Nurses are dealing with people who look up to them on a daily basis. It is important for nurses to build a relationship with these people in order to be view as a good leader. We, as nurses want to influence people to make positive changes in their lives. They are much more likely to make these changes if they trust you.
5. Leadership is contextual- There are different situations in which nurses can be leaders. They can be leaders in the community, on the floor that they work on, in their families, and in their education. In each situation there is a different type of leadership that is necessary in order for success.
6. Leadership is about management of meaning- making things meaningful throughout your nursing career can hep you remember the important things you learn, and thus help improve your leadership skills.
7. Leadership is about balance- In order for a nurse to be a good leader they much have balance in their life. I feel a nurse with a good balance in her life would be more understanding, and work much better under a stressful situation than would a leader without balance.
8. Leadership is about continuous learning and improvement- Nursing roles are always changing and advancing. It is important for a nurse to continuously learn and improve in order to be a good leader.
9. Leadership is about effective decision making- Nurses are continuously in situations where they have to make decisions. A good leader will be able to make effective decisions in a timely manner.
10. Leadership is a political process- When I think of political process I think of democracy. Leaders are chosen by their followers. They are not appointed by someone above them like a manager. If no one chooses to follow you, than you are not a leader. This is true in any setting not just nursing.
11. Leadership is about modeling- I am a firm believer in the saying "lead by example" This is true in every area of life including nursing. It is hard to try to teach a patient about eating healthy and exercising to lose weight and decrease the risk of heart disease if you are over weight yourself.
12. Leadership is about integrity- Integrity is such an important part of being a nurse, integrity is also a very important part of being an effective leader.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Leadership and Management Theories
How Leadership and Management Theories Impact Nursing Leadership and Management Roles
I believe that it is very important to have both a manager and a leader in nursing. Most of the time it won't be the same person. It is important to have a manager to guide the team, and be in charge. The manager is someone who is paid more to do their job. They attend trainings and meetings to make sure they are up on the current information. It is important to have managers to implement new policies on the floor, address budgetary issues with other staff, and to be the go-between; if there are concerns that need to be addressed at a higher level than them, they can address that issue with hospital administration.
It is also important to have a leader. It is nice to have someone to look up to, and someone you feel confident going to if you have questions. I have come across many nurses who have been great leaders though out my schooling. There have been many who have taken time out of their busy shift to teach me and make sure I know what was going on. This to me is an example of a great leader. They were not getting paid extra to teach me and make sure all my questions were answered, but they still took the time to guide me.
I believe that it is very important to have both a manager and a leader in nursing. Most of the time it won't be the same person. It is important to have a manager to guide the team, and be in charge. The manager is someone who is paid more to do their job. They attend trainings and meetings to make sure they are up on the current information. It is important to have managers to implement new policies on the floor, address budgetary issues with other staff, and to be the go-between; if there are concerns that need to be addressed at a higher level than them, they can address that issue with hospital administration.
It is also important to have a leader. It is nice to have someone to look up to, and someone you feel confident going to if you have questions. I have come across many nurses who have been great leaders though out my schooling. There have been many who have taken time out of their busy shift to teach me and make sure I know what was going on. This to me is an example of a great leader. They were not getting paid extra to teach me and make sure all my questions were answered, but they still took the time to guide me.
Leadership vs. Management
There is an interesting relationship between leadership and management. In some ways they are similar, yet they are still so different. There are some managers that are good leaders, but you don't have to be a good leader in order to be a manager. To me a good leader is someone who is confident, and is truly passionate about what they do. A good manager is someone who is goal oriented, organized, and can delegate tasks to get things done. One article I read said that managers have subordinates, and leaders have followers. Subordinates follow managers because their job depends on it, but those who follow leaders do it by choice (Leadership vs. Management).
One interesting point that was made in class about leaders was that even if they are the most awful person and did the most awful things they could still be a very influential leaders. Hitler comes to mind when I think about this. He convinced millions of people to follow him and do things that they probably would have never even thought about doing. He convinced a whole country to follow him and was unstoppable for such a long time.
Reference
Leadership vs Management (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader.htm
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