Introduction
Carol Huston predicted the most crucial nurse leader competencies, which would be required for 2020. These are a global perspective of healthcare development, technology skills, decision-making ability, managerial abilities, staying current with political processes, team building skill, the capability of keeping the balance between authenticity and performance expectations, and rapid adaptation to advances in the healthcare system. Although Huston determined them in 2008, they remain indispensable in the nurse practice.
Main body
Significant changes in the domain of healthcare have been demanding particular skills from the medical staff. New research appears annually observing such fields of medicine as genetic engineering, organ transplantation, the usage of medical robots. The other example is the fact that innovations and advances are already introduced in the treatment process. The main trends in the development of medicine are closely related to the field of IT and mobile gadgets. Soon any person on the planet, no matter how remotely he or she is from the medical institution, will be able to receive qualified doctor advice and quality medical care in the shortest possible time. They will only develop in the next few decades, so nurse leaders should stay current with global trends in the healthcare system.
The essential leadership competency is the skill of technology use. The last few years have become significant for medicine, concerning the number of new areas, emerging techniques and the introduction of digital technologies. Artificial intelligence and new devices are becoming familiar means of organizing the treatment and monitoring the physical well-being.
The world is looking for solutions to overcome global problems and achieve sustainable development. Overpopulation and pollution of the planet, poverty in the third world, the energy crisis cause serious healthcare issues and need modern approaches and strategies for solutions. Traditional methods for solving problems are ineffective on a planetary scale, while the global perspective or mindset has become one of the best ways to deal with new illnesses. Over the past thirty years, virus outbreaks in the world have begun to occur more frequently. For, example, epidemics of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, are becoming commonplace.
New technologies in the healthcare system bring medicine to a new qualitative level, making it more personalized. It is possible not only to deal with the consequences but also to influence the disease cause, collecting a large amount of data to understand cause-effect relationships. The purpose of awareness of future trends in healthcare technology is to provide the best treatment to improve communication between medical staff and patients.
Wicked problems mean that they do not have one solution that would bring only positive effects. They are complex, consisting of a large number of possible causes and outcomes. Sometimes it is impossible to prevent a negative impact by using conventional processes. For remaining effective and efficient in solving wicked problems, nurse leaders may use the strategy called expert network. It includes the help of the communities of top thinkers, managers and scientists. Knowledge and opinions coming from the different domains of human activity might help to determine the possible solution and allow nurse leaders to make a proper decision.
Being politically acute means staying current with the processes occurring in the organization and the ability to intervene in political processes appropriately. Political astuteness can be demonstrated in various ways. First of all, it requires decision-making skills, assertiveness, accountability and the willingness to express one’s views. It is the awareness of the current processes in the workplace, reaching through observation, listening, reading, detachment and analysis. It can be beneficial for a nurse leader as he or she gets to know the team spirit and informal power structures.
Conclusion
Health care is a promising area in the context of the practical application of new technologies and advances. The treatment of certain diseases, the progress towards diagnosis, and the development of effective medicine formulations depend on the introduction of specific innovations. New trends require the development of new competencies that have already been predicted by Carol Huston almost a decade ago.
References
Bhavnani S, Narula J, Sengupta P. Mobile technology and the digitization of healthcare. European heart journal. 2016; 37(18):1428-1438.
Hannigan B, McAllister M. Empowerment strategies for nurses: Developing resilience in practice. New York: Springer; 2019.
Huston C. Preparing nurse leaders for 2020. Journal of Nursing Management [Internet]. 2008; 16(8):905–11. Web.
Semrau T, Steigenberger N, Wilhelm H. Team political skill and team performance. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 2017; 32(3):239-253.