The role of nurse leaders in the contemporary healthcare environment is increasingly complex due to the variety of issues and responsibilities. The most important challenge for nurse leaders is motivating employees to achieve better performance outcomes. Creating motivated and well-performing teams is crucial to improving patient outcomes and promoting satisfaction with services (Swensen, Pugh, McMullan, & Kabcenell, 2013). To address this challenge, nurse leaders should use positive leadership styles, as well as integrate tools to enhance operations (AHRQ, 2013; Giltinane, 2013). Leaders should also practice ethical decision-making to prevent misconduct and improve the work environment. According to the American Organization of Nurse Executives (2015), nurse leaders should ensure that their practice reflects professional standards and complies with relevant nursing codes.
Delegation is essential in the work of nurse leaders, as it enables them to be more productive and challenge nurses to improve their skills. Nurse leaders usually focus on complex and urgent duties and delegate simpler tasks to other staff members (Stonehouse, 2015). Some issues with delegation that I have encountered in my practice are the lack of trust, prioritization, and time constraints. For instance, at times, it is easier to perform a task myself than to explain it to a colleague. When delegating tasks, I might also be unsure if my colleague has the skills and knowledge to complete it successfully. Despite these constraints, I try to delegate tasks regularly since it helps my colleagues to build experience and skills (Young, Farnham, & Reinhard, 2016).
I believe that earning my baccalaureate degree will assist me in delegating tasks more freely and effectively. The knowledge of management will also help me in performing managerial functions in my organization. Finally, my degree will assist me in transitioning to a leadership position, which can be challenging for nurses (Doria, 2015). With leadership skills and experience gained from the course, I will be able to earn nurses’ trust and achieve excellent outcomes fast.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2013). Pocket guide: TeamSTEPPS 2.0. Web.
American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE). (2015). AONE nurse manager competencies. Web.
Doria, H. (2015). Successful transition from staff nurse to nurse manager. Nurse Leader, 13(1), 78-81.
Giltinane, C. L. (2013). Leadership styles and theories. Nursing Standard, 27(41), 35-49.
Stonehouse, D. (2015). The art and science of delegation. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants, 9(3), 150-153.
Swensen, S., Pugh, M., McMullan, C., & Kabcenell, A. (2013). High-impact leadership: Improve care, improve the health of populations, and reduce costs. Cambridge, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Young, H. M., Farnham, J., & Reinhard, S. C. (2016). Nurse delegation in home care: Research guiding policy change. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 42(9), 7-15.