Strong leadership is essential for success in a wide variety of work environments, and especially in those that involve a lot of high-pressure situations and the need to make the right decisions quickly.
Nursing is certainly a career that fits into that category, and good leadership is essential to ensure that successful nursing teams are able to work together effectively to provide the best standard and quality of care to their patients. Good nurse leaders are not only essential for managing and coordinating teams, but they often act as advocates for their patients to improve patient care across the board and play a part in policy and decision making in order to ensure the continuous improvement of the healthcare system. So, why are quality nurse leaders so important to the industry?
Encouraging Success
An effective nurse leader is an individual who can create and promote an environment where the nursing staff is able to facilitate more passion and enthusiasm for the work that they do. Good nurse leaders set a strong example to their teams that it’s never acceptable to be satisfied with anything that is less than 100% in this field. They hold nurses accountable and encourage them to conduct themselves in a professional manner while providing the tools and resources for nurses to meet and exceed their professional and performance goals.
A good nurse leader is somebody who is clear with the instructions that he or she gives, and is able, to be honest about their team’s performance and find opportunities for growth and progression. Nurse leaders encourage success by getting to know employees on a personal basis, which allows them to offer praise and positive reinforcement to those who do outstanding work while offering encouragement and support to team members who may be struggling.
Promoting Strong Teamwork
A solid nursing leadership structure is necessary to help other nurses function well as a team. All nurses, and more particularly, those in nurse leadership positions, must possess excellent interpersonal skills in order for the work that they do to be effective and successful. A strong nurse leader is somebody who has great communication skills whether they are talking with other nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals, their patients, or their patients’ families. Excellent communication and teamwork are absolutely essential to providing the best standard of patient care, and nurse leaders must encourage team members to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively in order to achieve this. A strong nurse leader creates a setting where communication, collaboration, and mutual support – particularly in busy situations – is easy for nurses to achieve.
Positive Growth
A strong nurse leader is an individual with the confidence to honestly analyze their work and constantly continue to find new ways to improve, not only for themselves, but also for their team. If a team’s performance falls below the acceptable standard, a good nurse leader must be able to find reasons that led to this and deal with them in an appropriate way. They must be willing to identify issues and make changes that allow performances to improve in order to facilitate the positive growth and development of the team. A good nurse leader is somebody who inspires and influences other nurses on their teams to continuously evaluate themselves and the things around them to determine current or potential problems and make positive changes to improve performance and the standard of patient care.
Improve Organization
Nursing teams need to be organized well to succeed – without it, the risk for chaos is huge, and this is never a good thing in the fast-paced, demanding world of healthcare. A good nurse leader should be somebody who is very detail-oriented, methodical, and skilled in the art of quickly identifying and coming up with often creative solutions to the range of problems that might arise in this environment. A strong nurse leader often has to be somebody who is skilled at multi-tasking, as they will be faced with a range of organizational tasks including putting together shift schedules, assigning specific duties to specific nurses, overseeing patient care, and more.
Nurse Leadership Skills
If you are considering moving up the career ladder in nursing and have your sights set on a career in nurse leadership, you can make this possible with these online DNP leadership programs that allow you to gain a relevant qualification to support your career growth while continuing to work as a nurse. Along with additional qualifications, good nurse leaders should also possess the following skills:
Communication
Communication skills are a top requirement for nurses, and at the leadership level, being able to effectively and clearly communicate with others is even more essential. As a nurse leader, you will use communication skills on a regular basis to interact and build strong relationships with both your team and the patients whose care you oversee. Along with the ability to put instructions across clearly, nurse leaders should also possess excellent listening skills and be highly aware of non-verbal communication.
Negotiation
Conflict management is often a responsibility that falls on the nurse leader, and good negotiation skills are essential in this situation. Negotiation is a common feature in patient-centered care; for example, nurses might negotiate with patients when it comes to reaching an agreement on the care that they are provided after treatments, or with colleagues for situations like covering a shift. Good negotiation in healthcare requires empathy, compassion, and an awareness of your own feelings and behavior.
Collaboration
Finally, a good nurse leader needs to be able to work well as part of a team along with managing the team itself. Nurse leaders often lead by example, and being a collaborative, good team player will encourage your team members to work towards achieving the same. Successful collaboration requires nurse leaders to possess excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
Nurse leaders are an essential role in the healthcare industry. They organize and facilitate patient care and oversee teams of nurses and other healthcare providers. If you’re currently a nurse who is interested in moving into a more managerial style role, nurse leadership could be an ideal option for you.
