Analysis of P.F. as an Inspiring Nurse Manager, Essay Example

Shadowing P.F, the Clinical Nurse Manager at UMCB Hospital, provided me with the opportunity to explore the area of nurse management.  She showed me that the responsibilities of a nurse manager extended beyond clinical skills and into finance, administration, and leadership.  In addition to coordinating and providing care for patients in both the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Intermediate Care Unit (IMC), she supervised employees, served as a mentor, and processed paperwork involving budgets, medical records, and human resources. P.F. knows that nurses provide the best care when they have appropriate equipment and suppliesand are not experiencing abuse from patients and their families, other nurses, physicians, or staff.  Patient care is top priority, and while she is friendly and approachable, she does not allow anything to interfere with patient care.

P.F has been in the field of nursing since 1979.  She has predominantly worked in the ICU, and for the last ten years, has been its manager.  Two years prior, she became the manager ofthe IMC in addition to the ICU.  Like many nurse managers, she is a registered nurse and has her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  She is affiliated with the American Nurses Association and American Organization of Nursing Executives.She believes nurses must stay current on the latest research and information, and recommends that nurses read evidence-based peer-reviewed journals such as The Journal of Nursing Management, The American Journal of Nursing, and the Journal of Professional Nursing.

P.F. demonstrated true leadership by being a good listener and establishing an atmosphere where her nursing team could communicate their concerns and ideas.  Her leadership style was transformational as opposed to transactional. A study by Negussie and Demissie (2013) showed that transformational leadership was more effective than transactional leadership; instead of promising rewards and incentives, transformational leadership inspires others by allowing mutual respect and motivating them to perform to the best of their abilities.  Instead of just managing nurses, she became their mentor and offered them someone they could look up to.

She was adamant about having the right people on her nursing staff.  She wanted me to observe an interview with a potential nursing candidate for the ICU department.  During the interview, she could see that the candidate was nervous, and promptly put her at ease.  After the interview, P.F. discussed with me the reasons why the candidate would be hired, but also focused on areas where training would be required due to her lack of experience.

One evening, P.F. demonstrated her professionalism and compassion when she solved two difficult problems.  She was helping one of the physicians form a treatment plan for a new patient to the ICU.  This patient had special needs regarding their religion, and she showed her respect by taking the patient’s culture into consideration, while at the same time, ensuring that she was acting in the best interest of the patient.  She noticed a young nurse crying in another roomand went to speak with her.  After the young nurse had collected herself, P.F. helped her file a report against an abusive patient.  The young nurse had been tolerating this patient’s abuse because she pitied him and was concerned about any repercussions to the patient.P.F.showed her compassion for the young nurse and the patient, but stressed the importance of stopping this abuse from continuing so the patient could not abuse her, other staff, or patients.  The young nurse was very appreciative and both the physician and I were impressed.

Part of P.F.’s ability to be a great leader was in her effective communication.  She spent more time listening than speaking, but P.F. never wavered in her confidence.  She always remained assertive while making herself approachable and friendly.  The examples provided above, showed her gentle, yet assertive communication to be effective.

P.F. showed me that by being true leaders and caring for their staff, nurse managers can be an effective instrument in patient care.  Her unique combination of compassion and confidence are qualities which nurse managers require.  By extending their experience and training, nurse managershelp others to better serve patients.

References

Negussie, N., & Demissie, A. (2013). Relationship between leadership styles of nurse managers and nurses’ job satisfaction in Jimma University Specialized Hospital. Ethiopian Journal of Health Science, 23(1), 49-58. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3613815/