Leadership and Team Building, Coursework Example

Introduction

Nurse leaders must consistently address cultural diversity and relationship building in the units for which they are responsible. These efforts will demonstrate the importance of different perspectives and approaches to enable nurses to work well together to achieve a productive team-based environment. When a nursing work unit is diverse, there is a greater likelihood that when there are staff additions, the team will respond well to these changes and will embrace new employees in a positive manner. Nonetheless, nurse recruitment for new positions requires a nurse leader to fully examine his or her current staff in order to determine the types of prospective employees that might align well with existing employees. The following discussion will address these concerns in greater detail and will consider specific attributes that are important in making decisions regarding future staffing within the nursing unit.

Analysis

Recruiting nurses for a successful unit where employees work effectively together requires a specific understanding of the key attributes that prospective employees must possess in order to fit into the existing infrastructure seamlessly. Therefore, nurse managers must evaluate all of their options with prospective candidates in order to identify individuals that will meet the professional objectives of the unit and work well with existing employees. Perhaps one of the most important aspects to consider is the ability to provide continuity of care through shift changes, which is accomplished when nurses work well together, communicate effectively, and strive for excellence in providing patient care at all times (Gulliford et.al, 2006). When continuity of care is effective, it is likely patient satisfaction rates will increase and employees will also experience a greater sense of accomplishment in meeting the required goals and objectives of the nursing unit (Gulliford et.al, 2006). Therefore, providing high quality care to patients must be supported by effective communication and team skills across the nursing unit which is achieved when employees get along and collaborate in a successful manner consistently (Gulliford et.al, 2006).

Another important characteristic to consider in the recruitment process is cultural competence and sensitivity in all aspects of patient care and treatment (Beach et.al, 2006). This is best accomplished using a cohesive approach which focuses on the cultural needs of patients as necessary to promote greater quality of care (Beach et.al, 2006). These efforts are important because they support an approach that emphasizes patient-centered care and cultural awareness in direct patient care (Beach et.al, 2006). These characteristics are essential contributors to the nursing unit because they have a positive impact on patient care outcomes and satisfaction rates (Beach et.al, 2006). When nurses exemplify these attributes, they are more likely to work well as part of a team that is focused on patient care above all other roles and responsibilities within the nursing unit (Beach et.al, 2006).

Another key characteristic that is essential for successful nursing practice is critical thinking, which requires a level of skill and understanding that will support effective decision-making in the nursing environment (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). Nurses must possess strong critical thinking skills because the work that they perform requires intelligence, knowledge, and practicality in order to make decisions that will not pose any risks to their patients (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). When delegating tasks and responsibilities to other nurses, critical thinking skills are essential because they demonstrate the ability to prioritize duties and determine which issues are most critical at the time that the delegation is established (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). From this perspective, all prospective candidates to fill available nursing positions must think critically and demonstrate their ability to exercise sound and reasonable judgment when making decisions that directly impact their patients (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009).

Finally, broad knowledge of nursing practice is essential to success in the nursing profession, particularly in a diverse unit (Sivamalai, 2008). It is important to possess knowledge of many different areas of nursing practice, including medication administration, direct patient care, communication, writing skills, charting, organizational skills, flexibility, and compassion, amongst others (Sivamalai, 2008). In this context, nurse recruits must demonstrate their capacity to integrate into an existing nursing unit without extreme difficulty and acclimate to their new surroundings in a timely manner (Sivamalai, 2008). These actions will ensure that nurses possess the practical knowledge and skills that are necessary to make informed and intelligent decisions regarding patient care in order to achieve the desired practice outcomes (Sivamalai, 2008).

Conclusion

Open positions in nursing units require nurse leaders to examine their existing nurse populations in order to determine the types of candidates that might be successful in these available positions. Therefore, it is necessary to address these concerns through the identification of different attributes that will enable nurse leaders to recognize which candidates are most appropriate for these positions. When a nursing unit is already culturally diverse, new recruits must be able to integrate into this type of environment with ease and to recognize the value of taking the time that necessary to make an informed decision in selecting a candidate. These efforts will enable nurse leaders to focus on the characteristics that are most important so that new employees will make a seamless transition to the nursing unit over a period of time and will adapt quickly to diverse circumstances that will support their own growth and maturity as professional nurses.

References

Beach, M.C., Saha, S., and Cooper, L.A. (2006). The role and relationship of cultural competence and patient-centeredness in health care quality. The Commonwealth Fund, 1-30.

Bittner, N.P., and Gravlin, G. (2009). Critical thinking, delegation, and missed care in nursing practice. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 39(3), 142-146.

Gulliford, M., Naithani, S., and Morgan, M. (2006). What is ‘continuity of care’? Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 11(4), 248-250.

Sivamalai, S. (2008). Desired attributes of new graduate nurses as identified by the rural community. Rural and Remote Health, 8, retrieved from http://www.rrh.org.au/publishedarticles/article_print_938.pdf