Organizational Analysis: Personal Experience, Essay Example

Reiterate the position and credentials of the nurse leader with whom you worked to meet the shadowing requirements of the course.

P.F. is the clinical nurse manager for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Intermediate Care Unit (IMC) at UMBC Hospital. After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she became a registered nurse in 1979. For the last ten years, P.F. has been the manager of the ICU.  Two and a half years ago, she also became the manager of the IMC. P.F. is affiliated with the American Nurses Association and American Organization of Nursing Executives. To keep current of the latest advances in nursing and medicine, P.F. educates herself with The Journal of Nursing Management, The American Journal of Nursing, and the Journal of Professional Nursing.

Briefly describe the types of leadership/management experiences or events that you observed or in which you participated. Relate your observations to your leader’s management position and leadership styles. Provide rationale to support your responses.

Shadowing P.F. allowed me to observe a true leader in action.  She transferred the same nursing skills, such as compassion and dedication, towards her position as a manager.  Her unique mixture of transactional and democratic leadership was effective because it showed her colleagues respect and inspired them to deliver their best performance.  Many times, nurses would pull her aside and ask her questions regardingpatient care, or on policies and procedures.  P.F. was always quick with a smile and would deliver her expert opinion and advice.  She helped the staff whenever clinical assistance was needed and because she led by example, she was both loved and respected by the nurses on her unit.

Trust and teamwork are important for a well-functioning unit, so P.F. requires that the right people are on staff at all times.  P.F. informed me that she does not like to waste time with training unqualified staff, or those who were unable to work well with others.  Certain qualities were necessary and she wanted me to observe an interview of a nursing candidate for the ICU department.  The interview was conducted in front of a panel, and the candidate was very nervous.  However, P.F. saw potential and was able to relax the candidate so she could display her best qualities and do well on the interview.  In addition to the candidate’s nursing qualifications, P.F. expressed a genuine interest in the nurse’s personality.  Afterwards, she told me the main reason the nurse would be hired was her dedication to patients and her ability to work well in a team.  P.F. knew that her lack of experience would need to be addressed and that training would be intense, but she was confident that the candidate’s good qualities far outweighed her lack of experience.  And because teamwork was heavily emphasized in her departments, P.F. was confident that she and the other nurses would be able to guide the candidate in whatever challenges she may face.

I was happy to see P.F’s efforts recognized.  After the interview, P.F. and I attended a conference call with Mark, the other ICU manager;Sallie, the Critical Care director; and the staffing agency to examine scheduled staff for the evening.  They all expressed their delight about the success of the interview, as well as her ability to adequately ensure that both the ICU and IMC were well-staffed for the evening.

P.F. also helped to make treatment plans and wanted me to observe while she and a physician discussed a complex issue regarding a new patient in the ICU.  The patient’s religion gave them special needs, and required that the treatment be altered in order to allow them their autonomy.  As compassionate and considerate as P.F. was to the patient, she also saw the necessity of acting in the patient’s best interest so they could receive the proper care they required.

Just when I thought that her job was challenging enough, she sat me down and told me about the part of her work she did not like: disciplinary actions. She told me about an incident earlier in the week when a patient became violent with one of the nurses.   The nurse was educating a patient, who was involved in a drunk-driving accident, and had been trying to explain the importance of turning and their incentive spirometer after giving the patient pain medication forty-five minutes prior.  The patient became angry and verbally abusive.  When the nurse attempted to leave, the patient grabbed her by the hair, and threatened her if she came in his room again. The nursewent to P.F., because she was unsure of how to handle the situation.  P.F. expressed her sympathy for the patient but explained that abuse against anyone was not to be tolerated and a report was to be filed.  The APD came and spoke with both the nurse as well as the patient and changed the nurse’s assignment.

Would you like this position?  Why or why not?  What skills would you need to develop and how would you acquire them if you were interested in this position?

As of right now, I want to focus on working with patients and developing my clinical skills.  However, I know that the field of nursing presents many unique challenges and it is a good ideato always keep my options open.  Being a nurse manager is a difficult job, yet P.F. took each challenge in stride.  She was kind and gentle with each patient, served as a mentor for the nursing staff, and never wavered in her confidence in conversing with physicians.  She cheerfully plowed through tedious paperwork, because she knew that such matters had to be handled in order to ensure that her unit and department had the necessary supplies and equipment.

Following P.F.’s example, I would have to develop my clinical skills.  While I am confident with my ability to provide quality care to patients, I know that I am not experienced and have much to learn.  I would want to be able to lead by example, just like P.F.  My communication skillswould have to become more assertive so that others could rely on me, but at the same time remain approachable.  I would have to educate myself on matters concerning administration, finances, and human resources.  It would be beneficial for me to familiarize myself with different nursing departments and then concentrate on one that I enjoyed the most.  If I decided to be a nurse manager in the future, then I could apply for that chosen department.

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/

Sullivan, E., & Decker, P. (2009). Effective leadership and management in nursing. (7th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.