Leadership in nursing is one of the most important aspects of the profession. But what is it, and why is it so important in nursing? With the rapidly changing times, leadership in nursing and the healthcare industry is influential in shaping care delivery for future advantages. With the nursing leadership, institutions benefit directly in overall performances, outcomes of patients, and job satisfaction. Nurse leaders also play a critical role in the cultures within their work and the establishment of leadership for caring for patients.

Leadership is often defined as the ability to inspire and motivate people to achieve common goals. In the nursing profession, this is especially critical. Nurses are on the front line of patient care, and they need to be able to lead and coordinate teams in order to provide the best possible care. A nurse leader is someone who provides direction and guidance to other nurses while also coordinating nursing care. Besides being experienced and knowledgeable, leadership in nursing requires dedication, hard work, and willingness to learn. In this essay, we’ll discuss the definition of leadership, nursing leadership, factors contributing to leadership in nursing, and some of the leadership styles that are most effective in the field.

Who is a Nurse Leader?

A nurse leader is one who can influence, inspire and motivate nurses and other colleagues to work together and achieve their goals. According to The American Nurses Association’s Leadership Institute, a nurse leader is described as one who is; Interested in excelling in the chosen career path, A leader within a healthcare organization, representing the interests of the nursing profession, and A seasoned nurse or a healthcare administrator who seeks to differentiate themselves or advance to the next level of leadership by refining their skills. Nurse leaders are responsible for ensuring that nurses have the resources they need to provide quality care. They also work with managers and other members of the healthcare team to develop policies and procedures.

Leadership in nursing emphasizes the responsibility to influence and improve their practice in healthcare facilities. Nurses provide leadership to others through recognized authority – student nurses lead patients, staff nurses lead patients, student nurses, and all other team members. Leadership styles in nursing may vary; however, nurse leaders should be good at communication and be effective team players. They also need to handle situations under high pressure by making reasonable difficult decisions to ensure patients receive the best care and feel safe. As a nurse leader, increasing the satisfaction of patients, efficient management of the facility, and reduced clinical errors are essential for the success of a healthcare institution.

What Qualities are Important to Leadership in Nursing?

For quality patient care, nurse leaders need various qualities that aim at making informed decisions and building trust for effectiveness. Leadership in nursing involves being supportive, inspirational, and encouraging but should have in mind the changes in experiences of the nursing profession. These qualities are;

Being committed and passionate about excelling clinically.
The ability to earn trust and build good relationships with staff members.
Being confident in enabling change and inspiring nursing practice.
Being open-minded to new ideas to improve outcomes for patients.
Being willing to accept measurements of the performance quality using empirical data.
Having an interest in developing professionally and staff satisfaction in the workplace.
Openness and honesty in communication with respect to different opinions.
Being determined to lead by example exhibiting the best nursing practices throughout.

Why Leadership in Nursing is important.

Leadership in nursing differentiates low and high-quality healthcare, with the effectiveness being linked to better staff morale and wellbeing, patient mortality, patient satisfaction, and quality of patient care. Being committed to mentorship and ongoing leadership are some of the leadership styles for effectiveness. Nurse leaders today work towards developing and implementing standards in the practice of nursing, promoting patient outcomes positively and improving their safety. They also advocate for patients in the nursing profession and ensure other nurses have the necessary support and resources for the provision of high-quality care.

As future leaders, new nurses critically develop skills in wellbeing, resilience, and self-care in preparation for their leadership roles. They need to identify and solve their organizational challenges for them to be influential. Nursing development leadership programs have been put in place to provide the necessary skills, resources, and knowledge to perform their roles. Additionally, nurses learn how to navigate changes in the healthcare environment, manage staff effectively, and implement initiatives for quality improvement. With the right approach and attitude, apart from hard work and dedication, nursing leadership can be easily achieved. Consider pursuing a leadership position if you are a nurse with a passion for making a difference in your nursing career. Having the required nurse skills and mindset can make you exceptional with a positive impact within your healthcare organization.

Factors that contribute to Leadership in Nursing.

Personal Characteristics

Leadership in nursing involves how different education backgrounds affect nurse leaders and studying the practice and execution of actions by leaders in nursing, like the impact of different settings in healthcare. Emphasizing personal characteristics that promote leadership (motivation and Openness in leading), educational leadership, and using styles that have evidence of success in the healthcare settings can develop nursing leadership. Emphasis on good relations between healthcare workers and having interpersonal skills suggest that it is key for development programs involving leadership. Nurse leaders need to be emotionally intelligent as it highly influences cultures in healthcare. All these factors promote nursing leadership, but you need to understand how they interact for effectiveness.

Fundamental Leadership

Nursing terms leadership as fundamental, meaning all nurses are required to be leaders in different healthcare settings. Adequate training and preparations are important for nurses to undertake leadership roles. In the current nursing undergraduate courses, management and organization are seen as fundamental in practicing nursing. It is not clear as the main focus is on the transition from learning to becoming a nurse. To develop nursing leadership skills, there is a need for continuity to promote leadership and enable new nurses to be role models in the nursing career. Collective leadership focuses on being responsible and accountable in nursing practice. Emphasis on reflection has shown massive improvement in the quality of care to patients. This contrasts with control leadership styles where responsibility is displaced, leading to a fear of failure culture.

Leadership in nursing involves leaders and relationships between them and other staff members. Identifying behaviors and skills required to create desired cultures in a healthcare organization results in collective leadership. Traditionally, leadership focuses on neglecting collective capabilities and promoting the development of individual capacity. This leadership style has led to poor patient outcomes, high numbers of staff turnover, and decreased job satisfaction levels.

The Different Styles of Leadership in Nursing.

Situational

These nurse leaders work by being flexible and having the ability to integrate their style with the organizational or individual needs of nurses. They have relevant approaches for different analyzed situations. At times, they may divert from the long-term goals of an organization.

Transformational

These are visionary leaders who listen to ideas from respected leaders in the organization and engage their teams on significant organizational changes like improving patient care. They mentor and build trust and confidence in new people through encouraging teamwork and enabling nurses to act independently.

Autocratic

Autocracy involves leaders making decisions with minimum input from the nursing employees. They are quick thinkers who delegate tasks and give directions hands-on. They work well in emergencies and are useful in ensuring policies that protect the safety of patients. Building trust and open communication are rare as they use a negative reinforcement leadership style.

Democratic

Democratic nurse leaders work with team members collaboratively by them to be more involved, provide feedback, and communicate. This promotes growth in a personal and professional manner with a focus on the success of the team. The style improves performance and assures the quality of nurses’ roles.

Laissez-faire

These nurse leaders are mostly inexperienced or new and use minimum supervision without guidance or providing direction. This style requires nurses with high confidence in their skills and independent nurses at work, making it suitable for home nursing care. The style may lead to failures by new nurses who need guidance as the other experienced set their goals and solve healthcare issues independently.

Servant

Servant leaders are focused on the needs of individuals and are keen on building relationships. They ensure all employees have the required tools, skills, and resources to achieve goals. They ensure employee development by creating goal-driven environments. They are empathetic and patient, which enables a good working environment for new nurses.

What Are The Qualities of a Good Nursing Leader?

For nurses to be successful in their leadership roles, they should have several qualities that involve the ability to lead themselves and others effectively. They are:

Nurses should be confident in their skills and make decisions that have the best interests of the organization, patients, and the nursing team.
They need to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to improve on the weak areas.
The ability to adapt to the daily changes in healthcare by being open-minded to new ideas is critical in nursing leadership.
By acquiring ethical leadership skills, a nurse leader can command respect and trust and ensure accountability for decisions they make.
Passion and dedication to nursing show that nurse leaders are self-motivated and can make a difference in the lives of patients.
Nurse leaders require a commitment to the wellbeing of other people by advocating for health care delivery changes or supporting patients emotionally.
They need to be supportive by being empathetic and understanding the challenges team members face. They should also lead by example by respecting and giving value to everyone’s perspective in relation to unique experiences.
Their main focus should be on improving the care of patients by providing for their daily needs.

Conclusion

Nursing leadership is important in providing the best care for patients by having in place multiple level cultures. Nurses develop the necessary skills for leadership at the start of their training, and they keep on evolving in their nursing careers. Skills developed are critical in well-being, resilience, and self-care in preparation for leadership roles. Nursing leadership emphasizes the responsibility to influence and improve practice in healthcare facilities. For quality patient care, nurse leaders need various qualities that aim at making informed decisions and building trust for effectiveness. Leadership involves being supportive, inspirational, and encouraging but should have in mind the changes in experiences of the nursing profession. Leadership should be seen as a responsibility for all nurses and working collaboratively for optimal care for patients.

Why is Leadership Important in Nursing? — *Leadership in nursing*