NURSE LEADER INTERVIEW1
Nurse Leader Interview Paper
NUR 486 Nursing Management and Servant Leadership
Jennifer Schiermeyer
Concordia University
Nurse leaders set the tone for the unit, they believe and practice the mission of the facility and they influence the type of care that is given (Yoder-Wise, p. 455, 2011). The nurse leader that was chosen for this paper is the CNO at Brodstone Memorial Hospital, Kori Field. This nurse leader is the backbone of the nursing staff at this facility and works with staff to make sure that the patients are getting the quality care that they should be.
Kori received her training in Hays, Kansas at FHSU, where she obtained her BSN. She graduated from nursing school in December of 1992, took her boards and got her license in March of 1993. She is the CNO at Brodstone Memorial Hospital and started the position on June 18, 2006. The requirements of the position were to have a BSN preferable and previous leadership experience and a good understanding of the nursing practice as a whole. Kori applied for the position because she was looking for a change in hours at the time, she had been working nights for 15 years and was interested in getting a day position. There are several things Kori likes about the position, she feels like she can still do what she loves, patient care some of the time and still be able to be available for her family after hours and weekends. Kori does have things that she feels she struggles with from time to time, disciplinary action is a difficult thing for her, she does not like confrontation, it is something that she has worked on and feels like she is able to do it better than when she first started but something that she is continually work on. She also states that it is necessary to attend multiple meetings daily, and struggles with time management because of this. To develop her leadership skills she took a leadership class that lasted 8 months and meet monthly. She also consults frequently with the CEO, CFO, Risk Manager, Human Resource Director and former DON.
The goal of transformational leadership is to transform the organization and the people working there. Transformational leadership increases staff satisfaction, staff retention, and patient satisfaction (Yoder-Wise, p. 40, 2011). Transformational leadership makes facilities stronger, and through staff satisfaction you get better patient satisfaction, which is what every facilities goal is. A transformational leader is adaptable, willing to listen to new ideas, ability to make difficult decisions, and are inspirational. The establishment of a healthy work environment requires strong nursing leadership at all levels ofthe organization, but especially at the point of care or unit level where most front line staff work and patient care I delivered (OJIN, 2010).
Our workplace does have leadership that goes on between the newer nurses and the seasoned nurses. You see the seasoned nurses take those that are younger under their wings and want to teach them and watch them grow. Coaching is used in our facility, you are able to provide feedback and guidance to other nurses also making it able to see what their strengths and weaknesses are. Growth and development are expected of everyone and the time and resources for development are available for all not just those involved in leadership positions (AJN, 2014). By having your nurse leaders on the floor working with patients also helps to make sure that policies are written correctly to provide for great patient care.
I would like to see a culture of shared governance started in our facility. Shared governance provides a vital communication and decision-making infrastructure in the workplace. The current nursing shortage has revitalized the need for shared governance in nursing and providing an environment where nurses are involved in decision-making processes. Such an environment can lead to improved patient outcomes and increased job satisfaction (Nursing Administration Quarterly, 2011). Due to our facility being in a rural area we need to do all we can to be able to retain our nurses, and also to make the new nurses to our facility know that they are going to be involved in the decision making processes in the facility.
Cultivating a nursing staff that has good quality nurse leaders will help improve staff satisfaction, and provide great quality patient care. As a nurse leader you always have to be learning and willing to adapt to the changes in healthcare so that you can continue to provide the care that is needed to your patient, but also be able to mentor and teach the new nurses that come to your facility. It is important for all nursing leaders to start now to groom our future leaders, because these emerging leaders will ultimately replace them and continue the very important work that is being done to improve nursing work environments and most importantly patient outcomes.
References
Barden, A., Griffin, M., Donahue, M., & Fitzpatrick, J. (2011). Shared Governance and Empowerment in Registered Nurses Working in a Hospital Setting. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35(3), 212-218.
Hancock, B. (2014). Developing New Nursing Leaders. American Journal of Nursing, 114(6), p 59-62. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000450436.27878.eb
Sherman, R., & Pross, E. (2010). Growing Future Nurse Leaders to Build and Sustain Healthy Work Environments at the Unit Level. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, Vol 15.
Yoder-Wise, P. (2011). Leading and Managing in Nursing (5th Ed.). Maryland Heights, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.