NUR 514 APA Assignment: Nursing Leadership
Reflective practice plays a pivotal role in the nursing profession and leadership. It provides nurses and their leaders with the tools to acquire leadership attributes and gain a deeper understanding of their unique leadership style. Reflection allows nurse leaders and practitioners to learn from their experiences, identifying areas for improvement and personal growth (Porter-O’Grady et al., 2019). It serves as a mirror that highlights one’s strengths and areas where they can enhance their performance, ultimately leading to success in their assigned roles, duties, and responsibilities (Barker, 2021). This paper aims to offer a reflective self-assessment based on three distinct assessment tools, identify a leadership style that aligns with my care philosophy, and highlight elements of the leadership model that I should incorporate, as well as areas requiring improvement. Furthermore, the paper delves into the features of an effective professional nurse leader and explores various leadership theories and styles.
Advocating for Patients of Color as a Labor and Delivery Nurse
Rationale and Brief Summary of Self-Assessment
In the realm of nursing leadership, self-awareness is vital for improving overall care provision when dealing with patients across diverse contexts. Therefore, I undertook three assessments: a personality test, an emotional intelligence test, and a learning style assessment. The rationale behind the personality test was to understand how my personality influences my perception of nursing situations and the healthcare environment. I aimed to determine whether my personality has an impact on the decisions I make in the course of care provision. The personality test revealed significant percentages of extraversion (68%) and introversion (32%). Additionally, it indicated that my energy leans towards being observant (57%) rather than intuitive (43%). I also rely on feelings (68%) over prospection (32%), and my identity tends to be assertive (62%) rather than turbulent (38%).
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Emotional intelligence is a crucial trait for both nurses and nurse leaders, as it helps in dealing with a wide range of situations that demand critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Emotionally intelligent individuals are more effective in their roles as they understand how to implement better interventions to achieve quality outcomes and fulfill their responsibilities. The emotional intelligence test demonstrated that I possess a 69% proficiency in identifying, perceiving, and expressing emotions in others and myself.
APA Assignment: Nursing Leadership Self-Reflection
The learning style assessment was conducted to gauge my ability to learn in different environments. The importance of lifelong learning in nursing, which involves adopting best practices from research, clinical experience, and patient preferences, made this assessment particularly significant (Porter-O’Grady et al., 2019). The results of my learning style assessment revealed that I have a kinesthetic learning preference (10), whereas my reading and writing skills scored a two, aural skills a five, and zero for the reading and writing category. This indicates that I primarily learn through observation.
Leadership Style Aligning with my Care Philosophy
Upon profound self-analysis and reflection, I have recognized that the servant leadership and transformational leadership models align most closely with my care philosophy. Servant leadership emphasizes the welfare of others over self-interest, focusing on improving the well-being of followers and serving their needs. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, centers on challenging the status quo and enhancing care delivery (Barker, 2021). Both of these styles are crucial for nurse leaders as they inspire their team members to provide quality care and foster better interactions and relationships within their teams.
My care philosophy revolves around serving others using the most effective interventions to meet their preferences and conditions. Servant and transformational leaders are dedicated to serving and transforming their followers while upholding integrity, values, and ethics to achieve better patient outcomes. These leadership styles involve listening, empathizing, and promoting positive interpersonal relationships among team members. These leaders also inspire and motivate, all of which contribute to the delivery of quality care to patients.
Incorporation of Elements of the Leadership Style
Understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses is imperative for becoming an effective leader. The assessments have shed light on areas where I need improvement, such as self-reflection and emotional intelligence. These deficiencies can hinder my ability to provide solutions to issues within the practice environment and among team members (Kibbe & Chen, 2019). Therefore, improving my listening skills, fostering community-building, and learning from team members and other stakeholders will be crucial in enhancing my leadership attributes and, consequently, the delivery of quality care to patients.
Areas of Self-Improvement and Steps to Enhance Leadership Capabilities
Self-awareness is the key to understanding one’s leadership abilities and capacity. The assessments have identified specific areas that require improvement, including communication, relationship development with team members and stakeholders, and empathy. Additionally, the assessments have revealed the need to incorporate emotional intelligence in situations that patients and other healthcare providers may face during care delivery (Thomas, 2018). Moreover, the results have highlighted the need for me to enhance my personality by cultivating a more assertive identity through confidence-building, particularly when making decisions that impact a patient’s life. Additionally, I should strive to improve my interpersonal and socialization skills to emerge as a more courageous leader who can interact with others confidently. Leadership is all about collaboration, and this demands courage and strong socialization skills.
Characteristics of an Effective Professional Nurse Leader
An effective nurse leader plays a pivotal role in developing a shared approach to care provision by utilizing systems and employees. Such a leader coordinates, integrates, and facilitates various services and applications to support patients. People seek meaning and purpose in their work, and an effective nurse leader constantly reflects on their character and the quality of their work (Kibbe & Chen, 2019). The sustainability and success of an organization are contingent on individual and collective responsibility, as well as the performance of all individuals. An effective leader must demonstrate openness and transparency, serving as a role model to inspire and motivate their team to excel and be productive. Their commitment and engagement with their employees are vital, and they must be transformative and observant to avoid any situations that may affect overall care delivery among the nursing staff members (Barker, 2021). Above all, an effective leader must embody the vision and mission of their organization, strategize while advancing the meaning and purpose, and strive for the better welfare of their employees.
Application of Leadership Theory and Style
Leadership models have evolved since the 1930s, with the transformational leadership style being the most suitable for modern healthcare settings. This style is highly effective in healthcare settings due to its emphasis on teamwork and the pursuit of common goals, regardless of individual opinions. It encourages open and honest communication to build positive interpersonal relationships within the team. The transformational leadership style entails team leaders conveying a vision that inspires and empowers their subordinates (Gandolfi & Stone, 2018). This fosters increased loyalty, confidence, engagement, achievement, and performance.
This theory equips nurse leaders with the ability to foster a collaborative approach to care delivery and seek consensus when conflicts arise. It also enables them to make decisions by inspiring and motivating team members, resulting in increased efficiency and performance, and delivering quality care.
Conclusion
Understanding one’s attributes, strengths, and weaknesses is fundamental for nurses and nurse leaders. The paper highlights the importance of self-assessment based on three different tests to develop leadership attributes and improve on areas with weaknesses. These assessments are valuable tools for individuals to adopt a leadership style and attributes that contribute to better nursing and leadership, ultimately leading to improved patient care.
NUR 514 APA Assignment: Leadership Style Reflective Essay References
Barker, A. M. (2021). Influencing and leading change in the complex healthcare environment:
The role of the advanced practice nurse. In S. M. Denisco (Ed.), Advanced practice nursing: Essential knowledge for the profession (4th ed., pp. 149–163). Jones & Bartlett Learning
Gandolfi, F., & Stone, S. (2018). Leadership, Leadership Styles, and Servant Leadership. Journal of Management Research, 18(4), 261-269. https://search-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=132968632&site=eds-live&scope=site
Kibbe, M. R., & Chen, H. (Eds.). (2019). Leadership in surgery. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19854-1
Mansel, B., & Einion, A. (2019). ‘It’s the relationship you develop with them’: emotional intelligence in nurse leadership. A qualitative study. British Journal of Nursing. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2019.28.21.1400
Thomas, J.S. (2018). Applying servant leadership in practice. Nursing Leadership and Management: Leading and Serving. 1, Ch. 3. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451vn/nursing-leadership-and-mangement-leading-and-serving/v1.1/#/chapter/3
Porter-O’Grady, T., Weberg, D. R., Mangold, K. & Malloch, K. (2019). Leadership in Nursing Practice: Changing the landscape of health care. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
PsychTests AIM Inc. (2022a). Big five personality test [Measurement instrument]. https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/4059
PsychTests AIM Inc. (2022b). Emotional intelligence test [Measurement instrument]. https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/3979
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