Nursing Leadership Blog

I enjoyed learning about performance appraisals and problems employees this week. It is not the most exciting topic but it is definitely interesting to delve into and learn about. I feel that I personally learned the most about performance reviews and team improvement/building this week. I learned that the purpose of performance reviews is to assess the quality and effort that employees are putting into their job and to communicate with them on way to become better. It is an opportunity to give employees reassurance of their value to the workplace and to recognize them when they are doing well. It is an opportunity to work with employees on goal setting and learning new skills/behaviors. I think making, scheduling, and assessing goals is a huge part of reviewing performance. I learned that it is hugely beneficial to strategically stay consistent with criteria and technique from interview to interview. It is important that employees have a baseline and understand how they...

Although this unit didn't have much class material, I feel like the activities we participated in were full of learning opportunities. I have never spent much time researching team dynamic and communication. In researching and beginning the Team Building Activity I began to understand more fully the necessity for good team coordination, teamwork, and relationships. The influence these factors have on work productivity and quality is impressive to learn about and instills in me a desire to work in an environment and team that nurtures this. It was fun learning and writing about different team building activities and seeing the different ways you can begin to build trust and friendships with people you just barely met. I always understood and knew the value of good team work, but I feel that this week has influence my perspective on the actual value a good team provides. After this week I feel that I will spend extra time focusing on participating with my team, rather than just comp...

We interviewed Doug Dahlin this week. He is a construction foreman/independent contractor in Fairfield, CA. This was a great opportunity to gain some knowledge and understanding from someone who has hired/fired so many people throughout his career. One thing that stood out to me in our interview was the large value he placed on candidate’s confidence, composure, and self-esteem. Much of these characteristics are conveyed with little to no speaking whatsoever. As soon as a candidate steps foot in the door, these attributes can instantly begin to be assessed.  I feel that of all the information he shared with me, this was most important to me personally. I actually spoke to Doug in further detail as to how he likes to see people act in the interview setting, how he likes them to carry themselves and deeper details on what he likes to see from their nonverbal communication. I feel like I learned a lot from him in this area. He also talked a lot about personality and how important it ...

I thought Sean's lecture method of presenting Hiring from the managements perspective was very interesting. It makes that turnover is the leading of cause of turnover in nursing hiring. It is interesting that turnover has changed so much in the recent decades, so much so that the term "long term commitment" has drastically changed. It is relieving to know that management is accepting of reasons for leaving a position to pursue additional education or career goals. Some of the benefits and cons of turnover are things I had not considered before. The temporary negative effects of nursing turnover is shocking to me. I had no idea the complications that a nurse leaving a unit has on the effectiveness, profitability, and ability to care for patients on that unit. The positives of bringing in less paid nurses, newly educated nurses, and new blood into the unit all make perfect sense. It leads me to believe that management even wants some degree of turnover each year. With t...

This week I feel like I learned a lot! I came into this course not really knowing what to expect and wondering how we could take a whole semester talking about the subject of leadership. I think this week my eyes were opened to the broader world of what is involved in leadership as a whole. It is so great to better understand the difference between management and leadership, to begin to understand the differences between leadership styles, and to be introduced into the realm of management/leadership theory. Discussing our own personal definitions of leaders, in our group we found that we all thought very much alike. The list that was provided to us to discuss, included great people and villainous people, but yet all showed the characteristics of leaders. It was a bit difficult to think of people like Hitler as a leader, but it was also an eye opening experience being able to look at it from other perspectives. I don’t think this discussion really changed my opinion on the subject, b...

1.         Leadership requires personal mastery  – Nurses demonstrate leadership when they show competence and mastery in the tasks they perform. Nurses are deemed competent by means of a license to practice nursing (NLN 2010). 2.         Leadership is about values  – Nurses demonstrate leadership when they are honest, respectful, and professional to their patients and fellow staff. Acknowledging and honoring the moral responsibilities the nurse owes to their patients is vital to caring for them effectively. 3.         Leadership is about service  – Nurses demonstrate leadership when they show dedication by giving of their time and energy. Nursing can often be a strenuous job, yet nurses continue to work hard to provide for those that are depending upon them. 4.         Leadership is about people and relationships  – Nurse...

a. The results of the test: The test results show me with 6 marks in Steady, 4 marks in Conscientious, 3 marks in Influential, and 2 votes in Dominant. b. Was this a revelation/ new knowledge about yourself? After seeing the test categories, these results are about what I was expecting would show for me Though it was not new knowledge, it is a nice confirmation in knowing one’s own skillset. c. How will this effect your leadership style? Although I expected to fall under the steady category based off skillset, I actually disagree with the definition that this category label puts me in. So although this tests definition of my skillset suggests I am more of a supportive role, I do not plan on this altering my leadership style. I believe a steady and conscientious leader is he best kind of leader I can personally be. d. What will you do with the knowledge this test gives you? Truthfully, although this test confirmed some of my strengths, it made me feel a bit diminished in other...