Introduction
Nowadays the sphere of nursing is going through several developments. For example, the focus is getting shifted to person-centered care, the number of patients suffering from chronic diseases increases, and there are many complex cases. All these factors demand that nurses be well-trained and highly educated. Besides, leadership skills help to deal with the increasing complexity of the nursing profession and to organize proper teamwork, which is important for education in this field.
Important Leadership Competencies
Leadership is often regarded as an ability to organize teamwork. In the field of nursing and medicine, it is especially important, because patients’ life and health depend on the organized work of the team of doctors and nurses. Clinical nursing professionals who are trained at the master level, for example, Clinical Nurse Leaders and Advanced Practice Nurses, have extended skills and knowledge (Heinen et al., 2019). It allows them to be in a leading position in collaboration with doctors and other medical professionals. Cummings et al. (2018) note that nursing professionals who take leadership positions are more satisfied with their job. They feel more engaged in the working process and more organized, they actively collaborate with colleagues and feel productive.
Different frameworks define leadership competencies necessary for nurses. According to Heinen (2019), there are seven of them. For example, an Australian framework links leadership to four practice standards in the process of nursing care. Besides, it is seen as the ability to take a leading position in a team with the support of supervision and monitoring (Heinen et al., 2019). A Canadian nurse practitioner core competencies framework defines leadership as a key competence that can be reflected in mentoring colleagues and successful clinical practice. Besides, leadership should not be limited by the practice facility or nursing institution (Heinen et al., 2019). Leadership should be a basis for the creation of a care continuum, which also involves the political side of nursing. Thanh et al. (2019) describe such competencies as policy development, plan-making, financial management, risk management, supervision, and inspection. Besides, the researchers include in this list self-management, human resource management, and monitoring.
Competences Useful for My Area
As for my area, the following leadership competencies would be useful for my successful practice. First of all, it is promoting patient engagement in healthcare, manages self-care, and increases the overall involvement of patients in the care process. Second, to be a leader means monitoring the existing standards in the nursing area and to improve the care process according to them. Third, an efficient leader should identify the barriers in the organizational structure of the facility that become an obstacle to improving the healthcare status of a client. Besides, a leader should involve in self-education and monitor best practices and current scientific information constantly. A nursing leader also should collaborate with colleagues such as physicians, nursing managers, and advanced practice nurses. Participation in professional organizations can also be useful for the development of leadership skills, as it gives access to the latest news and practices in the field and provides contact with colleagues.
Decision-Making Competence
Leadership competencies influence the decision-making ability of a nursing professional. When an individual is constantly involved in the self-education process, for them it becomes easier to make the right decisions based on a scientific rationale and colleagues’ experience. Besides, collaboration skills can help to involve other professionals in solving some cases. Blanck-Köster et al. (2020) mention that the productivity of nursing professionals who played a leading role in a team increased. They were able to learn to make decisions based on the data they have and consider their colleagues’ opinions.
Leadership Theory Appropriate for My Future Role
The described competencies can be found in a theory mentioned by Heinen et al. (2019). The researchers include in the framework four groups of competencies. These are clinical leadership, health policy leadership, health systems leadership, and professional leadership. This theory provides a multilateral approach that allows for the evaluation of competencies in different areas. It can be compared with other leadership models, for example, van Diggele et al. (2019) present a leadership model that includes transactional and transformational leadership. The researchers clearly distinguish leadership from management, explaining that management is more associated with the organization. Leadership, in its turn, is more related to motivation, goal setting, and vision.
As for transactional and transformational models, transformational leadership means that the colleagues are empowered. Transactional leadership, in its turn, is related to the accountability of individuals for their actions. Besides, the model offers the language of leadership concept, which includes clear communication of purpose, delivering messages in an inspiring way, active listening, and leading by example. However, Heinen’s model seems more complex and multilateral, as it seems to include not only purely leadership competencies such as an ability to inspire others. It also concerns professional self-development, organizational issues, and monitoring policies in the field of nursing. Thus, it is an appropriate model for my future area of concentration, because it provides a full complex of competencies to develop.
References
Blanck-Köster, K., Roes, M., & Gaidys, U. (2020). Clinical-Leadership-Kompetenzen auf der Grundlage einer erweiterten und vertieften Pflegepraxis (Advanced Nursing Practice) : Ein Scoping-Review [Clinical leadership competencies in advanced nursing practice : Scoping review]. Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin, 115(6), 466–476.
Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 85, 19–60.
van Diggele, C., Burgess, A., Roberts, C., & Mellis, C. (2020). Leadership in healthcare education. BMC Medical Education, 20(Suppl 2), 456.
Heinen, M., van Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H., & Huis, A. (2019). An integrative review of leadership competencies and attributes in advanced nursing practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(11), 2378–2392.
Thanh N.D., Hung P.T., Hoang N. M., Anh P.Q. (2019). A framework of leadership and managerial competency for preventive health managers in Vietnam. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 14(2), 478—483.