My Nurse In The Community Home Health Setting

Through thorough observation of my nurse in the community home health setting I have witnessed her fulfill many roles and functions. While in the community my nurse embodied strong leadership, and provided organizational and fiscal competencies. Through all of these areas she was able to provide quality care to patients. Leadership is key a component to the nursing role. My nurse constantly fulfilled a leadership role when caring for her patients. According to Stanhope, leadership can be defined as, “the process of influence that occurs between a leader and an individual, group , organization, community, or society, often by inspiring, enlivening, and engaging others to participate in the achievement of goals” (Stanhope, 870). My nurse uses leadership to delegate whether it be to the home health aides that come in throughout the week or to me to perform assessments as she documents. Delegation is a key competency to leadership. She also makes decisions using critical thinking. A strong example of this is when she is faced with a challenging wound. My nurse is quick to consult the wound nurse over the phone and make a decision on how to best provide wound care given the supplies we have at the time. This decision making is critical to the

However this competency is tremendously important to providing care in the home health setting. Upon entering a home, my nurse makes a point to help patients look at their finances regarding their care. She reviews medication cost and advocates that they talk to their doctors for more affordable options if the patient is struggling to cover the cost. She analyzes the cost and effectiveness of interventions to ensure that she providing the client the highest quality care at an expense they can afford. Taking time to help patients save money in a tight economy is an indicator that a nurse is fully invested in providing the best care they can for their