Nurses As Leaders In Health Care Reform Paper

NURS 6050: Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Discussion 2: Nurses as Leaders in Health Care Reform

With the changing trends in health care, there is the need to redefine the scope and practice of healthcare providers. The recommendations put forth by the Institute of Medicine aims at “maximizing the full potential and vital role of nurses in designing and implementing a more effective and efficient health care system” (The national academy of science, 2011). The research priority that I am interested in is the identification of the personal and professional characteristics most critical to the leadership of health care organizations. The subsequent paragraphs will state why research on this priority is important and also,

Research in identifying personal and professional characteristics most critical to the leadership of health care organizations is important because clinical leadership affects patient safety and quality care. Fardellone and Click (2014) in the article Self-Perceived Leadership Behaviors of Clinical Ladder Nurses view “leadership as the controlling factor for the success or failure of an organization. Nurses deal with people from different culture and background thus, research on effective communication and diversity is vital in nursing care. There has been much progress in recent years, especially on diversity. Communication is both verbal and nonverbal, and it is important for nurses to know that nonverbal signs are not universal. One patient might view direct eye contact as a sign of respect whereas, another patient will see it as disrespectful. Healthcare organizations should introduced leadership competencies within the individual, team, interdepartmental, and organizational levels. Clinical nurses must become leaders in healthcare to meet the treatment needs of patients and to address changes in today's healthcare environment (Fardellone and Click 2014). The clinical ladder program and shared governance at my hospital empower

Results from a recent survey by the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), indicated that “registered nurses with more experience show fewer leadership behaviors." Thus, the question “is this due to loopholes in academic training or other obstacles in the workplace? (Fardellone and Click 2014). Leadership development must start at the academic level then transition to the clinical level. When I graduated in 2011 with an associate’s degree, we did not have any leadership courses then. I think leadership courses should not only be introduced at the Bachelor's entry levels but also, at every level of nursing. It will “facilitate a seamless transition of registered nurses into the clinical settings. Healthcare organizations must offer leadership competencies, mentoring programs, succession planning, and leadership training to nurses at every level of practice to meet the recommendations of the IOM report (Fardellone and Click 2014). It is very imperative for nurses to be present at the table during decision making because nursing is the heart of healthcare. Westphal (2014) in an article titled Characteristics of nurse leaders in hospitals in the USA from 1992 to 2008, highlights the advantages of nurse leaders in a changing health care system. Her study revealed a 30% decline in nurse leader positions in hospitals over a 16-year period. It is critical in an environment where 20