Nursing Leadership Roles

Good leadership is important and absolutely critical to the success of any healthcare organization. A leader is defined as an individual that is out front, taking risks, attempting to achieve shared goals, and inspiring others to action (Marquis & Huston, 2015). In the nursing profession, leadership roles are varied throughout any given organization. Nursing leadership in hospitals includes the chief nursing officer, the director of nursing, the charge nurse, as well as, the nurse educator of a given unit. In any nursing organization, the role of the leader is often geared towards improving and maintaining the quality of health care delivered by the entire nursing team (Marquis & Huston, 2015). The labor and delivery nurse educator at a hospital

Because the nurse educator participates in the communication process both horizontally and vertically along the organizational chart, one is considered a middle-manager (See Attachment A: Organizational Chart of Chosen Leader, p. 10). Middle-managers coordinate the efforts of lower levels of the organizational hierarchy and are the conduit between the lower level and top-level managers (Marquis & Huston, 2015). The chosen leader reports to both the director and manager of women’s services. The nurse educator also supports first-level managers on the labor and delivery unit, including supervisors, charge nurses, and all staff nurses. Although the presented organizational chart is generally informal, the span of control is clearly defined on this unit, which aides in the delegation, coordination and management of patient care

The nurse educator establishes flexible hours to meet the needs of the unit and advertises oneself as a safe place, where failing is not punitive, it is simply a learning opportunity. The chosen leader makes others feel as if their questions and problems are priority by always making oneself available to help with educational needs and guidance. The nurse educator continuously finds ways to enhance the learning and growth of the unit staff and improve patient care. The nurse educator displayed transformational leadership by encouraging the personal and professional development of the nurses by promoting teamwork, emphasizing self-esteem and urging employees to participate in the establishment of hospital policies and procedures. The nurse educator consistently demonstrates genuine concerns for the needs and feelings of the staff. During observation, the chosen leader made rounds to the different units among women’s services to assure that everyone was doing fine and that any questions or concerns were brought to attention. When questions were brought to the nurse educator, the chosen leader challenged nurses to be innovative and critically think about how to go about figuring out the answer or