Nursing Leadership Theory Paper

Marquis and Huston (2014) discuss how the mark of a good nursing leader is in the ability to inspire and motivate others to action; furthermore, no one leadership style is ideal and may vary according to the situation. The purpose of this paper is to match and explain the nursing leadership theory that is most applicable to solving communication issues, and to explain how legislation and health care policy can impact communication issues in the nursing.
Nursing Leadership Theory Nursing leadership is complex and multifaceted and has been cited as a main reason nurses leave their current position (Blake, Leach, Robbins, Pike, & Needleman, 2013). Blake et al. (2013) also explains that staff retention is associated with communication and

Wong (2015) addresses that 50% of studies that have addressed patient outcomes found clinical leadership to be at fault for morbidity, mortality, and increased hospital stays versus the primary condition of the patient. Transformational leadership was found to be a key leadership theory in decreasing patient adverse events, such as from medication errors and hospital acquired infections (Wong, 2015). The results from these studies determined that transformational leadership contributes to a healthy work environment by boosting staff support, open and honest communication, and trust, which promotes positive team working relationships (Wong,

Transformational leaders, who empower nurses to advocate, understand that communication and professional collaboration are the core ingredients to foster safe nursing care and to collectively advocate for improved health care policies. Of interest, due to communication and collaborative efforts among state hospital associations and the ANA along with the state nurses associations, seven states have enacted safe staffing legislation using the Registered Nurses Safe Staffing Act’s committee approach (ANA, n.d.).
Conclusion
The essence of an effective nurse leader lies in the ability to inspire and motivate others to action, which begins with communication and professional collaboration skills. Transformational leadership is a nursing leadership theory most suited to solving communication issues that can result in increased nurse retention rates, team unity, and decreased morbidity and mortality. Collectively nurses can advocate for improved health care policies to make a difference in practice and patient care