What does nursing leadership mean to me? How did the meaning change or stay the same after viewing the module content?

Nurses have to take into consideration that meeting emotional, psychological, social, and cultural needs are important but spiritual needs should be given the equal precedence as well. To be professional leader or be effective in nursing, one needs to have proper knowledge in the disciplines that set the foundation for clinical rotations. My personal theory is that every leader has a responsibility towards their patients and their family to provide holistic, safe, patient-centered care, and be an advocate for the patient. The nurse leader also need to have good communication and leadership skills, such as listening to patients, healthcare providers, families, and other staff members play important role in being a nurse leader. Having a positive upbeat and great communication skill can prevent fatal mistakes that can happen with lack of communication or in any kind of violent situation. After reviewing the module content, my view of the leadership stayed the same.

Describe a leadership behavior you have observed in yourself and or colleagues. Could a behavior be modified to create effective leadership strategies?

I had a great mentor to look up to during my orientation who was a great charge nurse as well as a great leader. He taught me that in order for one to have good leadership behavior they have to have to have good communication skills as well as making the best decisions in time of dilemma. Just yesterday at work, I had a patient who was not compliant to medication regimen, was on fluid restriction due to CHF, and was just cursing and yelling loudly at me and the nurse aide. The patient would threaten to walk out if we didn’t listen to him. Long story short, we ended up talking to the charge nurse and our floors clinical advisor. They went in and talked to the patient in a professional manner that we do not allow this kind of behavior towards the staff. The patient got mad and told us all to leave but the way the situation was handled with proper communication was a great example of effective leader. As a leader, it is necessary to act as an example to others, adhering to the rules set aside so that the others can emulate you for the betterment of the organization.