1.Select an issue from the following list: nursing shortage and nurse turn-over, nurse
staffing ratios, unit closures and restructuring, use of contract employees (i.e., registry and
travel nurses), continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction, and magnet
designation.
- Compare and contrast how you would expect nursing leaders and managers to approach
your selected issue. Support your rationale by using the theories, principles, skills, and
roles of the leader versus manager described in your readings. - Identify the approach that best fits your personal and professional philosophy of nursing
and explain why the approach is suited to your personal leadership style. - Use at least two references other than your text and those provided in the course.
Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management
Continuous Quality improvement and patient satisfaction
Constant Quality improvement and patient contentment focuses on activities conducted
within the healthcare institution to ensure that health care is patient-centered and good health is
acknowledged as an integral part of the medical evaluation. Nursing leadership and management
must put into consideration the quality and satisfaction of their patients and the health care as a
whole. Continuous Quality Improvement and Patient satisfaction are established as an efficient
partnership between the medical practitioner, their patients and family. They ensure that patients
are granted the standardized medical attention, their needs and want are respected and that they
acquire the best support and direction in making a decision and practicing medical care. Every
nurse leader and manager must consider directing their effort towards establishing quality care
and patient satisfaction (McFadden, et al., 2014).
EFFECTIVE APPROACHES IN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 2
Nursing leaders and managers have different responsibilities and roles when it comes to
ensuring continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction. Subsequently, when focusing
on continuous quality improvement this paper will concentrate on factors that ensure health care
services are offered at a quality standard and the health environment is well established and
cared for effectively. On the other hand, patient satisfaction is based on how patient receive
quality service and care. It is structured to ensure that staff care and patient care are well
established and maintained in any healthcare institution.
In light of this continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction, the essay will
offer a comparison between nursing leaders and managers through supportive theories, rationale,
principles, skills and roles.
Comparison between Health Manager and Nursing Leader
Dissimilarity
Nursing leaders and nursing managers have different roles, responsibility, and skills
when it comes to ensuring continuous quality improvement and patient safety. Their distinction
can be defined through how each corresponds to their department in ensuring quality health and
patient care. While nursing leaders acquire their roles through their ability to lead, influence and
motivate others to perform better, managers are appointed into their positions officially and
hence play the role of overseeing activities and processes within the facility (Meehan, 2012). In
this regard, nursing leaders are likely to approach the matter of constant eminence development
as well as patient satisfaction in distinct ways. One of the basic dissimilarities between nursing
leaders and managers can be attributed to their roles. Nursing managers are responsible for direct
patient care. They ensure that all the patients in a medical institution attain the medical attention
and care they deserve by ensuring that all protocols are observed and that required resources are
EFFECTIVE APPROACHES IN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 3
availed. On the contrary, leaders play a motivational and individual development role, with an
objective of encouraging others to perform their duties effectively. They keep vigilance on the
issues and concerns of their patients to ensure that their safety and care is given priority. Through
nursing leaders, staff can see quality improvement and patient satisfaction as a moral issue that
will guarantee the happiness of patients and thus work towards achieving this objective. This is
as opposed to managers who expect quality improvement and satisfaction through following set
rules and expectations (Thompson, 2006).
Nursing leaders play the role of streamlining the institution’s workforce as well as
ensuring that the resources allocated are effectively used to achieve the organization’s objectives.
This means that to ensure continuous quality improvement, nursing leaders would work towards
ensuring that available resources are optimized to bring out maximum impact and enhance
patient satisfaction (McFadden, et al, 2014). Managers on the other hand would promote
continuous quality improvement and satisfaction by promoting resource allocation and providing
an appropriate working environment. They are in charge of medical staff and patient welfare at
large in ensuring continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction. Moreover, it is the
duty of the manager to offer the nursing leader a viable platform through which they can conduct
quality service to their patients. Thus, the manager plays an overall duty in ensuring health
quality and patient care compared to a nursing leader whose primary focus is to their patient
health and concern (Fleishman, 2002).
Manager skills ensure continuous quality improvement and patient safety through striking
a balance coordinating resources, financial matters, and personnel in healthcare. Furthermore, the
managers are responsible for ensuring goals and objective such as ensuring quality patient care
are achieved. On the other hand, the nursing leader exhibits different responsibilities and skills in
EFFECTIVE APPROACHES IN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 4
establishing continuous quality improvement and patient safety. Nursing leaders must establish
good communication and interpersonal relationships and expertise with their patient, staff, and
other clients of the medical facilities. They are also responsible for empowering, motivating,
inspiring and encouraging other towards achieving and establishing quality service and care.
On the contrast, it can be established that managers envision the future for medical
operation and create a path towards productivity and efficiency. The manager is in charge of
growth and opportunities in healthcare to ensure new medical staffing are accounted and quality
service in rendered throughout the season. However, nursing leaders are different as they do not
have the power figure but can envisage socio-adaptive component that helps ensure a good
relationship between the patients and the clinical staff. The nursing leader is task oriented and
conducted their duty with the aim of offering their patients and clients a favorable environment.
Similarity
Despite their numerous dissimilarities, nursing leaders and managers share some equal
responsibility and characteristics to establish continuous quality improvement and patient
satisfaction. Both of them are responsible for ensuring job satisfaction for their clients. Managers
can act as motivators and risk takers same applies to nursing leaders who take risk and chances
to provide quality improvement and patient satisfactory (Thompson, 2006).
Additionally, managers, just like nursing leaders, are enforcing work unity and envision
goals. They all strive towards cohesion at the health institution and encourage mutual tolerance
in health care to boost quality and satisfactory service. Their duty is to maintain a conducive
working environment comply with the various demand and obligation in ensuring continuous
quality improvement and patient satisfactory is retained in the health care. Both managers and
nursing leaders are a representative of each group or unit they lead and hence act as role models.
EFFECTIVE APPROACHES IN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 5
They are therefore expected to possess qualities that do not contradict their position and value.
They should maintain a high standard of professionalism that is acceptable within their
jurisdiction and adhere to different roles, responsibility, and accountability.
Personal and Professional Philosophy of Nursing
The most appropriate personal and professional philosophy than can be considered in this
case is accountability. Nursing is a calling and is held to high professional standards and
obligations hence the need to show a high level of accountability (Meehan, 2012). Nevertheless,
when dealing with a patient, nurses, and medical practitioners take their lives in their own hands,
making them responsible for any outcome and consequences that their patients might face.
Hence, it is recommended for a nurse to exhibit a high standard of accountability. They should
not be limited from performing their duties with utmost care and accountability based on self-
esteem, belief or negativity.
Accountability is suitable for personal leadership skills as it helps to build self-
responsibility, improve tolerance and acceptance. It also fosters competence, determination and
goal orientation within an individual. Being accountable is also being responsible for others. This
means one is able to take the risk for the sake of saving and helping others. It is also suitable for
personal leadership skills as it improves personal relationships, communication skills and fosters
social engagement with other people. Accountability can therefore be perceived as effective in
promoting personal and public relationships with other people in the healthcare institution.
EFFECTIVE APPROACHES IN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 6
References
Fleishman, R. (2002). The RAF method for regulation, assessment, follow-up and continuous
improvement of quality of care: Conceptual framework. International Journal of Health
Care Quality Assurance, 15(6), 303-310. arp, B. M. (2014). Linking quality
improvement practices to knowledge management capabilities. The Quality Management
Journal, 21(1), 42-58.
Thompson, J. M. (2006). Nurse managers’ participation in management training and nursing
staffs’ job satisfaction and retention (Order No. 3230066). Available from ABI/INFORM
Complete. (304937671).