Nurse Leader Interview Reflection

Nurse Leader Interview Reflection

Nurse Leader Interview Reflection

Introduction

Nurse leaders play a critical role in the management of the healthcare unit. They lead the healthcare team in the practice of the mission and influence the level of patient care in the facility (Bender, 2016). In this context, the discussion below is an interview that involves one of the nurse leaders at the Lafayette Villa Nursing Home. This leader oversees nursing work at Lafayette Villa Nursing Home and works with the other nurses to ensure that patients are offered the best healthcare services. He sets the working pace in the facility for all the staff. Being a director at Lafayette Villa Nursing Home, he has worked in this facility for the last 8 years. This means that he is knowledgeable about how this facility performs for it to be ranked among the best Nursing Home in the region. The facility being among the best nursing homes in the region, it means that the staff there are focused on achieving the organizational goals and this can only be achieved if the leader leads by an example. Thus, the director was the best person to approach for this interview. The interview lasted for one hour. To gain more insight about his profession as a nurse leader, I developed some interview questions that guided me during the interview.

A Learning Conversation 

Tell me about yourself.

 I received my clinical training in the California state in the United States. I completed my nursing training and graduated in 2002 before getting the practicing license from the board in the year 2003. I am the nursing director at the Lafayette Villa Nursing Home, a position I have held since June 8^th, 2012, up to date. The requirement for the position was a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, preferably one who had attained the advanced practice nurse. Therefore, having acquired masters in nursing was an added advantage. The position also required a person with leadership experience and an understanding of the entire nursing practice.

What motivated you to apply for this position?

            I applied for this position because I was seeking to change my hours of work. For quite some time since I got the practice license, I have been working for 16 hours at night, and therefore, I wanted to work during the daytime. I wanted to be in a position where I can do what I love, which is providing care to the patients and, at the same time, be available to my family and friends over the weekends.

What is your vision in the organization as a nursing leader?

My vision for the organization is to include all the nursing units in shared governance. I am focused on ensuring that all nursing units participate in decision making. For instance, when I was first appointed as the nursing director, there was no structure for the nurses working in the outpatient units to participate in the shared governing council. Thus, I am doing my best to come up with the necessary structures to ensure that these nurses fully take part in the decision making processes. I am also working on ensuring that the unit leaders attend all the meetings for them to be trained on how to do best in their roles. In these meetings, the unit leaders are trained their roles and responsibility towards achieving the vision, mission and goals of the nursing facility. I as well ensure that all the nurses are involved in governance.

Moreover, I have the vision to ensure that the organization lives to its mission and its ability to achieve its goals. In this regard, I am focused on ensuring that the staffs that include the nurses provide competent and compassionate care to all the patients. I guarantee that all our teams remain educated, honest and professional in their work. In my work, I regularly consult with the human resource manager to ensure that all our staff attends continuous professional development courses. This keeps them updated with the emerging trends in the nursing field. I also ensure that all our nurses are trained to appreciate and be able to deal with patients from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities.

What are your expectations of an advanced practice nurse leader in your specialty?

Substantially, it is obvious that an advanced practice nurse leader has completed his/her education. In this case, I expect such leaders to have expert knowledge and skills, which helps them to make decisions in complex matters. I also expect that such nurse leaders possess high skills and clinical competencies for their expanded practice in their area of specialty. I also expect them to be able to provide expert specialized clinical guidance and leadership which assist other staff in a clinical setting. Such nurse leaders are supposed to help the nurses manage complex patients and situations within the legal framework for registered nurses. They are supposed to demonstrate advanced leadership in their roles. Based on these expectations, I am focused on offering patients-based leadership and establish proper systems in the organization. I am working on establishing a working relationship that is based on mutual trust, confidence and respect which is essential in achieving excellent outcomes.

What do you believe it takes for a Bachelor of Science prepared nurse to excel at the advanced practice nursing level academically and transit to a nurse leader?

I believe that for the Bachelor of Science prepared nurses to excel at the advanced level academically and transit to nurse leaders, such nurses are required to advance their education in the nursing field. Completion of the Bachelor of Science is only the first step as they are required to complete the registered nurse program and pass the licensure exam so that they can become professional nurses. I believe that for these nurses to manage to attend to a patient in a complex situation and take up leadership roles, they need to acquire more preparations beyond those required for the entry-level. Pursuing a master’s program for these nurses will give them the skills and expertise that they need to handle complex situations with patients and provide leadership in their roles.

Are there any struggles in this position?

There are several struggles in my job as the nursing director. The first thing which I struggle with is the disciplinary issues of the nurses. I struggle a lot when I have to deal with the disciplinary matters of the healthcare workers because I do not like confrontations. Taking disciplinary action on any staff is something I have always struggled to do. However, I always try my best to solve such an issue and I feel that I am currently performing well than when I started working in this position. Second, I struggle with time management because I have to attend several meetings each day. In addressing the struggles, I have had to take a six-month leadership training to enhance my leadership skills. I also consult with nursing experts, associations and other respected practitioners’ on how best to lead the nurses and other staff in the facility. I am also ever working on my communication skills to become competent in my presentation. This is because I realized that I have always struggled in my communication with the staff and other senior managers.

What is your leadership style, and why do you prefer it?

My leadership style is a transformational leadership style that is focused on the transformation of the facility and people working there for good. I prefer the transformation leadership style because it helps in improving the satisfaction of the staff and enhances their retention, which is essential in achieving the mission of the nursing facility. The transformational leadership style helps me to adapt to changes, be willing to listen to others and embrace new ideas. It helps me to make rational decisions and inspire the staff whom I lead. Besides, the transformational style of leadership has helped me to establish a conducive working environment for the healthcare workers and the provision of the best patient care. I have always endeavored to provide the best nursing leadership at my level.

How do you manage the experienced and new nurses at the workplace?

In our workplace, there is a leadership framework for new and seasoned nursing practitioners. Under the leadership framework, the experienced nurses are required to mentor the new nurses and guide towards their career growth path. In this regard, each new nurse is assigned to a certain experienced nurse. I have also introduced coaching in the workplace where the experienced nurses get the chance to explore their strengths and address their weaknesses. Through the coaching program, I can get feedback and give guidance to the new nurses. I have also worked well with the management of the nursing facility to ensure that the resources and opportunities for growth and development are availed to both the new and old nurses. This is because the resources and opportunities for growth should not be availed only to those in the leadership position but all the nurses. I also ensure that both the new and experienced nurses work together in the provision of nursing care. Their joint feedback ensures that there are policies in place to improve on their working relationship and to enhance patient care provision.

What is your leadership vision in the facility?

First, I would like to see a culture of shared governance in the facility.  In this regard, I am focused on putting in place the proper infrastructure for communication which would enhance consultation in decision making. This will strengthen the provision of patient care and job satisfaction among the staff. It is important to note that our facility is in a rural place. This means we need to put effort to demonstrate to the nurses that their input is important in decision making and enhance their retention.

Are there specific traits that a nurse should have?

Yes, there is no doubt that there are generally desirable personality traits that a nurse should have. The nurses are expected to be gentle, caring and sympathetic. These traits are important for nurses to be able to explain concepts to the patients clearly. Again, they should be able to attend to the patients without upsetting them unnecessarily. More so, the nurses are expected to be caring and compassionate because they deal mainly with vulnerable patients.

Reflection and Follow-Up

The interview process focused on enhancing the understanding of descriptive nursing leadership that advances the overall vision and mission of the nursing facility. The process also helped to bring out the fact that supportive and visionary nursing leadership is important in the implementation of the nursing roles. The interview process was very effective in bringing out the key issues in the nurse leader. It was conducted in a way that helps one to transit from just a nurse practitioner to a nurse leader. The interview process has brought out the important aspect of career growth and development and how it should be done. However, placed in the same position as the interviewer, I would also focus on the role of the nurse leader in promoting the adoption of evidence-based nursing in practice. This is not only because of its effectiveness but also as an emerging area in nursing. In the post-interview plan, I would recommend that all the nurses in the institution pursue their masters in nursing specializing in different aspects of nursing. This will not only enhance their capacity as practitioners but also help them gain the skills and knowledge required to take future nurse leadership opportunities. Further, in the future, I would interview at least three nurse leaders in different specialty roles to get a broader view of the nursing leadership.

Summary

During the interview, the critical point of focus was on the provision of patient-based leadership in the organization. The nursing director appeared focused on ensuring that he improves job satisfaction for the staff and the quality of the health care provided to the patients. The conversation also focused on what the nursing leader is doing to improve in his role. He indicates that he is focused on adapting to his role of providing the much-needed care to the patient while at the same time providing leadership to the new and old nurses in the facility. He is focused on improving the working environment and the outcomes. In this respect, he opines that a prospective nurse leader can make a successful transition if appointed to the position by acquiring further education in the field. This will help them acquire not only specialized knowledge but also skills to offer proper leadership in the organization. Moreover, advancing their education will help them realize the leadership capabilities that they will have to demonstrate as part of their daily practice. It will also enhance their ability to articulate their positions as leaders to the decision-makers.

References

Bender, M. (2016). Clinical nurse leader integration into practice: developing theory to guide best practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 32(1), 32-40.  

Nurse Leader Interview Reflection