Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay

Introduction

Speculating how healthcare would be in the future might be a difficult task since most nurses aspire to become policy influencers and change agents at the community, national and international levels. Nursing education is the major contributor to the attainment of these goals. It nurtures individuals who will be accountable for their decisions and contributions in working towards achieving high quality, affordable and accessible care through partnerships with other healthcare providers. This paper provides a reflective account of the strengths and weaknesses of different aspects of my leadership namely: career planning, professional accountability, personal journey disciplines, and reflective practice reference behaviors.Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses

Personal and Professional Accountability

One of my major strengths is that I have a good understanding of the legal requirements and professional regulations that guide nursing practice. This understanding has been influenced by a long-term personal experience in the nursing career, expertise in various areas in the nursing field and education (Bender et al., 2016).  Therefore, when I make a mistake, I will take responsibility for my actions, decisions or behavior. Based on the results of the nurse manager inventory tool, I also have high levels of professionalism. This has been influenced by the active membership of nursing professional associations. Therefore, I obediently follow the policies and legislation implemented at my workplace when providing care to patients. However, a major weakness in this area is the lack of several certifications such as PALS and CCRN.Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay

Career Planning

As supported by Dyess, Sherman & Chiang-Hanisko (2016), career planning is vital in observing individual areas of strength and using that as a foundation to develop career goals. Having practiced in different areas in the nursing field within my professional qualification, I have had the ability of nursing leadership as my area of interest for career growth and development. Therefore, currently, I assume the roles of a nurse leader at individual capacity, take responsibility and plan my duties with minimal or no supervision. I spend more time with the nurse in charge and frequently associate with the nurse manager who guides and instill confidence in me to pursue and attain my career goals (Ryan et al., 2015).  Therefore, I intend to pursue my studies to doctoral level. However, my major weakness lies in making a concrete independent decision whether to pursue a Ph.D. program or DNP program.

Personal Journey Disciplines

To progress in terms of career, there ought to be individual sacrifices, patience, commitment and a personal obligation to the plans set. I used to constantly review the aforementioned disciplines to achieve the success I currently have achieved. By persistently acquiring skills and knowledge through consistent seminars and research, I got to understand theoretical models in nursing practice and how they could be used to influence care (Dyess, Sherman & Chiang-Hanisko, 2016). To accomplish my goals, I strive to be sincere to myself, open and ready to acquire new knowledge to provide patients with better care. My weakness is that I am too emotional such that, I easily encounter emotional fatigue due to my dedication towards my patients in the ICU unit. Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay
Reflective Practice Reference Behaviors/Tenets

Reflective practices tend to be the most effective when tried in collaborative efforts irrespective of its challenging nature. They generally affect self-awareness levels on the nature of performance at a workplace and are vital in helping nurses to evaluate their working environments to guarantee patients of high-quality care (Ryan et al., 2015).  I am good at embracing change and influencing others to do the same for a good course which has contributed to the progress made at my facility to improve patient care. However, the lack of good communication skills, decision-making skills, and conflict resolution skills has contributed to the inability to solve workplace issues and delayed announcements on important issues surrounding clinical care.  As a result, I established a strategy of having weekly nursing staff meetings and formal communication channels that are open to all nursing staff. I will be ready to listen to the input of other nursing colleagues in these meetings and provide an equal platform for them to communicate ant relevant issues that positively and negatively impact clinical care and need immediate address.Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay

How I Will Use Current Set Of Leadership Skills to Advocate for Change in My Workplace

I strive to perfect several skills in the pursuit of advocating for change at my workplace. The greatest among these skills are negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills. With these skills, I will maximize on my affiliation with different professional associations of nursing to collaborate with colleague nurses to advocate for the right staffing of nurses in the facility I work. Good communication skills and negotiation skills will enable me to articulate issues clearly and help the hospital leadership to understand how staffing negatively impacts the delivery of care and influence the adoption of the right care models (Dyess, Sherman & Chiang-Hanisko, 2016). I will make use of my skills in evidence-based research to be a standard of practice for others in influencing positive change in the interventions used to manage various issues such as preventing falls among patients. I will use this knowledge to make nurse-drive care protocols to avoid issues in treatment delays, prolonged hospitalization, re-admissions, re-infections and other medical related complications (Ryan et al., 2015). Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay