Nursing Leadership: Two Paradigms

In its earliest incarnation as a profession, nurses were often conceptualized as attendants and helpers to physicians and patients, not as leaders. However, nurses over the years have attempted to eke out a unique sphere for themselves within the healthcare profession in the manner in which they integrate a patient’s physical, social, psychological, and environmental needs. Today nurses are increasingly called forth to take on leadership positions within organizations, often as a result of cost-cutting efforts that shift responsibilities to nurse leaders that were once relegated to doctors and administrators.Nursing Leadership: Two Paradigms

The current available leadership models offered to nurses and to the leaders of healthcare organizations are numerous, and often draw from the literature of the business world as well as healthcare. “Now more than ever nursing needs vibrant and dedicated leaders…Leadership does not rest merely with administrators and high-level managers, but also can be developed and implemented at the bedside” (Valentine 2002). Nursing leadership must take place on every level of administering care — nurses must fulfill new leadership positions, particularly when mentoring new nurses and other healthcare leaders must be more responsive to the needs of nurses.