Assignment: Nurse Manager Skills Inventory

Assignment: Nurse Manager Skills Inventory
Assignment: Nurse Manager Skills Inventory
Rate yourself using the results from the “Nurse Manager Skills Inventory”:
Write a reflection of 750-1,000 words in which you identify your strengths and weaknesses related to the four content areas below:
Personal and professional accountability
Career planning
Personal journey disciplines
Reflective practice reference behaviors/tenets
Discuss how you will use your current leadership skill set to advocate for change in your workplace.
Identify one personal goal for your leadership growth and discuss your implementation plan to achieve that goal.
While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
When about 500,000 registered nurses retire over the next decade, they will not only create a gap in critical clinical care posts.
The pool of nurse managers — the experienced professionals who bridge the gap between bedside care and administrative positions – will be depleted as a result of their departures.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.1 million more registered nurses will be needed to fulfill the new demand and replace retirees, many of whom are in management roles.
Nurses who want to go up the management ladder need a combination of clinical and leadership skills.
In a hospital or clinical setting, nurse managers are in charge of supervising nursing staff.
They are in charge of patient care, management, and budgeting, as well as setting work schedules, coordinating meetings, and making personnel decisions.
“The nurse manager is in charge of providing secure, healthy environments that support the health care team’s work and encourage patient engagement.”
According to the American Organization of Nurse Executives, “the role is essential in building a professional environment and promoting a culture where interdisciplinary team members are able to contribute to optimal patient outcomes while also growing professionally.”
The online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program at Duquesne University provides registered nurses with the skills to develop in their careers as well as the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of healthcare for future generations.
The MSN degree expands on baccalaureate-level practices to equip graduates for careers in advanced practice and management.
Registered nurses can select from three MSN specializations at Duquesne: Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner, Forensic Nursing, and Nursing Education and Faculty Role.
Nurse Manager and Leader Responsibilities
Nurses in managerial positions are required to not only make critical decisions to aid in patient care, but also to do specific tasks, such as the following:
Personnel management
Management of the case
Preparing for treatment
Recruitment sBudgeting
Scheduling
Discharge preparations
Mentoring
Creating educational strategies
Management of records
Nurse supervisors must be able to communicate effectively and lead others.
They should be able to coordinate resources and staff as well as achieve goals and objectives.
They must be capable leaders who can find a balance between working with the nursing staff and the management of the healthcare facility.
Nurse managers, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, are change agents.
They collaborate with staff to identify and execute changes that will improve patient wellness and safety.
Nurse managers also follow state and federal regulations for patient safety, such as those set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Joint Commission, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
They must ensure that their employees are well-informed about care standards and can put them into practice when necessary.
Nurse supervisors work in a variety of therapeutic settings, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, schools, and psychiatric facilities.
“Nurse managers lead their unit staff in preventing patient harm on their unit,” according to the agency. “Nurse managers enable nurses to be the first line of defense against patient harm.”
Successful Nurse Manager Characteristics
Working as a nurse manager necessitates abilities that extend beyond clinical care.
The position necessitates management, budgeting, and business knowledge, as well as leadership qualities.
Interpersonal and communication abilities are also essential.
Successful nurse managers have the following characteristics in common:
Communication Skills that Work –
Listening to staff and patient problems and conveying needs is an important part of being an effective leader.
Nurse supervisors must be able to establish a strong connection with all members of the staff, from janitors to administrators, as well as patients, in order to foster teamwork.
Nurse leaders may need to advocate for their employees in order to promote a safe and reasonable practice environment.
They may also be called upon to advocate for patient safety and access to high-quality healthcare in other situations.
Nurse supervisors should not be scared to speak out and assert their authority.
Participation – With so many administrative responsibilities, nurse managers must strike a balance between business and patient care.
To ensure patient safety and well-being, nurse managers must have exceptional clinical abilities.
Mentoring – Nurse leaders that are successful do not micromanage their employees.
They motivate, empower, coach, and identify strengths in others.
They help you be more creative and aware.
Maturity – Nurse managers do not take sides in squabbles or assign blame until all the facts are known.
They don’t allow simmering feelings come to a head.
Instead, they confront and resolve disagreement.
Professionalism – Nurse managers use their moral compass to guarantee that all elements of the profession are handled with integrity and honesty.
They do not bully and address people with respect.
Supportive – They don’t set unrealistically high expectations.
Instead, they encourage employees to succeed by providing supporting encouragement.
They are mentors and coaches.
Nurse Managers in the Future
The predicted scarcity of nurses will generate opportunities for newly minted nurse managers as the current nursing workforce ages and retires.
Nurse managers, according to research, are critical to overall nurse retention because they impact work quality and workplace stability.
“Strong leadership skills in the nursing unit manager have been linked to higher work satisfaction, lower nursing staff turnover, and better patient outcomes.”
In the 2014 study “Leadership skills for nursing unit managers to lower intention to leave,” researchers concluded that “nurse leaders need to be supported in an effort to retain nurses given persistent workforce difficulties and to assure high-quality patient care.”
In order for nurse managers to do a better job in the future, researchers discovered that there must be cohesive relationships among staff members and greater communication with staff.
Continuous developments in healthcare, as well as a focus on costs, are just a few of the factors that make the work of nurse manager difficult.
“Challenge their thoughts and habits to grasp that the essence of leadership is in the power of relationships,” nursing experts from Florida Atlantic University advised leaders.
The authors of the study “Growing Nurse Leaders: Their Perspectives on Nursing Leadership and Today’s Practice Environment” discovered that “growing future nurse leaders is a long-term mission that requires both strategy and action.”
“Our next leaders will eventually succeed our existing leaders and carry on the critical work of improving nursing practice environments and, most crucially, patient outcomes.”
However, in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing healthcare environment, succession planning is difficult.”
Duquesne University students pursuing an online MSN degree are prepared to take on the role of nursing leaders.
The curriculum offers a broad-based nursing education that prepares students to take on managerial responsibilities and influence future changes in the field.
While continuing their careers as registered nurses, students in the online MSN program can take nursing classes from anywhere and learn from industry leaders.