Leadership Theories In Practice & Using The Walden Library
RESSOURCES (PLZ FOR THE FIRST 2 RESPONSES YOU CAN ONLY ONE OF THE RESSOURCES BELOW) AND TWO CITATIONS PER RESPONSE
RESPONSE 1
When beginning a research project, using peer-reviewed and scholarly resources is essential. I currently find the Walden Library user-friendly and easy to access. The Walden Library Database provides resources and instruction to support the research needs of its students, providing us with a wide range of articles to enhance our learning. Students can filter and sort articles within the library that best fit their needs, from subject, year, peer-reviewed, and more (Walden University Library, n.d.a). Informational videos are also provided with the intention of guiding students through using the Walden Library Database (Walden University Library, n.d.b). Walden hopes to see success in their students with all that is offered and available for our use.
Currently, I am interested in specializing in the world of dermatology and healthcare. Where I live, it is not uncommon to make over an hour’s drive to seek those specializing in dermatology and skin care. Thus far in my nursing career and life, I have found that many skin conditions, rashes, and symptoms can lead to various diagnoses, as many conditions present with similar symptoms. As I continue to use the Walden Library Database throughout my academic career at Walden University, I found an evidence-based, peer-reviewed article that breaks down diagnostic criteria within dermatology. This resource, authored by Pragya, Juhi, and Dharmesh, does an excellent job of breaking down various dermatology conditions and symptoms associated with each diagnosis and its severity in some cases (Pragya et al., 2023).
To summarize, I plan on continuing to use the Walden Library Database as I continue into the MSN portion of the RN-MSN bridge program I am currently enrolled in. I have found it to be extremely helpful in my education and research projects thus far, and I am pleased with all the resources provided through Walden to aid my academic success. As I continue this journey, I hope to find an area of practice that interests me, currently being dermatology.
RESPONSE 2
The week before classes started, I had the opportunity to look around in the portal to familiarize myself with the resources. Since then, I have not had much use for the library database again. Trying to find it this time proved a little challenging, but I went through the Oasis, Library databases, and selected the Academic Search Complete, which took me to the EBSCOhost.
I chose to look into nursing management styles and how they affect staff retention due to the current nursing staff shortage. In my current role as a nursing director, one of the biggest challenges my managers face is staffing. In conducting exit interviews when we lose staff, I tend to hear a lot of employees stating that their current leadership played a role in their decision to leave the job.
I searched for “Nursing Management or Nursing Leadership” and it provided over 25,000 results to sift through. The study I selected looked into nurse managers’ leadership styles and how they affect staff satisfaction and retention, with the belief that leadership styles are a determinant of job satisfaction (Asamani, Naab, & Ofei, 2016). This study followed 273 nurses in 5 different hospitals with descriptive and regression analyses performed. Results indicated that a supportive style of leadership, backed up by an achievement-oriented leadership style, and a participative leadership style explained a high number of staff with intentions to stay at their current jobs. The nursing staff in those situations exhibited moderate levels of satisfaction at their current job.
Utilizing peer-reviewed and scholarly articles in the research process is the gold standard in ensuring value-added high-quality information is presented in one’s work. In the Human Inquiry in Scholarly Communication: Reconnecting with the Foundations of Research article by Emily Ford, she explains that “Research is an inherently human endeavor and began in earnest because of the vast creativity and curiosity of which the human brain is capable” (2022). Research is basically “creating plans that involve collecting and analyzing information to answer a question or better understand a situation” (Culp & Davis, 2023). During my earlier years in college, effectively finding and utilizing peer-reviewed articles posed a great challenge for me due to the time and effort it takes to find and read through articles, to locate the right information for the research purpose.
I will recommend the Academic Search Complete database due to its vast subject area coverage. Also, most of the articles there have the option of creating a reference citation of that article for you based on your preference, which eliminates that extra step of creating your reference.
FOR THESE TWO OTHER RESPONSES YOU CAN USE ANY RESSOURSES AND ALSO 2 REFERENCES PER DISCUSSION
RESPONSE 3
Leadership in nursing entails different vital insights that are effective for optimal patient outcomes and satisfaction among the nursing staff. One of the key insights is transformational leadership, which focuses on the attributes and behaviors of leaders required to empower and motivate team members. Transformational leadership entails four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Anselmann & Mulder, 2020). The nursing staff trust and identify with the nurse leader for idealized influence. Inspirational motivation entails being positive, enthusiastic, and motivating. On the other hand, intellectual stimulation fosters innovativeness and creativity in team members. Individual consideration refers to the nurse leader’s role as a mentor who coaches the staff to promote their development.
The other critical insight of nurse leadership is advocacy. Nurses have a significant role in advocating for their patients, families, and the nursing profession. Nurses ensure patients receive safe and high-quality care and support the nursing profession by promoting policies and practices that improve nursing practice. The advocacy aspect of leadership moves nurses from being recipients and implementors of health policy decisions to being leaders with a strong voice in developing reform policies (Turale & Kunaviktikul, 2019).
Example of a Leader that Has Used the Above Leadership Key Aspects
An example of a leader in nursing who has used transformative leadership and advocacy leadership aspects is Florence Nightingale. Nightingale is regarded as the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale applied transformative leadership when she transformed nursing by emphasizing the importance of hygiene, sanitation, and patient wellbeing. Through her visionary leadership, she implemented strict sanitation measures during the Crimean War that reduced mortality rates among wounded soldiers (Kenny et al., 2020). Nightingale also advocated for the nursing profession by recognizing the importance of education and the need to train nurses.
Nightingale’s nursing profession advocacy led to the establishment of the Nightingale Training School for Nurses, which became the model for nursing education worldwide. The transformative aspect of Nightingale led to the realization of the importance of sanitation in nursing practice and hygiene that is applied today in healthcare settings to help reduce infections and improve general healthcare.
References
Anselmann, V., & Mulder, R. H. (2020). Transf
RESPONSE 4
In the midst of managing limited resources, nurse leaders must strike a balance between the organization’s vision, purpose, and goals and the needs of both staff and patients. This can be accomplished by a competent leader using a transformational leadership style, which entails shaping the beliefs and aspirations of subordinates to align with those of the nurse leader (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Hannah et al. (2020) compared the impact of transformational leadership styles on psychological wellbeing at work. To engage their employees in the organization’s goals and vision. Transformational leaders approach people as individuals and emphasize their abilities, experiences, and needs (Hannah et al., 2020). In order to help their people become more independent, fulfilled in their work, and self-sufficient, transformational leaders try to get them to align with the organization’s values. Leaders accomplish this by setting a good example themselves and encouraging their teams to do the same (Hannah et al., 2020).
Among the traits and styles of transformational leadership that Zineldin (2017) identified as essential in successful leaders are charisma, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, personalized consideration, and inspirational motivation. Emotional self-regulation is a talent that effective leaders should possess in order to establish healthy work environments. What this implies for the team is that, the leader can keep their cool under pressure and guide them through any challenge. When a nurse manager is able to control her emotions, it inspires trust in her and the team, which in turn improves patient care and professional development. According to Zineldin (2017), leaders who are able to inspire their people and maintain stable emotions are more likely to create a healthy work environment and increase employee job satisfaction.
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with and learning from amazing, powerful leaders. On the other hand, I have dealt with and worked under leaders who were stifled by pessimism and fear and who could find no inspiration anywhere else. I owe a debt of gratitude to those leaders because they paved the way for me to recognize the qualities in a leader and the examples, they provided that I could follow. While I was an assistant director of nursing, one leader I had the privilege of working with and reporting to as my manager. Even in the face of opposition and pressure, she was able to keep her emotions and actions in check. One demanding position is that of assistant director of nursing and also responsible for staffing as well.
On a daily basis, you must make difficult decisions about the distribution of nurses and nurses assistance due to the fact that there is rarely “enough” staff. Nurse supervisors and charge nurses would meet every day to plan labor and staffing, address any issues, and assign duties. There was constant tension because some leaders lacked self-control and would argue or explode at the slightest provocation. My boss kept her cool during the meetings, got everyone thinking outside the box about how to handle staff shortages, and got us back on track. Their desire to fight for their units, staff, and patients was the primary source of their emotions, which she recognized. In addition, she gave them more agency by letting them take charge of their own units and plan ahead to cover staffing gaps, rather than relying solely on the assistant director of nursing and the staffing coordinator.
On top of that, she played up my talents and helped me realize how they may contribute to the department’s and organization’s overall objectives. She delegated authority to me so that I could pursue my interests, such as the system-wide onboarding of all new agency staff. She delegated program design and implementation to me because she valued my organizational skills and my ability to connect with many types of people. Despite the often-high levels of tension, her strong leadership fostered a peaceful and supportive atmosphere. She assisted staff in developing their abilities, which contributed to a high degree of job satisfaction and low turnover in the division.