A nurse leader is tasked with delegation, assignment and supervision of care. As a leader, I am aware of that I am always under scrutiny from both the administration as well as the rest of the nurses. While patients always come first, there is always the need to make sure that service is delivered according to the stipulated standards of care. As a nurse leader, I am tasked with ensuring that these standards are met and upheld. I will make sure that before dispensing any kind of services, I first understand what is expected of me.
The first step is personal knowing. Personal knowing is the knowledge I have acquired through such methods as observation. My observation is acquired from areas such as class sessions and experienced nurses. Through personal knowing, I try to the best of my ability to ensure that my delegation is carried out smoothly. Through empirical knowledge, I use objective facts and knowledge to carry out my roles as a nurse leader. Empirical knowledge relies on the application of evidence-based practice (EPB). Through EPB, I will use known research as evidence (Holland & Rees, 2010, p. 7). This I impact on the delegated nurses who in turn apply it to the patients.
In the event I discover that the care I delegate, assign and, or supervise is not being delivered according to the standards of the Nursing Practice Act, the first step I would take would to first make sure that the patient is not in jeopardy. Using ethical knowing, I would decide whether the nurse providing substandard service has breached the known moral codes. According to Kelly, changing the nurse’s role is not recommended so I would review their service and advice accordingly (Kelly, 2012, P. 376).
As a nurse leader, I will be tasked with handling a team of nurses. We will be required to provide quality service to our patients. To accomplish this, I will need to embrace integrity as the foundation of my team management skills. Integrity requires that a nurse and his team remain whole or undivided. Integrity also allows the team to work together in providing the best care for patients.
To make this work, I will have to make the nurses embrace the conservation principles in nursing. Conservation principles involve conservation of energy to increase reliance, conservation of structural integrity, conservation of personal integrity that requires a nurse to have a sense of self-worth, and conservation of social integrity through taking active roles in the society (Basavanthappa, 2007, p. 245).
To make sure that the value I have embraced is effective, will urge every other nurse in my team to also embrace the same belief. This I will do through being a good role model to the rest of the nurses. Being a role model will help me build an identity as the registered nurse who embodies integrity. I will also create a clear definition of what each personnel is required to do and how best to do it with the integrity of the group and individual self in mind.
- Basavanthappa, B. T. (2007). Nursing Theories. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers.
- Holland, K., & Rees, C. (2010). Nursing: Evidence-based Practice Skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Kelly, P. (2012). Delegation of Patient Care. In M. Marthaler & P. Kelly, (Eds.). Nursing Leadership & Management (pp 368- 397). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning.