Nurses as Leaders - Term Paper Example

TOPIC: NURSES AS LEADERS INTRODUCTION The focus of this detailed analysis is nurses as leaders. Nursing literature defines leadership in this field as a more complex and unique leadership typethan in other fields. Specifically, it is defined as a multifaceted and challenging process that involves providing the motivation, support, coordination and resources that will enableteams and individuals to succeed in achieving common goals and objectives. The case study under discussion introduces the case of a mature man known as Mr. O.In 2011, Mr. O presented at Redcliffe Hospital with a fractured right ankle and underwentsurgery. However, although the expectation was that the fractured right ankle would be fixed through surgery, the process was not successfulandultimately led to Mr. O’s death. The unsuccessful operation was attributed to several issues, and a number of allegations were made against the anaesthetist in particular. Thus, all of the factors in the above case studyled us to a critical analysis of several issues that may occur in the nursing field. In this report, the case of Mr. Ois critically analysed with an emphasis on factors such as leadership, organisation and quality. In addition, the report will attempt to answer the manyquestions left unanswered in the case study and in the Coroner’s report. The response to the given hypothetical statement will then be analysed based on the above documents (Wise, 2013). HYPOTHETICAL STATEMENT The given hypothetical statement is as follows: ‘The Coroner recommends the Registered Nurses who were in attendance when Mr O deteriorated be directed to complete the USQ’s NUR3120 Course, to guide their professional reflection and critique of their action/inaction’. The above hypothetical statement will be analysed and explained with the aid of three quotations that will substantiate the need to adopt the recommendation. References to the case study will also be made. CORE ELEMENTS The three relevantcore are elements leadership, organisation and quality. Leadership entails areas such as management, climate and culture. Organisation as a core element involves areas such as teamwork, scope of practice and communication. Quality requires professional standards in hospitals, in terms of both nursing and health care. ORGANISATION The hospital is a large organisation, and several aspects relating to healthcare in the hospital will lead to a better analysis of the Coroner’s report and the case study. The most important of those considerations is teamwork. The nursing profession,in particular, requires a great deal of cooperation among staff, and one nurse acting alone cannot deliver care to patients. The second notable area of concern is communication. It is vital for the organisation tohave proper communication channels, because this will ensure effective and efficient service delivery to patients. Scope of practice is also a major area of concern, and nurses should always be in a position to adapttheir duties to fit the relevant scope of practice (White, 2013 p.835). The quotationin focus here is ‘failed to take advice from clinical staff’. The full extract from the Coroner’s report states the following: ‘Dr. H failed to intubate O to ensure adequate ventilation and failed to take advice from clinical staff in this regard’. The above quotationgives a clear indication of the organisational structure in operation at Redcliffe Hospital. Specifically, Dr. H failed to take the advice given regarding the patient, and this action demonstrates lack of aneffectiveorganisational culture. Every hospital should have a strong culture, since this is what guides its operations. The way employees work and conduct themselves displays the kind of culture embedded in theorganization. By his actions, Dr. H demonstrated that Redcliffe Hospital showed a weak corporate culture, and his failure to take the advice of clinical staff speaks volumes. The healthcare field requires an organisational culture characterised by respect, integrity and dedication to work. Management is also a core aspect of anyorganisation, and generally, clinical staff acts as the managers of doctors and nurses. There is a clear indication of this in the Coroner’s report, which notes that the clinical staff advised Dr. H to intubate Mr. O for adequate ventilation. However, Dr. H failed to take this crucialadvice. The sentence in the report describing the clinical staff’s role as ‘management to plan, control, direct and control others in situations where the outcomes are known or pre-established’ indicates that the clinical staffwas managing Dr. H, which was a show of management in the organisation. LEADERSHIP The quotationin focus here is as follows: ‘the anesthetist directed nursing staff not to push the emergency button’. The full extract from the Coroner’s report is as follows: ‘Dr. H led nursing staff not to press the emergency button that would have summoned medical assistance to deal with the emergency’. Leadership is defined as the use of individual traits and abilities in relationships with others, and the ability to interpret an emerging situation and to be effective in that situation in the absence of a script or a defined plan. As a core element, leadership requires teams, scope of practice and communication. It is paramount to have all medical staff—nurses, doctors and others—working as a team. The life of a patient can easily be lost when minor mistakes are made, as was the case with Mr. O. In this regard, it was the duty and responsibility of Dr. H to take the advice ofthe clinical staff. Communication is also paramount, and the clinical staff took the initiative in communicating to Dr. H that Mr. Oneeded to be intubated to ensure adequate ventilation. However, Dr. H did not comply. For communication to be successful, the sender and the receiver must coordinate and agree. Dr. H, therefore, let the medical team down in this healthcare environment by not operating within the required scope of action. The field of medicine requires a high level of professionalism, since it involves human life. In such a critical scenario, it was expected that he would take the advice of clinical staff, but in fact, the opposite happened (Gabel, 2012 p. 140). The efficacy of nursing care is dependent on nurses as the leaders of patients. The Coroner’s report and the case study can reveal a lot about the importance of leadership. Dr. H should have applied leadership in directing the nursing staff, but the leadership demonstrated was not up to standard. Thus, it is imperative for nurses to modeleffective communication skills. QUALITY The quotation in focus here is as follows: ‘as a result of his actions there was a departure from standard practices’. The full extract from the Coroner’s report is as follows: ‘As a result of Dr. H’s actions and/or departure from standard practices, O was placed on life support systems and later died when those systems were removed’. Quality in nursing careis centered mainly on professional standards of healthcare, and doctors and nurses are expected to adhere to those standards in delivering the best possible service. By his actions, Dr. H demonstrated poor working standards in this case. In recent years, health professionals have had to adapt to numerous changes, many of which have had a devastating effect on the healthcare sector. However, they are still expected to work to high standards of professionalism. If Dr. H had performed his duties and responsibilities professionally, Mr. O’s life could have been saved. His vital signs should also have been identified promptly. It is clear that the hospital’s healthcare standards also need to be improved, and the services offered should be of a higher standard. The delivery of such services calls for qualified professionals and quality facilities. The life support systems should also be able to indicate clearly the progress of the patient being monitored. It was unfortunate that despite high-quality systems being in place, Mr. O lost his life. Minor surgery to deal with issues such as ankle injuries should not lead to death. Doctors and nurses should be in a position to track any signs that emergency action is required. This, in turn, leads to smooth and efficient delivery of emergency services, which can be achieved by simply pressing the emergency button for help (Coghlan, 2014, p.5). EXPLANATION OF THE HYPOTHETICAL STATEMENT The Coroner issued the following statement: ‘The Coroner recommends the Registered Nurses who were in attendance when Mr O deteriorated be directed to complete the USQ's NUR3120 Course, to guide their professional reflection and critique of their action/inaction’. It is certainly true that there is a need for registered nurses to be directed to complete the USQ NUR3120 course, which is intended to enhance their skills through comprehensive and multifaceted training. Unfortunately, the nurses who attended to Mr. Opresented a bad image of their profession. Their actions demonstrated littleprofessionalism. By attendingthis course, they can learn how to deal with all issues that may arise in their daily activities. The first important factoris leadership. As explained above, nurses must learn to be leaders of their patients and are expected to control, monitor, direct and guide them. Good leadership skills will ensure that the lives of patients are in safe hands and emergencieswill be handled professionally and skillfully. The role of nurses is to deliver clinical care, coordinate patient care, and drive safety and quality improvements. USQ NUR3120 includes training on all theseareas, and nurses will be equipped with the necessary techniques to address emergency issues (Stewart &Usher, 2010 p.3154). The course also offers training on quality, with an emphasis on professional standards and the quality of the services delivered. Clinical supervision should be encouraged for nurses taking care of patients, as well as training on how to critique their own actions. The course would also have been beneficial for Dr. H in terms of delivering the best possible service. His departure from standard practices was unacceptable and unprofessional, and such actions by doctors and nurses need to be eliminated. In effect, the code of conduct relating to these professions needs to be upheld to the letter, and allowing a patient to succumb to death should always attract disciplinary action (Fraser &Waters, 2014 p.13). The Coroner’s report was right in calling for the registered nurses involved to undertake the course, as it will enable them to correct their professional mistakes and avoid such mistakes in the future. The Coroner’s recommendation is justified by the fact that most of the nurses’ actions were unprofessional. The course advocates for professionalism in the nursing field with a view to ensuring that all nursing duties and responsibilities are delivered as expected. It also expounds on the organisation itself, including its climate, management and culture. In this regard, the hospital must develop a healthy organisational culture that will guide itsemployees. In other words, behaviours and methods of delivering duties and responsibilities aregoverned by the organisation’s culture, and this also dictates the environment in which staff members go about their daily tasks. The nursing profession calls for an atmosphere of dedication and readiness to work, even in emergencies. Emergencies involve faster and more efficient service delivery, so professional nurses should be capable of working in such a high-stress environment. The Registered Nurses in the operating room were expected to practice quality care of the patients. The Nurses did not act swiftly toward the emergency that Mr. O was facing. The outcomes of the patients greatly lies in the hands of the Nurses staff. Dr. H was supposed to be aided swiftly by the nursing staff. However, this is not the case. To ensure that risk and emergencies are managed effectively, the nursing staff must be swift and careful in their duties and responsibilities. All of these analyses substantiatethe Coroner’s recommendations. CONCLUSION Both the case study and the Coroner’s report serve as a useful lesson to the nursing profession. In fact, the case of Dr. H and Mr. Oshould be a lesson to the field ofhealthcare in general. Nurses should be trained in how to deliver their duties and responsibilities professionally, and a failureby any staff member to work professionally should attract disciplinary actions accordingly. The recommendations made in the Coroner’s report are also valid, particularly in the hypothetical statement under review. Specifically, the registered nurses involved must undertake the USQ NUR3120 course to optimise their skills in the nursing field. References Coghlan, J. (2014). Critical care nursing in Australia. Intensive Care Nursing, 3–7. Fraser, J. & Waters, D. (2014). Paediatric Nursing in Australia: Principles for Practice (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 10–25). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gabel, S. (2012). Leaders and Healthcare Organizational Change(pp. 137–153). US: Springer. Stewart, L. & Usher, K. (2010).The impact of nursing leadership on patient safety in a developing country, Journal of Clinical Nursing, vol. 19, no. 21/22, pp. 3152–3160. Oxford: Oxford University Press. White, J. (2013). Reflections on strategic nurse leadership. J Nurs Manag Journal of Nursing Management, 2, 835–837. Wise, P. (2013). Leading and Managing in Nursing - Revised Reprint (5th ed.). London: Elsevier Health Sciences. Read More