Role of Nurse Executives - Research Paper Example

? Role of Nurse Executives Insert Insert Insert 5 November Role of Nurse Executives: Is Virtual/Online Educational Programs Adequately Preparing Graduates for this Role? Introduction Many healthcare organizations in the United States of America prefer their leaders or managers in nursing to have degrees in Nursing and Business (MSN and MBA degrees). Healthcare remains a multifaceted industry that requires a diverse set of healthcare nurse executives to lead initiatives for effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of patient care. The role of nurse executives remains a dynamic role in leading healthcare organizations in the safety and satisfaction of patients, operational and clinical processes, and results. Nurse executives, in their leadership role, hold fascinating obligations in advocating for health necessities of susceptible populations. Simultaneously, they represent and govern nurses responsible for designing and delivering patient care (Balke, 2006, p. 105). The relevance of this topic relates to the balance of caregiver obligations by nurse executives while carrying out their leadership duties fundamental to the organizational culture of healthcare delivery systems. This research study seeks to explore the relevance of nurses having degrees in business in order for them to be successful in a nursing management role in today’s nursing profession. This study also seeks to explore the adequacy of virtual or online educational programs in preparing graduates as nurse executives. Background The process of identifying and assessing the success of nurse executives have proven difficult and challenging for nurse executive practitioners, educators, researchers, policy makers, their constituents and theory developers. The development of the interrelationship model of leadership, backgrounds, and outcomes of nurse executives used the concept of jumping ideas together towards limiting the uncertainty surrounding nurse executives’ success. The model provides a unique link between existing evidence. The model also identifies continuous and reliant interrelationship among three content areas; nurse executives, organizational and patient outcomes, and professional practice of nurses and work situations. The development of the interrelationship model focused at defining measurement of nurse executives’ success, operational zing influences of nurse executives, and providing a framework that would articulate workforce, patient, and improvement efforts of organizational outcomes. Finally, the American Organization of Nurse Executives called together a group of nurse executives who would address the functions, roles, and competencies required for this substantial and emerging title role in healthcare (Sherman and Pross, 2009). Discussion According to a research by Schmalenberg and Kramer (2009, pp. 61-64) which addressed the aspect of support by nurse executives to other staff nurses in relation to the perception of the latter. Their objective was to establish supportive role behaviors of nurse executives meaningful to all. Their study employed the use of several interviews on staff nurses from different hospitals. From their research, they found out that staff nurses would not particularly be interested on the leader or managerial behavior of nurse executives. They established that the role behavior of nurse executives fostered sound and autonomous decision-making process through the application of evidence based practice. In addition, role behaviors of nurse executives perceived as supportive by staff nurses could also be affected by how healthcare organizations define nurse executive’s roles. Role behaviors would often be supportive in relation to other work events and process. They recommended the need for more information in determining supportive role behaviors of nurse executives and definition of an acceptable meaning for nurse executive support. In addition, Schmalenberg and Kramer proposed the inclusion of both leader and manager behaviors, with more emphasis on leader behaviors. From their findings, nurse executive support remains a critical element in maintaining a healthy work situation (Schmalenberg and Kramer, 2009, pp. 65-69). Balke (2006, pp. 105-108) conducted a grounded theory study of the emerging dynamic competencies of nurse executives. Through healthcare literature reviews, she established that the nurse executive leadership role calls for a minimum of a master’s degree. Additionally, Balke’s contemporary literature review sought to identify competencies relating to years of experience of nurse executives in their roles and career phase, yet no patterns emerged. However, she found out that competency created by healthcare industry and technological changes, regulatory and accrediting body requirement, legal requirements, and accrediting body standards on nursing education influence nurse executives’ competencies. These factors generate necessary skill competencies or create skill sets necessary for effective leadership and management aimed at adequate nurse executive practice. However, her research could not identify demonstrated relationship between the degrees of skill competencies and level of education utilized in the nurse executive role. This study of nurse executive competencies would be significant for updating existing knowledge and the delivery of high quality healthcare services. From her findings, retirement of current, competent nurse executives creates a shortage of qualified replacements. Hence, Balke recommends further research on the need to understand essential competencies in better preparing nurse executives for future roles (Balke, 2006, p. 108). Sherman and Pross (2009) through literature review, sought to assess the development of leadership skills using the Nurse Manager Leadership Collaborative competency model. Their article addressed the significant role of nurse executives in creating and sustaining healthy work environments, and the importance of these environments to healthcare organizations. They found out that nurse executives could help create a very satisfying organizational culture in healthcare organizations. This would be achieved by involving staff nurses in the development of mutual values in their work under a transformational leadership style in which nurse executives enhance the morale, motivation, and performance of their staff nurses. Sherman and Pross (2009) indicated that the three domains of the framework, which are the leader within, the art of leadership and the science of leadership could be used to develop nurse executives. The three domains of the competency model offer a convenient structure for planning leadership development initiatives, directed towards current and future growth for nurse executives at the unit level. Evidence shows that future growth of nurse executives would be a long-term pursuit involving both action and planning. Moreover, the development of healthy work situations responsive to dynamic healthcare environment would be the responsibility of nurse executives. They recommend that all nurse executives should begin preparing their future leaders at the present, since they would ultimately replace them and continue improving healthcare organizations and most essentially patient outcomes. In the fourth edition of their book financial management for nurse managers and executives, Finkler et al. (2012, chapter 2) provide revisions and updates on the previous editions based on their own knowledge and awareness of changes in healthcare organizations. They address the transitional role, knowledge, and skills required for evolution from staff nurse role to nurse executive. Their revision includes budgeting processes in healthcare financing and cost control initiatives. Nurse executives have become progressively involved in the revenue of operations of healthcare organizations. Finkler et al. (2012, chapter 16-17) offer a computational approach for variance analysis relevant to nurse executives. From their findings, nurse executives’ roles focuses on ensuring adequate provision of clinical care to patients, and completion of expected clinical care delivery with resources delivered. It would be worth noting that repayment models necessary for successful nurse executive practice may influence cost of nursing services. Hence, nurse executives must increase and improve their competencies to keep up with the rapidly growing and complex healthcare sector. Further research should be conducted on nurse entrepreneurship, forecasting, and other approaches for decision-making. In addition, future directions should be provided for nursing relative to financial management of healthcare organizations (Finkler et al., 2012, chapter 21-23). Jennings and Lamb (2011, pp. 149-150) addressed the relationship between nurse executives and the National Priorities Partnership in transforming America’s healthcare. They assess the developments and outcomes of the National Quality Forum workshop in achieving the aims of the partnership. The workshop’s objective based upon assessing current and future contribution of nurse executives to the partnership agenda, and identifying opportunities for them to advance and speed up their achievements of the goals. The workshop also incorporated information technology and transformational drivers necessary for advancing contributions of nurse executives towards goal achievement. Stakeholder groups participating in the workshop emphasized on a standardized healthcare information technology platforms that would measure basic indicators of goal achievement by nurse executives and provide support to patient care. From the outcomes of the workshop, four strategies would be recommended to realize nurse executive contributions to goal achievement. These include increasing funding for research linking interventions to outcomes for patients, and expanding nurse related measures and inclusion to public reporting. In addition, payments would be made for effective nurse-directed care delivery systems, and increasing value and visibility of nursing to stakeholder groups. Jennings and Lamb also pointed out that transforming healthcare organizations would not be an easy task, besides the National Priorities Partnership goals offering direction to which efforts would be focused. The goals aim at yielding substantial improvements in healthcare organizations and health in general (Jennings and Lamb, 2011, pp. 151-152). From the above analyses, the research studies provide evidence for the need for nurse executives to have degrees in Nursing and Business in order to be successful in a nursing management role. Graduates in nursing having a dual degree in Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Business Administration (MBA) have a superior advantage over graduates who have Masters of Science in nursing degrees only. They handle business oriented operation of healthcare organizations with ease as compared to the latter that lack the necessary skills and knowledge (Balke, 2006, pp.105-108). In addition, nurse executives have become progressively involved in the revenue of operations of healthcare organizations. In this regard, nursing graduates with a dual degree would be better able to handle budgeting processes in healthcare financing and cost control initiatives. In conclusion, virtual or online educational programs would be inadequate in preparing graduates as nurse executives having considered the above arguments, having considered all the above arguments. References Balke, J. M. (2006). Nurse Executives: A Grounded Theory Study of Dynamic Competencies. ProQuest. Finkler, S. A., Jones, C. B., Kovner, C. T. (2012). Financial Management for Nurse Managers and Executives (4th ed). Elsevier Health Sciences. Jennings, B. M., & Lamb, G. (2011). Nurse Executives and the National Priorities Partnership: Transforming America's Healthcare. Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(4), pp. 149 -152. Schmalenberg, C., & Kramer, M. (2009). Nurse Manager Support: How Do Staff Nurses Define It? Critical Care Nurse, 29(4), pp. 61-69. Sherman, R., & Pross, E. (2010). Growing Future Nurse Leaders to Build and Sustain Healthy Work Environments at the Unit Level. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 15(1). Read More