The Present Nursing and Healthcare Environment - Essay Example

? Philosophy of Nursing Administration Nurse Managers are charged with the responsibility of providing highly efficient and effective care within the patient care delivery setting. Over the years, I have developed clinical and management skills that have improved my clinical decision making, evaluation of resource use, and enhance planning. As a women and children case manager, I address three core areas of the community healthcare, namely: clinical care, case management, and outreach. I consider that supportive nursing leadership plays a critical role for the successful introduction and implementation of advanced nursing roles within healthcare settings. I uphold the philosophy of acting in line with the highest standards of ethics, efficiency, accountability, effectiveness, and openness in pursuit of the highest standards of nursing care and leadership. The paper documents my philosophy of nursing administration, which outlines proactive leadership as an essential tool to carry out change in nursing management. Philosophy of Nursing Administration Introduction In order to elaborate on philosophy of nursing, I consider that one must settle on what philosophy means to them; philosophy represents an attitude toward life and reality that envelops people’ beliefs. This definition awards one the freedom to utilize own beliefs. Caring can be considered to form the backbone of nursing, whereby without caring, nurses cannot connect with patients, and consequently, trust cannot form between nurses and patients. Philosophy outlines vision what a nursing manager views the nursing services and what he or she believed it should be. Background During my childhood, my fascination with the discipline of nursing was all about white uniforms and caps; however, this notion on nursing practice has changed over the years out of the realization that a nurse is not merely an individual in a uniform, but rather a person charged with making a difference in patients’ life through caring and compassion. As a leader in women and children case management, I recognize that nurses should be recognized for their expertise and compassion in availing care to patients and communities (Carter et al., 2010). I concur that there is no other profession that avails the opportunity to implement the philosophy of caring for others into action while simultaneously availing personal and professional gratification that can be attained when one applies knowledge to enhance patient care. I practiced in an obstetric unit for three years as a labor and delivery nurse charged with the duty of caring for women during pregnancies and childbirth, whereby I had to assess both the mother and baby and come up with an individualized plan of care. In my practice as an obstetric nurse, I won an award recognizing my efforts developing collaborative networks with physicians. Presently, I am a case manager at the local health department charged with the duty of highlighting the clients’ needs and instituting plans to meet clients’ needs effectively and efficiently. Nurses have been at the front position of case management as it connects to moving patients via the hospital efficiently. Conflicts may arise between nurse case managers and other providers within the community. This necessitates that professional become educated on issues regarding case management programs, dealing with interdisciplinary teams, legal issues, and respecting patient’s wishes and rights (Weberg, 2010). The goal relates to ensuring that all localities have access to the care and services available to all citizens of the community. As a case manager, I encounter challenges in creating and securing sustainable funding for the programs and creating sufficient infrastructure support. Discussion (Body) Evidently, nursing leaders play a critical role in shaping the nursing profession to be highly responsive to the changing healthcare system. The state of the contemporary economic environment can be regarded as chaotic given that the external environment has a significant influence of healthcare organizations. As a result, the success of healthcare organizations hinges on adaptation to the external environment. Some of the essential qualities of effective nursing leaders encompass being an advocate for quality care, articulate communicators, mentor, role model, collaborators, risk taker, and visionary (Swansburg, 1996). The present nursing and healthcare environment features complex issues relating to health human resource shortages, insufficient funding, and rising need to avails responsive care to client populations. Leadership strategies that optimize successful integration encompass introduction of systematic planning to establish the roles based on patient and community needs, engagement with all the stakeholders, communicating concise messages to enhance awareness on the roles within the department, fostering networks, and mentorship, as well as negotiating role expectations with the physicians, as well as other members of the healthcare team. The core objective of professional practice environment for nurses rests on putting the patient first and seeking what is best for the patient (Brencick & Webster, 2000). In recent years, diverse factors have converged to challenge the work environments, which have necessitated that nurses be well-educated and experienced. My philosophy sums up what I subscribe to as a nursing leader, and what I incorporate into my daily practice as a case manager in my local department. My philosophy draws from a collection of lifelong experiences (professional and personal), which means that my philosophy has evolved to reflect work experiences. I uphold the philosophy of acting in line with the highest standards of ethics, efficiency, accountability, effectiveness, and openness in pursuit of the highest standards of nursing care and leadership (Weberg, 2010). The guiding philosophy in present practice relates to compassionately delivering quality health care in an innovative and efficient way. Competent caring guides the department’s team approach, especially in creating a therapeutic environment in which the provision of excellent patient-care is the one and only aim of nursing practice. The Role played by proactive leadership in Nursing Manager Practice I acknowledge that the role played by proactive leadership in furthering patient care and nursing management. Towards this end, I find transformational nursing leadership the best model to guise my philosophical orientation. Transformational nursing leadership theory represents a contemporary theory that addresses capability to adapt to the present external environmental demands. The mission and vision of an organization shapes the foundation for the structure of the management leaders (Rowland & Rowland, 1997). As a case manager in the local health department, I have initiated the restructuring of the department to make it better responsive to client needs. My personal philosophy, intrinsic in the foundation of transformational leaders, has provided the basis on which I make decisions. I have a firm commitment to innovation and growth of staff that necessitates increased transparency in the sharing of information (Rowland & Rowland, 1997). Personally, I demonstrate individual consideration by endeavoring to meet staff members, which avails insights into what needs to change, and whether staff has the tools to carry out change (Brencick & Webster, 2000). The principles of a transformational leader can be regarded as a natural fit based on my perception of a leader. I acknowledge that leadership opportunities are available throughout work and professional life and cannot be linked a set level of certification. For one to become a nurse leader, it is essential to exercise a high degree of professionalism and leadership acumen, which allows one to spotlight opportunities for improvement and volunteers to lead in the improvement efforts (Lyons, Specht, & Maas, 2008). My leadership values have not necessarily changed since the start of my nursing practice, but I believe I have grown in leaps and bounds by being aware of what it means to be a case manager. One of my five-year goals centers on standardizing and maintaining high quality of healthcare services rendered to women and children. Other goals include: ensuring sustainability of the programs via appropriate organizational and budgetary support; create and sustain a centralized, harmonized database to allow the tracking of the case management programs; and, ensure that the local health department have competent health professionals who will coordinate the healthcare services required. This should be guided by effective communication, effective discipline and decision making, and retention strategies informed by case management, research process, and nursing theory (Rowland & Rowland, 1997). Future goals for the programs will center on adding community-based outreach and retention strategies, reducing case-loads and broadening contacts between clients and case managers, and adding aces to related services. Conclusion In conclusion, I could say that I live my philosophy on nursing practice on a daily basis, motivated not to do no harm; avail client-centered care that is goal oriented towards attaining and maintaining wellness. Most importantly, the goal rests in becoming an agent of change via clinical leadership. I believe that kindness and integrity should embody all interactions that one has with clients. The nursing initiatives and programs pursue the provision of the highest quality care to clients. Human interactions and empowering patients via information and education forms the basis of my patient care philosophy and what makes the objectives of my nursing practice attainable. References Brencick, J. M., & Webster, G. A. (2000). Philosophy of nursing: A new vision for health care. Albany, NY: State Univ. of New York Press. Carter, N. et al. (2010). The role of nursing leadership in integrating clinicla nurse specialists and nurse practitioners in healthare delivery in Canada. Nursing leadership, 23 (1), 167-185. Lyons, S., Specht, J., & Maas, M. (2008). Everyday excellence: A framework for professional nurisng practicein long-term care. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 1 (3), 217-228. Rowland, H. S., & Rowland, B. L. (1997). Nursing administration handbook. Gaithersburg, Md: Aspen Publishers. Swansburg, R. C. (1996). Management and leadership for nurse managers. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Weberg, D. (2010). Transformational leadership and staff retention An evidence review with implications for healthcare systems. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 34 (3), 246-258. Read More