Binu Sharma
Columbia Asia Hospitals, India
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care
Leaders do more than delegate, dictate and direct, the American Nurses Association (ANA) writes. Leaders
help others achieve their highest potential. Nurse managers are crucial to a medical establishment. Their
presence is one of the reasons why most hospitals are functioning as smoothly as they should. A biennial
survey of hospitals and health systems conducted in 2007 by the Governance Institute found that only 0.8
percent of voting board members were Chief Nursing Officers compared with 5.1 percent who were vice
presidents for medical affairs. New qualified nurses and new nurse managers are often expected to hit the
ground running with no management training. A management framework is required to provide a consistent
approach to management development for all staff in healthcare, irrespective of discipline, role, function
or seniority. Simply giving someone the title of leader or manager does not make them proficient in that
role and the titles themselves may be misleading. Given the importance of good management in creating a
healthy work environment, it is crucial that the differences and challenges of these roles are acknowledged
to create more realistic expectations of those who hold them. Internationally, there is strong evidence that
role ambiguity can discourage junior nurses from taking up leadership roles. As a result, career pathways and
training opportunities need to be actively championed. A 2009 survey of primary nurses in New Zealand for
example found that 82 per cent of respondents were keen to advance their careers by training for a leadership
role. Despite these positive figures however, the same report found that only 30 per cent of respondents felt
satisfied with the current level of career progression on offer to them
Conclusion: Being visionary and proactive when faced with a healthcare system defined by rapid change
and chaos is perhaps the most important of all the qualities listed. Todayâ??s healthcare organizations face
continual change in the form of organizational restructuring, quality improvement and employee retention.
Such change brings with it feelings of pride and stress in equal measures. Nurse leaders need to embrace
change, adapt to it and in doing so re-energize and empower the workforce with their management skills.
Binu Sharma is a Senior Vice President Nursing Services at Columbia Asia Hospitals India. She received Nightingale Award for Nursing Leadership. She was a Founder Member Association of Nurse Executives India. She have presented various research papers and have been a speaker at various national & international events with a special focus on Patient Safety, Infusion Safety and Infection control.
Journal of Nursing & Care received 4230 citations as per Google Scholar report