Debatable Issue on Leadership Role of Nurses

Question: Describe about the Debatable Issue on Leadership Role of Nurses. Answer: Nursing is facing more changes and more challenges in contemporary time. Many professionals and experts are taking part in the debate and several summits and discussions are being made to make the current situation better. One of the controversial topics that are gaining attention in deciding the future of nursing is whether leadership role has to be given to the nurses working in a hospital or nursing home or not. The essay is based on the said topic. A discussion of the selected topic will be done analyzing the various concepts and theories of leadership quality. Nurses are not given that leadership authority in their working and are merely given the job to do as directed by the doctors and other higher authorities in a hospital or other care units. This raises questions on the ability of a nurse. According to Barr, Jill and Lesley (201), a leaders role is to elicit effective performance from others. This also involves leading and influencing shared values and expectations to enhance the planned goals of the organization and improve overall performance. As argued by Bower and Fay Louise (103), some leaders are natural leaders and that leaders cannot be created. Traditionally, it was viewed that leaders have certain personality traits that compel others to follow them. These traits include confidence, courage, ethical fitness and the ability to prioritize. But the same concept has been debated and it is viewed that with due experience and the ability to cope with situation enhances the ability of a person to become a leader. As pointed out by Child (21), sometimes, few nurses become role model for other nurses because of their leadership quality and the ability to handle the situation at tough times. So in such situations, leadership quality of a nurse cannot be challenged. It has been pointed out by Feldman, Harriet and Martha (13), autocratic leaders are effective in an organization because they create structure and they are the one who determine the needs of the organization. But, autocratic leaders become abusive at time and can create fear among the employees in the organization. At the same time, it has certain advantages because an autocratic leader is responsible for taking all kind of decisions for an organization and thus other employees just have to follow the orders given by the authority. In case of nursing, the same cannot be applicable because nursing involves dealing with emergency situations. For emergency situations, all that counts is experience. When the nurses are given the role of a leader, it is expected that the situation can be handled in a better way (Jeansonne and Priscilla, 210). If the leadership role is not given to the nurses then weak and poor performances of the organization is not recognized. In this respect, it can als o be said that when a mature person is given the authority to take hold of the situation, the outcome can be different and better. There are many advantages that can be highlighted when leadership role is given to the nurses. Primarily, in emergency situations, the nurses will have the opportunity to take prompt decision which is the most important factor in a hospital or a care unit. In case, if decisions remain pending then it might result in certain serious conditions as well. Nurses with good experience can easily be given the role of a leader (Lusiani et al. 45). Nurses often devote long hours in the workplace than the doctors. This also adds to the fact the nurses could be more aware of the happening in the care unit than the represented leaders. Apart from that, other members working in the same workplace can also rely on those nurses who have been given the role of a leader (Barr, Jill and Lesley, 75). The importance of experience cannot be neglected and it can be even said that experience plays a great role in creation of a leader. The role of a nurse in the recent time in major hospitals and other nursing and care units is merely to obey the instructions given to them and not any kind of leadership. Nurses are generally given the task of taking care of the patients and follow the instructions as prescribed by the doctor. Thus, the doctors play the primary role of a leader. It is viewed that doctors are more educated and professional than the nurses and thus, they have better knowledge of how the patients are to be treated and for the same reason, the nurses are not allowed to participate in making any kind of decision (Shaw and Sally, 35). But, it has to be kept in mind that the role of a leader is not limited to taking care of the patients but it is also related to managing situations of the workplace. In a care unit, responding to the emergency situation is what matters the most and for the same reason, long-time working and experienced nurses can easily be given the role of a leader who would have the autho rity of taking prompt decision as per the call of the situation. Transitional leadership is another style that has become very relevant in the recent time. This leadership style is evident because it does not support the fact that there should be a particular leader in an organization. But, transitional leadership calls for change in leadership whenever it is required (Simon and Hannes, 210). This type of leadership has been practiced in major organizations and it can be said that transitional leadership might be the best possible form of leadership in the field of nursing. When an autocratic leadership style is used then other persons in the organization have to wait for the order or permission to be given to proceed with the work. It might happen that the autocratic leader does not have much knowledge about the situation and is not capable enough to comment on the situation. Here, the autocratic leader fails to cope up with the situation. When the same approach is made by someone who has better understanding of the situation, the outcome of the situation is bound to produce positive result (Jeansonne and Priscilla, 32). If the same situation is viewed in respect to a nursing or care unit, the importance of a nurse in making decisions can easily be understood. This opens up a wider horizon for giving the leadership role to the experienced and existed nurses in the workplace. By the end of the discussion, it can be said that style of leadership in nursing depends on the association of nurses with the patients, service users and other team members as well. When the nurses are given the leadership role, real time feedback can be expected and continuous working of the nursing or other care units can be ensured easily. Moreover, when leadership role is given to the experienced nurses, the junior nurses alongside can also learn from them. This enables learning and practicing at the same time. As already mentioned, transitional leadership can the most fruitful type of leadership to be practiced in the hospital or other health care centers. Thus, the long debated topic whether leadership role can be given to the nurses in the nursing field can be concluded with a positive nod. Works cited: Barr, Jill, and Lesley Dowding.Leadership in health care. Sage, 2015. Bower, Fay Louise.Nurses Taking The Lead. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 2012. Child, Anne P.Keeping Patients Safe. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2014. Feldman, Harriet R and Martha J Greenberg.Educating Nurses For Leadership. New York: Springer Pub. Co., 2015. Jeansonne, Priscilla R. "Controversies In Critical Care Nursing".Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing8.6 2015: 367. 2014 Lusiani, Maria, Jean-Louis Denis, and Ann Langley. "Plural Leadership in Health Care Organizations."The Oxford Handbook of Health Care Management2016: 210. 2013 Shaw, Sally.International Council of Nurses. Oxford: Blackwell Pub., 2014. Simons, Tony, and Hannes Leroy. "Issues in researching leadership in health care organizations."Leading in Health Care Organizations: Improving Safety, Satisfaction and Financial Performance (Advances in Health Care Management, Volume 14) Emerald Group Publishing Limited14 2013: 221-234. 2012