I found the topic of teams very interesting in relation to leadership and nursing. Discussed on page 225 of the text Huber delves into potential expectations the leader of a team could express to the members of the team (2010). These expectations range from communication to conflict resolution, effort in task completion and the feedback desired.
I have had the good fortune to work with both very good leaders and very bad leaders, which has given me a lot of insight into what I want in a boss or supervisor and what doesn't work very well. I think this topic of conveying your expectations to the team is essential for a good leader or a good team member in turn. An example from my current job is their expectations around sick days. Obviously someone should try to limit the times they call in sick and at the same time not transmit communicable disease to the residents. The first time I called in sick in over a year I was told that if I didn't come in I would be let go. My manager was joking and she did call around and help me find someone to cover the shift but her expectations were unclear. My job isn't incredibly difficult and I could easily manage it unless I was deathly ill, it was her expectations being unclear that made the situation difficult. Luckily I knew her sense of humor and know what a valued commodity I am for my agency and so avoided a larger issue.
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Time Management
The topic from the text this week that I found most interesting was time management. While this isn't necessarily an area I struggle in it seems to me an area in which all students have a lot of room for improvement. Hospital stays are getting shorter and more education and cares are often brought under the umbrella of the nurses responsibility. Two powerful tools that don't really come to mind when thinking about time management are deciding what not to do and learning to say no. These may seem like cop outs but in reality they are essential tools. In a fixed amount of time only so much can be done regardless of how efficient the nurse is, by deciding what wont be done beforehand the nurse can prioritize a few non-essential items and then revisit them if time remains at the end of the shift.
Time management for me really comes down to prioritizing and re-prioritizing each time new information is available. By planning my time even briefly before each task I can become more efficient each time I work. What do I need to do with this patient? How can I group cares? While these seem simple I have a feeling that a whole new level of time management will be required as we progress into the role of nursing. Its funny to me how difficult getting a large number of patients up and ready for the day seemed at first and with simple planning and prioritizing how easy it has become.
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
Time management for me really comes down to prioritizing and re-prioritizing each time new information is available. By planning my time even briefly before each task I can become more efficient each time I work. What do I need to do with this patient? How can I group cares? While these seem simple I have a feeling that a whole new level of time management will be required as we progress into the role of nursing. Its funny to me how difficult getting a large number of patients up and ready for the day seemed at first and with simple planning and prioritizing how easy it has become.
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Centralization
One interesting topic from our reading was the concept of Centralization vs Decentralization. Centralization is the extent to which management decisions are made at the highest levels of command versus decentralization where the decision making process is extended down through the command structure giving a higher percentage of the work force a say in the decisions (Huber. 2010). Neither an extremely centralized or extremely decentralized system tends to work well in healthcare. This is due to the limited knowledge and specialized expertise a small group at the top is capable of having in centralization or the time consumed and also knowledge deficit that occurs when all have a say in every decision. Essentially the best person to make the decision should make the decision. This requires a more decentralized or middle ground approach.
We can look to the government and recent gridlock that seems to frequently take place in congress. The great majority of people would like to see congress compromise more and get more done related to the issues we can agree upon. Unfortunately the high level of centralization prevents the public input from really reaching any government officials at the highest level. It makes me wonder if we wouldn't be better off with more power in the states individual hands. Is decentralization the answer?
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
We can look to the government and recent gridlock that seems to frequently take place in congress. The great majority of people would like to see congress compromise more and get more done related to the issues we can agree upon. Unfortunately the high level of centralization prevents the public input from really reaching any government officials at the highest level. It makes me wonder if we wouldn't be better off with more power in the states individual hands. Is decentralization the answer?
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
Healing the Healthcare System
Very interesting video about using the prescription pad, the EMAR, and college students to fix the, treat first, ask questions never, mentality pervasive in our health care system. Leaders follow their Vision!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Organization of Care
One topic from the reading that I had little to no knowledge of beforehand was the concept of Organizational Forms found in chapter 18 of the text (Huber. 2010.). Essentially Functional Form and Program Form were compared and contrasted when related to the service structure in various health-care settings. Functional Form is the grouping of work by the type of work, for instance Nurses reporting to nurse managers etc. Program form is work grouping by service provided for instance a surgical specialty units. Why can't there be both you might wonder. The large hospitals I have been to all do use both Organizational Forms to a large extent. Specialized units with independent management structure. This is called Matrix Form "people and work are organized along both functional and program dimensions" (Huber. 2010. p 413.).
This topic was interesting to me because it plays such a huge role in the difference between a good health-care setting and a bad one. Hospitals that can manage the potential fragments in care or achieve a high level of coordination among diciplines are the hospitals that achieve the patient outcomes. My most recent experience with fragmented care was before a routine appointment to meet with a nutritionist. I sat for 45 minutes at the clinic waiting to be seen and then I had to leave to go to work. When a patient leaves instead of waiting forever for thier appointment in the HCMC health system at least it is reffered to as "Elopement". This reminds me of another term that is regularly thrown around, "non-compliant". Patient's have lives and beliefs outside of thier health-care and the more patient centered and organizational form can be the better in my opinion. Language like elopement should be altered to reflect the nature of the problem. Provider time management or scheduling error. While I understand the burden placed on the healthcare system these problems wont be adequately addressed if the language we use doesn't accurately represent the problems at hand.
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
This topic was interesting to me because it plays such a huge role in the difference between a good health-care setting and a bad one. Hospitals that can manage the potential fragments in care or achieve a high level of coordination among diciplines are the hospitals that achieve the patient outcomes. My most recent experience with fragmented care was before a routine appointment to meet with a nutritionist. I sat for 45 minutes at the clinic waiting to be seen and then I had to leave to go to work. When a patient leaves instead of waiting forever for thier appointment in the HCMC health system at least it is reffered to as "Elopement". This reminds me of another term that is regularly thrown around, "non-compliant". Patient's have lives and beliefs outside of thier health-care and the more patient centered and organizational form can be the better in my opinion. Language like elopement should be altered to reflect the nature of the problem. Provider time management or scheduling error. While I understand the burden placed on the healthcare system these problems wont be adequately addressed if the language we use doesn't accurately represent the problems at hand.
Huber, D. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care3 Management. (4th ed). Saunders an Imprint of Elselvier Inc. Maryland Heights, MO
My Blog's Purpose
To be honest I am creating this blog to satisfy the requirements of a Nursing Leadership course but at the same time I want it to represent my actual values and beliefs. I would like to create a product that I can expand on throughout my remaining time in school and as I move forward into practice as well. What are my thoughts? How do I stand on a variety of issues? and what does leadership really mean to me? If a leader is someone with a strong voice I would like to develop my voice somewhat in this blog, during this course and as I grow into my profession. As nursing and health care are ever changing and dynamic fields both the conversation and the voices of each nurse must change too. I would like this blog to be a safe place for any and all discussion, and a place for my fellow students and I to begin to find deeper interest in our field, discussing the nursing issues that are not tested on the boards.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Check Out This Video
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