Introduction
Change, they say, is the only constant thing in life. Although people are quite reluctant to accept change, it is a crucial aspect of life. As a fact, the self-actualized individuals are open to changes and take things as they come. Changes are affiliated with new opportunities and challenges alike. Every move is unique and valuable regardless of whether you like it or not. It prepares you by creating the best version of yourself. Changes are indicative of progress which parse is symbolic of growth. This paper is going to expound on a master’s prepared nurse leading change.
Statement of Purpose
For effective health care delivery, a nurse needs to be more than prepared and conversant with his/her roles in practice setting. A competent nurse should be able to assess situations and make necessary changes where it seems fit. It is not always about following the set rules and procedures even when it is evident that a change is imperative.
1. Identify a health care delivery situation within the nurse’s current practice setting that needs change and provide background information.
One area that could use change is urgent care in Accident and Emergencies wing. In the event of an accident or emergency, the first medics to receive and consult the patient are the nurses. A nurse is responsible for receiving the patient from the ambulance to the examination room where they record the patient’s information and assess the situation. Approximately 90% of urgent care requires on site testing to come up with a diagnosis and determine the next step of treatment. For the longest time now, this has been the role of a laboratory technician. However, sometimes the emergency situation does not allow enough time to transport the samples, nurses in urgent care should be equipped with the knowledge to handle such.
2. Select and discuss a leadership theory and change model that the master’s prepared nurse can apply to the selected healthcare delivery situation.
The leadership theory that would work best in this type of setting is the behavioral approach. This method focuses on the behavior of leaders rather than their mental, physical or interpersonal characteristics. This leadership theory states that the character of leaders goes a long way in influencing the specific human behaviors. The argument begins by differentiating the leaders in two broad categories: ones concerned with tasks and ones involved with the people (Lussier & Achua, 2015).
3. Develop a proposed plan for change the master’s qualified nurse could initiate to address the selected healthcare delivery situation, provide rationale.
1. Acknowledge and understand why change is important – This is the first step of initiating the desired change in childbirth. A master’s qualified nurse should understand the need for this change and the solution that is anticipated.
2. Communicate the need for change – Once you understand the need for change in this sector, you should communicate it to the fellow nurses and make it clear to them.
3. Develop change plans- The change plans soon follow. For instance, in this health delivery situation, the plans include a pre-counselling session before childbirth, giving the patient the chance to choose what kind of delivery method she wishes (patient autonomy), a detailed explanation of each method clearly making known to her the advantages and disadvantages of each.
4. Implementation of change plans – Once the plans are in place, the master’s prepared nurse should ensure that they are followed by means of supervision.
5. Progress evaluation – After the said change has been implemented, the master’s prepared nurse should assess the benefits associated with it and acknowledge the fellow nurses (Humphrey, 2013).
4. Discuss strategies the master’s prepared nurse can utilize to initiate change and improve outcomes related to the selected healthcare delivery situation.
The above is one area that could use some change. The first and most efficient strategy is by keeping communication lines open. Then, the nursing team should be made conversant with the proposed change. They should be done to understand that change, whether negative or positive, is indicative of progress and development. The absence of change puts one on the same spot and no real development. Perhaps the most scaring thing about change is the adaptations and adjustments associated with it.
People have a tendency of staying away from new routines because of the time and resources are taken to adjust to the new system. They are so used to their normal way of doing things that some even mistake it with the only way. Whereas some changes are voluntary, some are mandatory. There are changes that people make out of free will, and they have no sense of urgency whatsoever while some changes are forced. Circumstances mediate forced changes, and they have a direct impact on the current state of things. These changes are sudden in nature and often leaves the affected ones with no much choice. As a result, the changes occur and then time catches up with them. It is these kinds of changes that people detest and avoid at all costs, the unplanned changes (Feldman, Alexander, & Greenberg, 2011).
5. Discuss the essential elements needed by a master’s prepared nurse leader to be an effective change agent.
Change is not always welcomed with both arms wide open. As a fact, very few people are open to changes, and as a result, most people tend to avoid it. Therefore, to be an effective change agent, it is more than being a leader, you should possess the kind of charisma that makes nurses want to drop their old practices and give yours a try. The following are the qualities of an effective change-oriented leader. An effective change agent should maintain an open mind at all times. They should welcome ideas from all ranks and encourage the creativity of nurses. For a change to be effective, creativity ought to be incorporated. An effective change agent is one who is wise enough to tap ideas from various departments and analyze them to come up with the best fit.
To be an effective change agent, one should have the ability to evoke creativity from their fellow nurses by putting up the right team at the right time to the right degree of sparking creativity. This can be enhanced by the leaders recasting the staff roles. Nurses are so used to the idea of being told what to do and when to do it. Such employees never even question the orders they are given. Their ultimate goal is to complete whatever tasks they have been assigned to and wait for the next orders. Unfortunately, leaders have turned employees into human robots who are trained to do what they are told when they are told. They are not even in a position to question the orders they are given and execute them blindly sometimes without even knowing the purpose or the ultimate goal that is aimed to achieve. At the end of the day, provided they complete the roles assigned to them, they are ready to go (The effective change manager, 2013).
The element of understanding makes a great change agent. People will listen more to a person who understands them as opposed to one who commands them. Just the mention of the term “leader” evokes positivity and brightness as opposed to the term “boss.” Many people would rather have a leader than a manager for the obvious reasons and needless to say managers are more feared, avoided and to some extent hated by their subjects. In the same vein, leaders are respected, look upon, loved and even adored by their subjects. Leaders go an extra mile and create a friendly interaction and environment for their people. They promote social interaction and cohesion and lead by example. Bosses are nothing like that, and they are more concerned with the results rather than the process. They couldn’t be any less concerned about how the employees got the results or what they had to go through to get them, and their only concern is that the results are there or not and that is all that matters.
5. Discuss why the leadership role is an integral component for the mastered qualified nurse.
As a function of management, leadership helps in maximizing the efficiency of an organization to achieve the set organizational goals. Leadership acts as the guiding light to any company that facilitates its progress. Just like traffic lights and signs, leaders advise and instruct the employees when to go, take a turn, accelerate, slow down and stop whenever necessary. To achieve this, a leader begins by communicating the organizational policies to his/her subordinate nurses and makes them known to them.
Communication alone is not enough, a good leader goes an extra step and ensures that the subordinates understand the policies. The leader then makes plans on how the policies will be implemented, assigns duties to the different nurses and according to their capabilities and then facilitates the whole process by providing them with the proper equipment including training when necessary. Moreover, a leader offers motivation to the employees and rewards excellent work. Similarly, where the nurses feel stuck, it is the duty of a leader to help them up and show them the way(The effective change manager, 2013).
6. Define intraprofessional collaboration and communication.
This is the practice of cooperating with other professionals from different departments to attain a common goal.
a. Discuss the impact intraprofessional collaboration and communication has in the change process.
Intraprofessional collaboration widens the scope of seeing things. The fact that different professionals have the different point of views means that if all their ideas were brought together and consolidated, it would be easier to make wise and informed decisions. Secondly, intraprofessional collaboration encourages social cohesion at the workplace and eventually promotes the unity of the workers. The overall effect is a motivated team geared to achieving a common goal.
b. Discuss how the master’s prepared nurse leader can facilitate intraprofessional communication and collaboration during the change process.
A master’s prepared nurse can facilitate intraprofessional communication by expanding his/her sphere of influence. Many are the times that people sit in groups according to their professions at the workplace. Doctors relate with fellow physicians, nurses with nurses, and so on and so forth. A mastered qualified nurse should not be afraid to go out of his/her sphere of influence to enhance change.
c. Discuss barriers to and drivers of effective collaboration communication between interdisciplinary healthcare members.
Prestige is the primary barrier to effective collaboration communication. Different professionals look down on each other and as a result, they end up in small social circles and intraprofessional communication is minimized.
Time can also be a barrier to intraprofessional collaboration. People waste too much time moving from one department to another and in an attempt to curb that communication and collaboration is compromised.
Ideological differences among different professionals might reduce the level of intraprofessional collaboration.
Conclusion
Whereas it’s nice to focus on the future because the past is gone, the past plays an essential role in shaping the future. It is from past mistakes and successes that we learn. The past should guide the changes we make in life, and therefore, we can accurately predict the course that various decisions can take. It is always important to evaluate a change before implementing it. In escaping monotony, it is possible to get tempted into exercising change without proper evaluation. In the health industry, the past has played a significant role in shaping the current education trends and habits.
References
Humphrey, R. (2013). Effective leadership (1st ed., pp. 13-17). Washington DC: Sage Publishers.
Lussier, R. & Achua, C. (2015). Leadership (1st ed., pp. 15-22). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
The effective change manager. (2013) (1st ed., p. 52). London.
