Leadership is described as the capacity of a person to influence people to accomplish a goal. Effective leadership is vital in health care and other organizations as it promotes innovation, provides quality patient care, promotes patient safety, fosters coordination among healthcare staff, resolves issues in an emergency, and other aspects required for the effective and efficient operation of healthcare organizations. Nurse educators refer to qualified registered and experienced nurses who have attained degrees in nursing and can teach nursing students in colleges or universities. Nurse educators can also operate in health facilities as medical practitioners. Therefore, this paper seeks to address the leadership competencies of nurse educators and the role they play in medical institutions.
Medical and health care institutions are the most sensitive institutions globally. It is where health revolves as the most cure to illnesses is found due to the availability of experienced medical teams across all departments. A health institution cannot be complete without a nurse. nursing knowledge is an integral part of medical practice. Due to their involvement in first-hand emergencies, they are the first contact with patients; they need to be trained and prepared well. A competent nurse educator should have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to adopt new approaches to planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating nurse education programs (Heinen et al., 2019). It will aid in bringing up a qualified nurse who can meet the changing demands of the health sector.
Nurse educator leadership competencies include but are not limited to administrative responsibilities, the delegation of duties and ethical practices in health care institutions. Nursing education gives learners the authority to have effective communication skills, conflict resolution, proper decisions making, and good working relationships with other staff, enabling them to create and bring change in an institution by coming up with strategies for project management and vision of the health sector.
Justification for Competencies in the Area of Concentration
Leadership competencies enable nurse leaders to effectively communicate with team members, patients and families, and other healthcare professionals; make sound decisions; solve problems; develop creative solutions; manage their own and others’ emotions; build effective teams; collaborate with others; manage time and resources, and maintain high professional standards. Effective communication as a leadership competency is vital in nurse education. Clinical nurses interact with patients in day-to-day activities. Nurses, therefore, need to communicate effectively, detailing what they mean to their patients and other employees. Effective communication entails both listening and speaking; health practitioners need to embrace a listening strategy that enables them to understand the patient’s concerns even during emergencies; this helps prevent misdiagnosis of illnesses.
A leader must take the initiative to formulate plans for the settlement and management of stress and conflict to fulfil their responsibilities. In every working environment, coping with and finding solutions to problems, including stress and conflict, are unavoidable realities. The goal is to maintain positive working relationships among the staff members to keep the positive working connections among them and to handle any external variables that may affect the effectiveness of the healthcare operations.
How Leadership Competencies Influence Decision-Making
All decisions in institutions are made by leaders or those in the position of authority. Each and all decision leaders make regarding the operation of an organization can either have positive or negative outcomes. Decision making requires sober minds to be able to select the best option from a variety of options. Therefore, effective decision-making capabilities are vital to those in power.
Leaders identify the competencies required to address the challenges organizations face and make decisions that allow organizations to achieve their objectives. The most important competencies for leaders will vary depending on the specific challenges they face, but some core competencies are required of all leaders. These include effectively communicating, collaborating with others, thinking critically and creatively, and managing change (Dirani et al., 2020). Problem-solving skills prepare institutions and get them on the alert in an emergency. Problem-solving and decision making go hand in hand in that problems identified that might affect the organization can be discussed jointly, then arriving at a concrete solution. Effective leadership thinks critically and logically across the problems presented and incorporates multiple but closely related options before finally arriving at the most suitable option. Communication influences decision making since it gives room to various leaders to air their views on the matter – an effective communication strategy results in positive results.
Provide a Rationale for the Leadership Theory that Addresses the Competencies
Leadership theories are different researchers’ and scholars’ opinions on what makes a leader. Scholars discuss whether leaders are born or shaped by life events. The best leadership theory for these qualities is transformational leadership. Transformative leaders inspire and motivate their teams. They can use logic and reasoning to solve problems and make sound decisions (Sundean et al., 2019). They can see a more comprehensive picture and develop innovative answers to challenging problems. One who inspires and motivates others to attain common goals. Leadership is about gaining influence and solving difficulties. Its team’s success hinges on its ability to communicate, inspire, and motivate one another. Transformational leaders may solve problems and make rational decisions.
Identify a Fully Appropriate Leadership Theory for a Future Role
As a leader in nursing education, I have found myself drawn to the transformational leadership theory time and time again. All members are inspired to feel proud of the workplace by how this type of leadership is exercised. Transformational leaders inspire the people they lead by stressing the significance of self-efficacy, social identity, and the acceptance of the organization’s fundamental values as one’s guiding principles. It is one way that transformational leaders motivate their followers.
Leadership Theory Rationale, why it is more Effective than Others
Transformational leadership stands out among a nurse’s alternatives for a future career as a nurse educator leader. Transformative leadership frequently emphasizes inspiring and motivating others. Transformative leadership stresses lifelong learning that constantly strives to develop the leaders and their teams. Nurse educators are interested in leadership since it is a lifetime process. Nurses need to constantly develop themselves, and they will need to convey this to their coworkers and students. Transformational leaders can also build mutual trust and respect relationships with those they lead, fostering a positive environment for all.
Alternative Theories that are Fully Appropriate for Health Care
Situational Leadership Theory, Path-Goal Theory, and Contingency Theory can all be applied in healthcare firms to improve leadership and management skills (Bean et al., 2018). According to Situational Leadership Theory, a leader might adopt a more directive style with less mature followers and a more coaching style with more mature followers, which determines the ideal leadership style to apply in each particular situation. The leader’s role is to help subordinates realize their goals by laying out the path to the goal, eliminating any barriers, and providing support and motivation whenever necessary.
External factors influencing leadership styles include a leader’s temperament, those under their command, the work at hand, organizational culture, and ideals. Executives in healthcare must grasp how these ideas affect them. Due to the industry’s complexity and rapid innovation, it can be challenging for healthcare leaders to adapt their leadership styles. According to the Path-Goal Theory, a good healthcare leader helps others achieve their goals. To be effective, healthcare executives must change their leadership style based on Contingency Theory.
References
Bean, C., Kramers, S., Forneris, T., & Camiré, M. (2018). The implicit/explicit continuum of life skills development and transfer. Quest, 70(4), 456–470. Web.
Dirani, K. M., Abadi, M., Alizadeh, A., Barhate, B., Garza, R. C., Gunasekara, N., Ibrahim, G., & Majzun, Z. (2020). Leadership competencies and the essential role of Human Resource Development in times of crisis: A response to covid-19 pandemic. Human Resource Development International, 23(4), 380–394. Web.
Heinen, M., Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H., & Huis, A. (2019). An integrative review of leadership competencies and attributes in Advanced Nursing Practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(11), 2378–2392. Web.
Sundean, L. J., White, K. R., Thompson, L. S., & Prybil, L. D. (2019). Governance education for Nurses: Preparing Nurses for the future. Journal of Professional Nursing, 35(5), 346–352. Web.