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Also, assigning roles and providing guidance to unregulated care providers Cups), assisting in maintaining safe work environments and advocating for residents as necessary (Rogers, 2012). Guidance is offered in The College of Licensed Practical Nurses in the form of the Standards of Practice document and Practice Guidelines documents (Rogers, 2012). Moreover, the several leadership styles that we have discussed in class can either complement or diminish the standards of practice. These styles include autocratic, democratic, laissez-fairer, and participative.
However, this paper will focus on the democratic style which I have identified as my own leadership style. Personal Leadership Style To begin, there are many personal characteristics that have led me to identify with the democratic leadership style. A democratic leader is one who makes members of the group feel more engaged in the process, and encourages group members to share ideas and opinions, even though the leader has the final say over decisions (Nursing Times Learning, 2008).
Some other personal characteristics include working in a group to make major decisions and considering each person as a unique individual as each have their own unique personalities and abilities (Anderson, 2009). Just before entering this program, I was a lunch supervisor at a restaurant. I worked as a hostess, server, busses, and barista along side two to six other team members on the floor. Before making any major decisions, as a democratic leader, I would use a group process to 3 make all major decisions (Anderson, 2009).
Also like a democratic leader, I consider each person as a unique individual and we would discuss in a group who takes on what job at the beginning of every shift as each individual has their own characteristics and abilities (Anderson, 2009). Because I encourage he process of group mindedness and require a strong commitment of time to make decisions through the process of the group, I have concluded that I am a democratic leader.
Managing Unregulated Care Providers When it comes to managing Cups, it is important to know that allocated tasks must be within the educational qualifications, role description, and range of competence of the ICP (CLINIC, 2008). The ALP is accountable for decisions and actions when assigning to, teaching, and supervising Chips, making Lips liable for improperly assigning tasks (CLINIC, 2008). However, as a democratic leader, I would bring the team gather to decide on appropriate resident care assignments based on the individuals characteristics, abilities, and legal responsibilities.
When it comes to emergency situations, democratic leadership may not be the best style as it is a time-consuming decision-making process (Anderson, 2009). At times, there won’t be time for the group to process the solution, and this is a serious problem for a democratic manager who is unaccustomed to solving problems without the input of the group (Anderson, 2009). After all, it is important for each ALP to learn how to work individually in times of emergencies where group discussions are o timely.
Also, when it comes to managing Cups, the required care must fall within the scope of practice and range of competencies of both the ALP and the CUP, and within the employing agency’s role descriptions and policies. (CLINIC, 2008). 4 Role Clarification Role clarification is clarifying roles and responsibilities in a team, as well as, identifying gaps and overlaps and making plans for dealing with them. Role clarification is so important because one of the most common sources of conflict and dissatisfaction in teams probably stems from the lack of role clarity between team members and the leader.
Lack of clarity contributes to role confusion, tension in working relationships, and can negatively impact the quality of patient care (ABA 2008). Lips are regulated health professionals who work along side other health care personnel, including physicians, allied health professionals, Runs, Raps and Care Aides. Under the current regulatory framework, Lips must carry out all nursing services under the direction of a medical practitioner or under the supervision of an URN (ABA, 2008). At the same time, Lips have been increasingly undertaking leadership roles long-term care, managing Cups.
One way I could prevent role confusion is to clarify the Alp’s contribution as a member of the healthcare team (CLINIC, 2010). The VPN is accountable for decisions and actions when assigning to, teaching, and supervising Cups, making Lips liable for improperly assigning tasks (CLINIC, 2008). This is why role clarification is very important. Alp’s Role in Maintaining a Safe Work Environment According to the Clinic’s Baseline Competencies, Lips are responsible for contributing a quality practice environment and demonstrating principles of safe care (CLINIC, 2009).
Some personal susceptibilities of the ALP are to value and advocate for safe practice environments, promote client safety and comfort, medical/surgical sepsis, isolation precautions/techniques, implement/maintain strategies to prevent spread of communicable diseases, and demonstrate principles of risk management (CLINIC, 2009). As a team leader, an 5 ALP must promote a safe working environment by identifying and resolving potential risk issues (MINIONS, 2009). An Alp’s job as a leader is to identify any safety issues, make sure the group understands what issues there are, and how to deal with it (MINIONS, 2009).
Lips Role as an Advocate Lips have an important role in advocating for client’s choice, within role/function, professional and legal boundaries, and identifying if the client’s well-being is compromised by family, community or other healthcare providers (CLINIC, 2004). An example of a situation where I might find myself needing to advocate is when I see a team member forcing all her clients to wake up at AM, and if I see team members taking away clients’ food and drinks without asking if they are done.
If a nurse observes a practice or procedure she believes to be wrong, advocating for her attain demands she speak out even if that practice was carried out by her superior. Some legal and ethical responsibilities of the ALP regarding advocacy include providing patient/client/family access to information in consultation and collaboration with other team members, participating in decisions affecting care intervening effectively in situations where safety or well-being of the patient/ client/family may be compromised (MINIONS, 2009).
Five Strategies to Further Develop my Leadership Skills The five specific strategies I can implement to further develop my leadership skills so I am better prepared to address the above issues in leadership and inter-professional collaboration in long-term care are to encourage others to share their thoughts, be open, focused, efficient, and respectful. First of all, it is important for me to encourage team members to share their thoughts 6 and for me to be open to their ideas.
This is important because the democratic leadership style thrives when all the considerations are laid out for everyone to examine and everyone needs to feel comfortable enough to put their ideas on the table. Another main characteristic of any leader is focus. Because democratic adders usually have a time-consuming process of making decisions, I must learn to keep discussions productive. If the conversation begins to stray, I must remind everyone of the goal and bring it back on-topic. Another characteristic in which can implement to further develop my leadership skills is efficiency.
Nurses are known to be really busy, and it’s important to do the job quickly and correctly. This is most important in emergency situations when there isn’t a lot of time for discussions. Finally, I must be respectful to everyone’s thoughts. If am not respecting their ideas, then I am discouraging their input and this is to beneficial to a democratic leader. After all, the five characteristics I could implement to further develop my leadership skills are encouraging, being open, focused, efficient, and respectful.
Conclusion After all, this essay has highlighted the essential leadership roles that nurses have in providing the best care of residents in long-term care and developing a skilled and competent staff. As a democratic leader, I have learned the importance of working with a team and understanding the range of competencies of team members before allocating tasks. The Clinics Standards of Practice document and Practice Guidelines ill guide me in my career as an ALP and as a leader.