Discuss how nurse leaders serve as advocates for their employees. Describe how advocacy for employees affects patient care and outcomes. Discuss barriers caused by an organizational culture that can be encountered by nursing leaders that can make them feel powerless

Discuss how nurse leaders serve as advocates for their employees. Describe how advocacy for employees affects patient care and outcomes. Discuss barriers caused by an organizational culture that can be encountered by nursing leaders that can make them feel powerless

Discuss how nurse leaders serve as advocates for their employees. Describe how advocacy for employees affects patient care and outcomes. Discuss barriers caused by an organizational culture that can be encountered by nursing leaders that can make them feel powerless

Topic 4 DQ 1: Nurse Leaders as Advocates

Nurses work in challenging environments and need support and guidance to deliver excellent results. Like patients, nurses require advocates who ensure organizations support nurses sufficiently. As a critical element of healthcare quality and patient safety, advocacy involves helping individuals to promote their well-being through protection, education, advice, and other strategies (Nsiah et al., 2019). Among many leadership roles and responsibilities, nurse leaders serve as nurse advocates.

Nurse leaders advocate for employees by ensuring that nurses work in safe environments. As Stamps et al. (2021) noted, nurses need nurse leaders that advocate for their welfare, safety, and workplace conditions as they execute their mandate under challenging conditions. The implication is that nurse leaders serve as the voice of nurses to ensure organizations’ leaders understand and respond to nurses’ needs. Nurse leaders also advocated for employee needs by solving workplace problems. According to Anthony and Brett (2020), nurse leaders promote safe workplaces by addressing lateral and horizontal violence. For instance, formulating and implementing workplace policies that prevent bullying and violence typifies advocacy. It is among the most effective strategies for taking care of nurses’ welfare.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE ON;Discuss how nurse leaders serve as advocates for their employees. Describe how advocacy for employees affects patient care and outcomes. Discuss barriers caused by an organizational culture that can be encountered by nursing leaders that can make them feel powerless

Advocacy for employees impacts patient care and outcomes positively. Generally, employees’ quality of health and well-being depends on leadership support and working conditions. In nursing practice, advocacy ensures that nurses work in safe conditions and that leaders show concern for nurses’ needs. The support, assurance, and leaders’ guidance reduce nurses’ vulnerability to workplace stress and burnout. In response, they are more committed to delivering quality care and addressing patient needs holistically. Advocacy also makes nurses more resilient to cope with workplace challenges. This further reduces nurse turnover and ensures that patients get timely, compassionate, and patient-centered care.

References

Anthony, M. R., & Brett, A. L. (2020). Nurse leaders as problem-solvers: Addressing lateral and horizontal violence. Nursing Management, 51(8), 12-19. doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000688928.78513.86

Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. P. (2019). Registered nurses’ description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. Nursing Open, 6(3), 1124-1132. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.307

Stamps, D. C., Foley, S. M., Gales, J., Lovetro, C., Alley, R., Opett, K., … & Faggiano, S. (2021). Nurse leaders advocate for nurses across a health care system: COVID-19. Nurse Leader, 19(2), 159-164. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.mnl.2020.07.011

Topic 4 DQ 2: Organizational Culture Barriers

Nursing leaders choose the career path for varying reasons. To some, knowledge and education allow them to practice the leadership role. Others see nursing leadership as an opportunity to make a difference in patient care or gain career freedom (Hughes, 2018). Irrespective of the choice, an organization’s culture determines nurse leaders’ success. In nursing practice, organizational culture includes the pattern of shared values, attitudes, and behaviors of the organization’s members (Machen et al., 2019). If differently stated, it is how things are done in an organization and could be a significant barrier for nursing leadership.

Among many issues, the organizational culture determines how leaders connect with employees. A culture characterized by a lack of involvement, inadequate enabling structures, and nurses’ exclusion in decision-making presents a key barrier to nursing leadership (Hughes, 2018). Regardless of an organization’s size and specialization, nurse leaders’ primary mandate is to guide employees and influence them positively. Organizations where nurses are not engaged may make nurse leaders feel powerless since they do not get ample avenues to connect and influence nurses. Enabling structures include empowerment programs where nurses and leaders interact and develop interventions for achieving better outcomes. Organizations that do not support employees’ growth and development may also make nurse leaders feel powerless since they are not actively involved in supporting employees.

The other setback attached to organizational culture is the lack of an innovative mindset. Health care organizations require leaders and managers committed to change. Innovation helps to improve efficiency, productivity, and patient outcomes (Weintraub & McKee, 2019). The lack of such a mindset implies that nurse leaders are not involved in leading change and solving problems innovatively as their role dictates. Eventually, they may feel underutilized and less powerful as far as influencing teams and leading change are concerned.

References

Hughes, V. (2018). What are the barriers to effective nurse leadership? A review. Athens Journal of Health, 5(1), 7-20. https://doi.org/10.30958/ajh.5-1-1

Machen, S., Jani, Y., Turner, S., Marshall, M., & Fulop, N. J. (2019). The role of organizational and professional cultures in medication safety: a scoping review of the literature. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 31(10), G146-G157. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzz111

Weintraub, P., & McKee, M. (2019). Leadership for innovation in healthcare: an exploration. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 8(3), 138-144. https://doi.org/10.15171%2Fijhpm.2018.122

 

Assessment Description
Discuss how nurse leaders serve as advocates for their employees. Describe how advocacy for employees affects patient care and outcomes.
Topic 4 DQ 2
Points
6
Status
Upcoming
Assessment Description
Discuss barriers caused by an organizational culture that can be encountered by nursing leaders that can make them feel powerless.
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