The Nurse Leader as a Knowledge Worker

The Nurse Leader as a Knowledge Worker

The term “knowledge worker” was coined by Peter Drucker in 1959. The term refers to a highly skilled individual who requires specialized knowledge to fulfill their professional responsibilities. The term was coined in response to growing awareness and socialization that certain professional roles required specific skills. It demonstrates that knowledge workers must be able to supplement their skills, experiences, and knowledge, distinguishing them from other professionals and making them the best people to complete the unique task assigned to them (Drucker, 1959). Nurses, for example, are considered knowledge workers because they exhibit a high level of professionalism and gain analytical and theoretical knowledge through formal training. They apply when providing nursing services and even developing medical products in collaboration with other professions that cannot compete with nurses in community service.

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A nurse leader is a knowledge worker for a variety of reasons. The first is that they are a professional who must be trained. Professional bodies police a nurse leader through routine checks, and mistakes in practice can have disastrous consequences. Nurse leaders also perform complex tasks and are compensated more. A nurse leader’s role is dependent on intellectual abilities and thoughts. Professional bodies that routinely authenticate the competence knowledge workers portray in their work, and the timed practice licenses are uncommon (Laureate Education (Producer), 2018). If a nurse leader’s work is flawed, it can have disastrous consequences. Incompetent professionals are targeted by policing and weeded out. Nursing boards, for example, routinely verify the capacity and certification to practice, and the tasks they perform can be fatal for patients, nurses, and other stakeholders.

Nurse leaders are also knowledge workers because their profession is specialized, and they have high independence and autonomy. The professional tasks in which nurse leaders participate require advanced skills and knowledge. Emerging technologies strengthen nursing, and technical skills are acquired for their profession. The nurse also employs integrated knowledge management. The technology is used to improve information management capabilities and clinical knowledge. It also assists them in expanding the traditional boundaries of professional nursing practice. Nursing also embraces transformative possibilities and redesigns nursing processes. The advancement of technology has enabled nurse leaders to gain more knowledge by acquiring technical skills to improve healthcare outcomes (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Emerging technologies have improved nurses’ clinical knowledge and information management capacity, allowing them to generate new insights into nursing. It is most visible in information technologies combined with other technologies and tools in presenting electronic health records that have transformed nursing practice, particularly medical information management that meets HIPAA requirements. Nurse leaders are classified as “knowledge workers” due to their innovative thought processes. The anticipated and existing practice problems are resolved, and they are also encouraged to practice nurses.

Nurse leaders use informatics, big data, and technical computer skills. Nurses rely on their intellectual abilities to address complex tasks in their areas. They also improve healthcare by lowering costs, increasing access, and raising quality. This emphasizes the importance of informatics in nursing. In this case, informatics necessitates using technical skills centered on computer usage by nurses. It assists nurse leaders in matching technologies to nursing care units and service lines, allowing for effective and efficient healthcare. Informatics enables nurses to function as knowledge workers by managing and conceptualizing data to guide nursing care delivery and increase the likelihood of a positive outcome (Public Health Informatics Institute, 2017). Information technologies are supported because they enable nurses to apply specialized skills in identifying reliable methods to analyze data and present logical conclusions to inform practice. Informatics has been an excellent means of facilitating reasonable progression and emphasizing nurse leaders’ identification as knowledge workers.

Furthermore, Teletracking has been critical in providing handheld PDAs for several years. It has enabled nurses to access patient flow software anywhere in the hospital. The healthcare industry has developed apps for mobile devices. The mobile revolution in healthcare is not expected to end anytime soon, but it is being slowed by policies and cultures in hospitals that are out of step with technology. Due to privacy concerns, some hospitals are against the use of mobile phones. Because of the advancement of this technology, nurse leaders have become knowledge workers, as they have assisted in making evidence-based decisions. The nurses have been under pressure to make sound decisions based on their evidence, particularly in preventing complications. They have been inundated with data and require assistance locating the appropriate data for the task. Veteran nurses will need on-the-job training and excellent collaboration between healthcare and educational institutions. It demonstrates that nurses are knowledge workers who continue to work based on the data they receive and the knowledge they have acquired and are still acquiring as they work. EMRs (Electronic Medical Records) have also been developed. The evolution and widespread use of EMRs necessitates that nurses become acquainted with the technology. They are taught how to use the knowledge and why it is important to access the records. They continue to learn more about the use of EMRs as new technology.

Real-time capacity management systems have also been developed. Real-time capacity management gives nurses greater control over their physical environment, including tracking patients, staff, and other doctors. It also makes it simple to locate empty beds and transporters and determine the hospitals’ overall capacity. Nurses learn how to digitally follow patients through procedures. They have also learned about handheld devices’ effectiveness, but obstacles remain among nurse leaders. The onslaught of technology is countered by human factors involved in technology adoption (Sweeney, 2017). Nurse leaders have used technology-enabled changes to improve patient safety, operational efficiency, and care quality. Nurses’ knowledge is used in software planning, selecting, implementing, and managing new systems. The nurse leaders were involved in these activities, reviewing and testing the new technologies on their patients.

In conclusion, nurses are considered knowledge workers for a variety of reasons. To begin, nurse leaders accept their role and become educated on new technologies that improve people’s quality of life in their community. As nurse leaders perform their duties, they continue to learn about new technologies and methods of patient care. Nonetheless, Peter Drucker coined the term “knowledge worker” in 1959. Nursing informatics has also played an important role in transferring knowledge to nurse leaders. It has aided in the improvement of communication and has encouraged nurses to think creatively.

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References

Drucker, P. (1959). The landmarks of tomorrow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Health Informatics and Population Health: Trends in Population Health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Public Health Informatics Institute. (2017). Public Health Informatics: “translating” knowledge for health [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=fLUygA8Hpfo

Sweeney, J. (2017). Healthcare informatics. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 21(1).

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The term “knowledge worker” was first coined by management consultant and author Peter Drucker in his book, The Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959). Drucker defined knowledge workers as high-level workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge acquired through formal training to develop products and services. Does this sound familiar?

The Nurse Leader as a Knowledge Worker

Nurses are very much knowledge workers. The ways that knowledge can be acquired have changed since Drucker’s time. The volume of data that can now be generated and the tools used to access this data has evolved significantly in recent years and helped healthcare professionals (among many others) to assume the role of the knowledge worker in new and powerful ways.

In this Assignment, you will consider the evolving role of the nurse leader and how this evolution has led nurse leaders to assume the role of the knowledge worker. You will prepare a PowerPoint presentation with an infographic (a graphic that visually represents information, data, or knowledge. Infographics are intended to present information quickly and clearly.) to educate others on the role of a nurse as a knowledge worker.

Reference: Drucker, P. (1959). The landmarks of tomorrow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

To Prepare:

• Review the concepts of informatics as presented in the Resources.
• Reflect on the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
• Consider how knowledge may be informed by data that is collected/accessed.

The Assignment:

• Explain the concept of a knowledge worker.
• Define and explain nursing informatics and highlight the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
• Include one slide that visually represents the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
• Your PowerPoint should Include the hypothetical scenario you originally shared in the Discussion Forum. Include your examination of the data you could use, how the data might be accessed/collected, and what knowledge might be derived from that data. Be sure to incorporate feedback received from your colleagues’ responses.

Required Readings

• McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Chapter 1, “Nursing Science and the Foundation of Knowledge” (pp. 7–17)
  • Chapter 2, “Introduction to Information, Information Science, and Information Systems” (pp. 21–32)
  • Chapter 3, “Computer Science and the Foundation of Knowledge Model” (pp. 35–64)
• Nagle, L., Sermeus, W., & Junger, A. (2017). Evolving Role of the Nursing Informatics SpecialistLinks to an external site. In J. Murphy, W. Goosen, &  P. Weber  (Eds.), Forecasting Competencies for Nurses in the Future of Connected Health (212-221). Clifton, VA: IMIA and IOS Press. Retrieved from https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_4A0FEA56B8CB.P001/REF
• Sweeney, J. (2017). Healthcare informatics links to an external site. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 21(1).