NSG 4029 Week 1 Discussion

Discussion Question 1

I have worked with various nurse leaders in my career, especially as I was in a leadership role. That is when I truly learned the kind of nurse leader I wanted to be and the type I did not want to be. As I begin this post, one nurse supervisor with the title of Regional Vice President (RVP) stands out in my memory.

According to our textbook, the Autocratic leader has the following characteristics:

Makes decisions without input from the team
Does not consider valuable suggestions from team members’ input
Potentially demoralizes team members (Murray, 2017, 48).

She would often make decisions on behalf of home health agencies without including the agency’s director. She would often go to a few subordinates in the field and ask their thoughts, but it was always a selective few members with whom she had personal relationships. This would create strife with the director and her staff. This was often perceived as demoralization of the leader within those specific agencies. My experience with this leader was short-lived. I had an excellent RVP, but she retired soon after promoting me to Regional Administrator. I was then placed under the umbrella of the RVP mentioned above. I was a very effective and accomplished leader, with much recognition from the company. I believe she perceived this as a threat. She came to my office one day and told me I was her succession plan as RVP, and she wanted to begin teaching me the ropes so I could start traveling to some of her multi-state agencies and fill in for her occasionally. I also noticed that my email projects and performance improvement ideas were presented in operational meetings as hers. I never said a word. She knew, and I knew that was my work. No more than six months later I was approached by another leader who explained the RVP was trying her best to plan my demise. I did not want to fight this battle as this RVP was vested in the company and had very personal relations with the CEO. I gracefully bowed out of my hard-earned role as Regional Administrator and began my journey elsewhere. Although it was a very trying time while I had a difficult decision, I ultimately decided I was much better suited where I could thrive as a leader. And, somehow, through that experience, I ended up here. I believe all things happen for the greater good, and there is always a higher plan when we go through life experiences like this.

Be a good leader, be a gracious leader. Find what others do well and maximize their qualities. If you find yourself hurting others, concerned of your worth, so you tear others down to make yourself appear more worthy of your position, step down from leadership. You are not in the right seat on the bus.

NSG 4029 Week 1 Discussion

Discussion Question 2

AACN is a “nonprofit association, is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 500,000 nurses who are charged with the responsibility of caring for acutely and critically ill patients. The association is dedicated to providing our members with the knowledge and resources necessary to provide optimal care to critically ill patients” (American Association of Critical Care Nurses [AACN], 2016).

The benefits of this membership include timely and relevant clinical information, a discounted subscription to the American Journal of Critical Care, Critical Care Nurse, AACN Bold Voices, and AACN’s weekly e-newsletter, unlimited free continuing education (CE) credits, discounts on products and services, access to members-only information, including full-text articles from 80 nursing journals, eligibility for a wide range of scholarships, research grants, and awards, and insurance benefits.

Volunteer opportunities include liaising between AACN and hospital units/facilities, promoting cultures of certification, healthy work environments, clinical practice standards, and educational offerings. Some volunteers contribute locally as a member of an AACN Chapter. These volunteer opportunities make vital contributions to AACN’s mission of driving excellence in critical care.

The AACN is involved in a health policy agenda. “In April 1996, the Public Policy Work Group reviewed and clarified this framework to define a future health policy agenda that is founded on defined member needs and consistent with a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families” (American Association of Critical Care Nurses [AACN], 2016). Some particular principles are in place for how this association can function within this health policy. The AACN cannot participate in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate in public office. It must adhere to the requirements and restrictions for lobbying and campaign intervention imposed by its 501 (c)3 tax status. The AACN must recognize and support national and grassroots strategies that are both proactive and reactive, and the organization must also maintain a primary focus on the provision of resources for members and chapters to be active and professionally effective in health policy and legislative arenas. “AACN has defined, targeted legislative priorities and strategies to advance these priorities that are directed at achieving the vision and are consistent with the mission, priorities, and resource availability of the association” (AACN, 2016).

References

Murray, E. (2017). Nursing Leadership and Management for Patient Safety and Quality Care [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://9780803694538

American Association of Critical Care Nurses. (2016). About AACN. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.org/wd/mainpages/content/aboutus.content?menu=AboutUs

American Association of Critical Care Nurses. (2016). Healthy policy agenda. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.org/wd/practice/content/publicpolicy/healthpolicyagenda.pcms?menu=practice

American Association of Critical Care Nurses. (2016). Volunteer opportunities. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.org/WD/Volunteers/Content/volunteershome.content

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Question

NSG 4029 Week 1 Discussion

Discussion Question 1

Post a detailed description of your experience of working with a nurse leader. Include the following aspects in your report.

Of the leadership theories discussed this week, which one did this nurse leader subscribe to? Why? How has your experience been with the nurse leader? Describe your interactions with them?

Discussion Question 2

Choose and research a professional nursing organization using the South University Online Library or the Internet. Based on your understanding of the organization, answer the following questions: