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Discuss how nurse leaders serve as advocates for their employees. Describe how advocacy for employees affects patient care and outcomes.
Example #1 carmen Leaders advocate for patients, nurses, and the profession in a number of ways. This advocacy can include actions that promote positive work environments. Every nurse leader should have an open-door policy to provide staff with the opportunity to voice concerns, express thoughts, and put forth ideas (Risling & Low, 2019). Communication is essential to ensure staff safety. Nurses are at risk when they do not have clear guidelines. A trusting relationship is formed when nurse leaders advocate for their staff. Nursing leaders can advocate for staff by actively involving staff in decisions that directly affect the practice environment (Risling & Low, 2019). Advocacy is enhanced when scheduling and staffing are a collaborative process that involves staffing committees and self-scheduling approaches. Staff involvement can help to ensure balanced schedules and staffing that meet the needs of both patients and staff. In addition, proactive planning for solutions to staff shortages can facilitate patient and staff safety in unforeseen situations. Leaders also fulfill the advocacy role by protecting nursing resources during times of budget scrutiny and work flow redesign. Staff involvement in the budgeting process promotes an understanding of the challenges operating in today’s healthcare environment (Germain & Cummings, 2010). Staff can be included in a number of ways, for example by providing input on equipment and supply purchases. Increased staff knowledge of the costs associated with procedures also promotes effective usage and unnecessary waste (Germain & Cummings, 2010). When staff are involved in organizational initiatives, they are more likely to advocate for these practices. Collaboration between nursing managers/administrators and staff nurses is essential for maintaining adequate resources.
References Germain, P. B., & Cummings, G. G. (2010). The influence of nursing leadership on nurse performance: a systematic literature review. Journal of nursing management, 18(4), 425-439.
Risling, T. L., & Low, C. (2019). Advocating for safe, quality and just care: what nursing leaders need to know about artificial intelligence in healthcare delivery. Nursing Leadership (Toronto, Ont.), 32(2), 31-45.
Example #2 Denise Nurse leaders work daily advocating to obtain adequate resources for their staff and to promote better work environment. It is important that nurse leaders develop advocacy skills to address concerns in the workplace, to promote a positive work environment, and advocate for the profession. When frontline nursing staff is overwhelmed, nurse leaders must stand up in efforts to provide a voice and advocate for them (Stamps, 2021). By doing this the leader is also advocating for their employees. This can include advocating for things such as having enough personal protective equipment to carry out their tasks. According to Tomajan (2012), “Leaders also fulfill the advocacy role by protecting nursing resources during times of budget scrutiny, work process redesign, or workflow change” (para. 26). By ensuring this the nurse leader is looking out for themselves and the employees by ensuring they have the adequate resources to do their job. This will ultimately end up affecting patients positively because by having the proper equipment they will be able to better care for their patients. Another example of advocating for employees is advocating for adequate nurse-to-patient ratio. When having too many patients per nurse the nurse can become overwhelmed and eventually leads to burnout and higher nurse turnover. By advocating for an adequate nurse to patient ratio the nurse will be able to commit less errors and it will increase job satisfaction. This has a positive effect on patients because when the nurse has a better working environment it gives them more motivation and they become more efficient in their work achieving quality care. According to Thomas (2018), an environment that does not support its nurses leads to increased errors and poor patient outcomes. References
Thomas J. (2018). Theories and Concepts in Leadership and Management. Nursing Leadership & Management: Leading and Serving. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451vn/nursing-leadership-and-management-leading-and-serving/v1.1/#/chapter/4
Tomajan, K. (2012). Advocating for Nurses and Nursing. https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-17-2012/No1-Jan-2012/Advocating-for-Nurses.html
Stamps, D. C., Foley, S. M., Gales, J., Lovetro, C., Alley, R., Opett, K., Glessner, T., & 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/j.mnl.2020.07.011
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