1.1 Leadership Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Apply leadership principles
- Identify leadership styles and actions
- Identify principles of delegation and prioritization according to the Nurse Practice Act
- Identify conflict resolution strategies
- Explain the role and responsibilities of a charge nurse
- Discuss characteristics of effective leadership
- Describe constructive feedback
- Apply prioritization strategies
- Incorporate principles of time management
“Leadership Management PreTest” by Kellea Ewen and Open RN is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Leadership skills are required by every nurse when providing direct client care. Making informed clinical decisions and advocating for clients are foundational to professional nursing practice. Many nurses also take on additional leadership responsibilities such as managing the nursing team. Members of the nursing team include registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/VNs), and unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP).[1]
A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has completed a required program of study (i.e., associate degree, diploma, or bachelor’s degree), successfully passed the NCLEX-RN, and received an RN nursing license. The RN is considered the leader of a nursing team for an assigned group of clients. The RN follows the standards of care known as the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation of interventions, and evaluation).
Licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/VNs) complete a state-approved practical nursing program, successfully pass the NCLEX-PN, and receive an LPN or LVN license. LPNs/VNs perform basic nursing care for stable clients under the supervision of an RN. RNs may delegate nursing tasks to qualified, competent LPNs under specific situations.
Nursing assistants (NAs), a type of unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), work under the supervision of LPNs/VNs and RNs and to whom a nursing responsibility may be delegated. In some states, nursing assistants must complete a state-approved nursing assistant training program and successfully pass the state competency evaluation to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA) to work in long-term care centers. NAs provide basic care and help clients with activities of daily living. They typically perform the following tasks:
- Measure and record clients’ vital signs and other basic measurements like input/output
- Assist clients with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, toileting, and eating)
- Reposition and transfer clients between beds, chairs, and/or wheelchairs
- Document client behaviors and report suspected changes in condition to nurses
What is a Manager?
Managers serve in roles within a hierarchy of an organization, starting with leadership by the Health Care Administrator and trickling down to Directors of Nursing, Nurse Managers, and Charge Nurses[2]:
- Health Care Administrator (CEO or VP of Nursing): There are a variety of job titles for indivi