Reflection on Nursing Leadership

In this essay, the author reflects on their experience with a service user in the healthcare context and discusses the importance of leadership in nursing. They use the Gibbs' Reflective Cycle to analyze the situation and identify areas for improvement. The essay highlights the need for effective communication and compassion in nursing leadership.

Running head: REFLECTION ON NURSING LEADERSHIP 1
Reflection on Nursing Leadership
Name
Institutional Affiliation

REFLECTION ON NURSING LEADERSHIP 2
REFLECTION ON NURSING LEADERSHIP
Introduction
In this essay, I will be reflecting on my encounter with a service user in the healthcare
context. I will be using the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in this reflection. Reflection linked to
acquiring knowledge and skills from leadership experience. The style of leadership I will be
reflecting on is a shared leadership with my fellow nurses when caring for our elderly patient
because it ensures that each nurse can generated ideas that help effectively intervene or the
patient(Cummings et al, 2010). This is perceived as a significant method for professional
embracing lifelong learning. Generally, reflective practice is a learning process via which we
learn through and from an activity or experience thereby gaining novel understanding of practice
and self.
This approach is perceived as a means of promoting development personally and
professionally of self-reliant and competent professional, ultimately inspiring both personal and
professional growth. Six stage used by Gibbs Model allows me as a reflector to think through
each phase of experience or activity. The mode remains distinct since it encompass knowledge,
emotions, actions and proposes that experience remain recurrent that differs from the model
proposed by Kolb and hence Gibbs’ cycle is broader and a supple method to examine a scenario
in a critically to inform upcoming adjustments.
Description:
The scenario I am reflecting on took place while I was placed on oncology ward in the
course of 1st year of qualified nursing. I was assigned alongside other nurses to care for elderly
patient on our ward after his admission because of ulcer. I was assigned to lead the team in
caring for this patient. I studied the patient’s notes and realized he had substantial learning

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disability, implying that he could not verbally communicate (Burgio, Allen-Burge, Stevens,
Davis & Marson, 2018). I will reflect on key areas as how myself alongside teammates under
my shared leadership, applied therapeutic communication and calmed our patient by being
compassionate and empathetic. I will also reflect on how our team of nurses adapted our care to
tackle his individual need. The problem arose when one of our teammate entered the ward
alongside 3 public members to view the ward to advertise a job. As they got into patient bay, the
nurse told the remaining the three people that patients in the bay were undergoing radiotherapy.
Our elderly patient became distressed upon hearing the nurse words, and started crying, hitting
and shrieking his head backwards against the pillow. Through my instructions, I took leadership
and instructed one nurse to talk to him each time I was reminding her to sooth the patient. It took
some time and the patient was calmed.
Feelings
Before the occurrence of the incidence, I was really watchful that one of our teammate
was showing the people around our oncology ward as a job advertisement process. When the
event ensued, I had solely been employed on this ward for half a year. Thus, I was still feeling
unsure of the leadership position I held within our team. Eventually, I never felt confident or
even experienced sufficiently to deal with such a scenario indecently. I believe my surged
anxiety level implied that I batted to intervene, nonetheless, it is still apparent that both my
teammates and I needed to have helped faster to make sure that our patient was effectively
helped. Furthermore, I was extremely astonished as one of our nurses failed to consider each
patient’s needs of the patient during ward visit, because the distress caused to the patient and the
public members was extremely not necessary.
Evaluation

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The experience, in hindsight, hand both negative and positive elements that have
culminated in a surged understanding of the experience of the patient and my leadership role as
nurse professional within the ward. My role was both to lead the team and oversee his physical
examination as well as his health evaluation, prescription as well as administration of
medication. I also had a role of overseeing the recommendation of diagnostic alongside
laboratory tests and reading the results. I was oversighting the management of treatment of any
side effects as well as provision of desired support to the patients. This encompassed ensuring
that all the nurses under my leadership acted in the patient’s best interest. I believe that I never
fulfil the latter role fully. My duty to safeguard the patient’s complete confidentiality and making
sure the nurse showing public members our oncology ward stood aware of the difficulties of
communication of our patient and the following anxiety was never achieved. My letdown as
leader to ensure that everyone acted as team, through information and stepping in prior to
escalation of the situation, demonstrate that I did not promote a high level of cohesiveness in our
team.
Analysis:
Persons with learning difficulties usually struggle adapting to novel scenarios
(Department of Health, 2012). This implies that a potential for problematic behavior exists when
they deal with something beyond the comfort zone. Nonetheless, healthcare staff must stay
aware of how effectively and efficiently interact with persons with learning disability which can
be facilitated by regular and useful reflection. Before administering the patient in the hospital, it
is advisable that practitioner find out regarding communication of the patient alongside their
dislikes alongside likes; tackle any potential fears via discussion of permitting the patient to go to
wards and meet caring team. Also, daily communication with my patients with learning

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disabilities must engage patient-centric care to tackle the need of a patient that integrate both
non-verbal and verbal communication forms. Thus, as a professional nurse, I needed to ensure
that my caring team were keeping eye-contact, looking and listening, allocating extra duration
for this service user. I needed also to ensure that my team of nurses were interactive and
communicative, stay patient and allow any nurse who might have had experienced caring or
patient with learning difficulties in our team care for the patient.
It is stated by MENCAP that when accessing health care for persons with learning
difficulties, ineffective communication is amongst the most dominant challenges. This might be
facilitated by giving a patient an advocate who can effectively communicate in the place of
patient as well as providing useful information in a range of means which include visual
techniques. I believe that I failed a leading nurse to apply this reasoning which made the patient
to undergo distress for some considerable time. This can be supported by the idea that healthcare
practitioners we needed to equally value all individuals, adapting our service to meet the diverse
needs alongside understanding that every person shall have unique needs. According to the
nursing midwifery council (2015), “The Code” is important guideline which dictate that all RNs
and midwives have to abide by the professional standards. Such standards help ensure
individuals’ prioritization, effective practice, safety preservation, and professionalism and trust
promotion (Tuffrey-Wijne et al., 2016).
Thus, the case whereby I allowed another under my leadership to show other public
members the oncology ward and talking to the members of the public about the ongoing
radiotherapy without considering the individual needs of our patient violated “The Code.”
Eventually, I also failed in my leadership to recognize when our patient became anxious and
distressed and compassionately respond, paying desired attention to the welfare promotion of

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patient alongside ensuring utilization of various non-verbal and verbal therapeutic
communication methods (NMC, 2015). I ought to have ensured compassion as one of the “6cs”
initiated in the year 2012 as the behaviors and values perceived as quality markers of care service
and health. As a good leader, I should have been proactive in my leadership by ensuring that that
all the quality markets as care, competence, compassion, courage, commitment, and
communication were shown by each member of our care team (Department of Health, 2012). I
would have ensured that our patient was always place at the center of provision by talking to my
colleagues and reminding that all“6Cs” carried equivalent weight and needed to be a share of our
delivery service.
Conclusion:
My participation in this scenario has made me more mindful of the significance assertive
leader and exertion of professionalism in my work without feeling inadequate due to my position
in our care group or experience duration if I were to be involved again similar scenarios in my
upcoming practice. I have further acquired an insight implying that I am fully aware of
consequences of not instantaneously stamping my shared leadership style and power and serving
patients’ best interest even if it calls for bravery (Tyczkowski et al., 2015). I have also realized
the need as a leader to give specific attention to strong working relationship between my
teammates within our oncology ward to boost the level of our team cohesiveness (Jones et al.,
2015).
Action Plan:
I am aiming to being proactive in addressing such situations irrespective of my specific
roles in our care group or my experience level including tackling distressed patient making sure
that my team passes information to suitable staff and helping so long as I am convinced that my

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patient’s health and mental welfare are at risk. Also, I shall address my care gaps by changing
my approaches to caring for patients with learning disabilities and my care team leadership by
making sure that I utilize various therapeutic commination methods and undertaking independent
study on their particular needs; useful information to my nursing practice (Manning, 2016).
I will also never assume that my teammates are always aware or even watchful of needs
of each patient or their triggers. Also, I will never presume that my teammates will continuously
serve completely in a professional manner. I shall further endure to professionally reflect my
practice via Gibbs Reflective Cycle (Jasper, 2013). I am further aiming at regularly and
confidently implementing the values and principles outlined in “National League for Nursing”
linked to each patient’s needs (NLN, 2017).

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References
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