Analysis of Nursing Leadership in Clinical Practice, Autumn 2020

This essay delves into the crucial role of nursing leadership within clinical practice, emphasizing its significance in enhancing the quality of healthcare services and patient outcomes. It defines nursing leadership, drawing upon contemporary literature, and highlights the challenges faced in clinical settings. The essay explores various leadership styles, particularly focusing on transformational leadership, and analyzes their characteristics and applications. It discusses the importance of characteristics such as trustworthiness, respect, and motivation in fostering a positive and productive work environment for nurses. The essay provides practical examples of how transformational leadership can be implemented in clinical settings to address issues such as waiting times and improve overall efficiency. The conclusion stresses the need for nursing leaders to act as mentors and advocates, resolving issues faced by nurses and creating a team-oriented workforce committed to organizational goals. Finally, the essay offers recommendations for effective leadership practices based on evidence-based strategies.

NURSING LEADERSHIP
IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

NURSING LEADERSHIP
The leadership motivates, guides, and
ensure the needs of their subordinates
to achieve their respective goals.
In the same manner, nursing leaders
are the ones who improve the quality of
care of healthcare services. Nurses are
the frontline healthcare professionals,
and it is important to ensure that these
nursing professionals provide effective
healthcare services and improves the
health outcomes of the patients.

DEFINITIONS
The definition of nursing leadership can be outlined with the help of
contemporary literature.
According to Silva (2016), leadership can be defined as the process
of interactive influence to achieve their subordinates’ respective
goals.
According to Scully (2015), nursing leadership can be defined as
the concept of maintaining the efficiency of delivering the quality
health services along with remaining competitive in today’s
dynamic environment.

NURSING LEADERSHIP IN
CLINICAL PRACTICE
The clinical practice faces multiple complex challenges and
situations for providing quality health services. Addressing patients
and reducing the pain or illness for adequate care. According to
Cherry & Jacob (2016), multiple factors increase the complexity and
risks of delivering quality care. Here, leadership is essential in
leading nursing professionals and reducing the complexities of
nursing professionals in performing their tasks (Hujala, Laulainen, &
Lindberg, 2014).

CHARACTERISTICS OF
NURSING LEADERS
Nursing leaders provide an assistance to the nurses in delivering
their duties and helps in achieving their goals.
Provides Direction
Provides Support
Coordinating
Motivating
Decision maker

LEADERSHIP STYLES
It is importance to adopt a leadership style for practicing in daily basis for an
effective delivering of health services and providing a productive workplace.
There are multiple leadership styles and those are:
The great man theory
Trait theory
The skill theory of leadership
Transactional leader
Transformational leader
The contingency theory
The situational theory
Leader-member exchange theory

TRANSFORMATIONAL
THEORY
The transformational analysis would focus more on
future aspects and engage staff by leading them with
examples (Ghasabeh, Soosay, & Reaiche, 2015). Some
evidences show the impact of transformational
leadership on employees for commitment and
satisfaction with their work (Fischer, 2016). The
transformational theory of leadership helps in
motivating staff or employees to adjust with the
expectation and inspire working on the organisation
goal. In transformational leadership theory, the nursing
leaders build strong relationships and also build
expectations from the staff (DiCenso, Guyatt & Ciliska,
2014).

CHARACTERISTICS OF
NURSING LEADERSHIP
Trustworthy
Respectful
Optimistic
Nurturing
Reliable
Team oriented
Assertive
Risk-taking
Organised
Legitimate

IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
For example, in the clinical setting, the transformational
leaders can take suggestions or feedback from the frontline
nurses in implementing any regulations within the
healthcare settings. Another example can be if there is a
regular complaint of waiting time in the clinical settings,
then the nursing leader needs to formulate the plan in such
a way that it would not bring stress to the nursing staff. The
nurses work in a chaotic environment, and it is not always
feasible to assist every patient with accurate time. The
characteristics of the transformational leadership style are
motivational, team-oriented, and active listener, reliable,
and emotionally intelligent. For reducing the waiting time,
the transformational leaders would analyse both the
aspects of complaints that are from the nurses and
patients. Further, accordingly would make a decision for

CONCLUSION
Most of the time, due to the chaotic and excess work pressure, the
nurses lack in performing their duties and compromises in the
quality of care. The changes in quality can bring consequences to
the health outcomes of patients. Therefore, nursing leaders would
act as a mentor and would be accountable for resolving the issues
that the nurses are facing. These nursing leaders bring and
develop a productive workplace for the nurses to work with full
commitment towards their job. Therefore, transformational leaders
create a team-oriented workforce, motivated along with committed
towards the shared goal of the organisation.

RECOMMENDATION
The transformational leaders tends to rely on belief of other people.
They take feedback and view points of other people. While
practicing the transformational leadership style, the nursing leaders
should not blindly follow and take the ideas from other people in
delivering and providing effective workplace. With proper analysing
and evidence, the leaders should make any changes for the
benefits of their staffs.

REFERENCES
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management.
Elsevier Health Sciences.
DiCenso, A., Guyatt, G., & Ciliska, D. (2014). Evidence-Based Nursing-E-Book: A Guide to
Clinical Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Fischer, S. (2016). Transformational leadership in nursing: a concept analysis. Journal Of
Advanced Nursing, 72(11), 2644-2653. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13049
Ghasabeh, M., Soosay, C., & Reaiche, C. (2015). The emerging role of transformational
leadership. The Journal Of Developing Areas, 49(6), 459-467.

REFERENCES
Hujala, A., Laulainen, S., & Lindberg, K. (2014). Powerless positions, silenced voices? – critical
views on health and social care management. Journal Of Health Organization And
Management, 28(5), 590-601. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhom-06-2014-0106
Scully, N. (2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of recognising inherent values and
attributes to secure a positive future for the profession. Collegian, 22(4), 439-444.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2014.09.004
Silva, A. (2016). What is leadership?. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 8(1), 1.