Reflective Journal: Experiences of a Transformational Nurse Leader

This reflective journal details a registered nurse's experiences as a transformational leader in an inpatient healthcare facility. The author reflects on the daily challenges, lessons learned, and the application of transformational leadership principles within a team of five nurses. The journal highlights the importance of teamwork, open communication, and empowering nurses to make decisions to ensure quality patient care. The author discusses strategies for fostering a supportive environment, encouraging diverse perspectives, and staying hands-on in patient care while emphasizing the positive impact of transformational leadership on nurse motivation, job satisfaction, and patient outcomes. The journal provides specific examples of successful teamwork and clinical reasoning, showcasing the benefits of this leadership style in a healthcare setting.

Running head:REFLECTIVE JOURNAL OF A TRANDFORMATIONAL LEADER
Reflective Journal of a Transformational Leader
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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In the life of a registered nurse, every day can bring new hurdles, new experiences
and new lessons. Furthermore, as a nursing leader, I have a team to experience those
obstacles with me. I have tried to incorporate the principles of transformational leadership in
my practice for the longest time. This journal is to reflect on my experiences as a registered
nurse leader in a healthcare facility (Alia.org.au., 2020).
I work as a nursing leader in an inpatient facility, and I supervise a team of five
nurses. The ever-increasing patient number forces the team to stay on our toes and co-
ordinate with each other in order to administer the best care we can give to every patient.
Every time we face a new obstacle, a new patient, we work together to solve the problem. It
is important to remember that a leader cannot do anything without their team. In case of
emergencies, I am powerless to provide care to every patient. So I make sure to let my team
know that the most important thing to us is to provide quality patient care, and every member
of the team is just as important as the other.
Every week, I let my team know that I am there to help them whenever they need, and
they can reach out to me about anything or any doubts, no matter how trivial it may seem,
and I will help them to the best of my abilities (Arnold & Boggs, 2019). I have nurses from
different backgrounds and experiences in my team, and I am thankful for their different
experiences and wisdom which provides me with a more diverse idea of the medical field. I
encourage them to make decisions themselves in cases of emergencies so that there is no
delay in the medical care of the patient. Every week, I have a group discussion with them

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asking for their opinions about any patient of medications, and even if they have anything to
suggest for better operation of our team (Fischer, 2016). I also encourage them to approach
me personally if needed as some of them may not be comfortable in front of others to voice
their misgivings. In cases of doubt, I ask them what they think and encourage them to come
up with differing opinions. I stay hands-on with them in terms of patient care and work hard
to provide quality patient care and patient safety (Boamah et al., 2018). I ensure that we are
on the same page about every diagnosis and every patient we care for and consider any
opposing opinions carefully.
In my personal opinion, I have seen immense benefits of implementing the
transformational style leadership in my practice. The nurses seem more open and willing to
work hard towards administering quality patient care, and they seem more motivated and
satisfied in general. In a recent event of an emergency when I was unavailable, two of the
enrolled nurses were able to provide impeccable care and stabilized the patient with their own
judgement when they could not reach me. I applauded them for their quick actions and
perfect clinical reasoning. This is the quality teamwork I have strived for and hopefully, we
continue to help and inspire each other for best patient outcomes.

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References
Alia.org.au. (2020). Retrieved 27 February 2020, from
http://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/documents/Reflective.Practice.Writing.Guid
e20130409JB.pdf.
Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2019). Interpersonal Relationships E-Book: Professional
Communication Skills for Nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Boamah, S. A., Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C., & Clarke, S. (2018). Effect of
transformational leadership on job satisfaction and patient safety outcomes. Nursing
outlook, 66(2), 180-189.
Fischer, S. A. (2016). Transformational leadership in nursing: a concept analysis. Journal of
advanced nursing, 72(11), 2644-2653.