How to Organize Nursing Leadership & Management
Effectively organizing nurses in hospitals and clinics to deliver health care begins with placing nurses in strategic leadership positions, forming teams to increase patient contact, encouraging collaboration with doctors, and utilizing technology via inter-agency partnerships to reduce the learning curve for new nurses. Hospitals and clinical settings should provide professional development opportunities for nurses, and invite feedback from staff on system effectiveness to evaluate and improve overall health care.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Internal review
- Strategic plan
- Leadership development plans
- Patient satisfaction reports
- Technology review
- Exit interviews
Instructions
-
Organize Nurses for Strategic Care and Problem Solving
-
1
Place nursing executives in voting positions on hospital boards of trustees to assist in problem solving and strategic planning. Mary Dee Hacker, Chief Nursing Officer of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said in "NurseWeek" magazine that the "nursing process is extraordinarily important . . . to problem solving and strategic planning." Hacker is the first CNO to have a voting seat on the CHLA board. A recent study revealed that out of 120 community health systems, fewer than 3 percent have nursing representation on the voting hospital board.
-
2
Organize nursing teams in close proximity to a select cluster of rooms to increase time spent with patients. Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle brings nurses together with Patient Care Technicians in groups of rooms located near each other, or "cells." The process described on the hospital website notes that nursing teams can respond more quickly to patient needs. Nurse to patient time is three times greater than before implementing the system.
-
-
3
Identify nurses most likely to pursue administrative duties and teaching positions at local nursing schools. Implement mentoring opportunities to help nurses learn core management principles and guide in future career decisions. Mentoring among experienced nurses and newer ones can increase employee satisfaction and provide a safe platform for nurses to discuss professional and personal needs. Assign mentors based on a combination of personality types, experience levels and professional goals.
-
4
Ask nurses to rotate doing limited research once a quarter on the latest technology, such as robots or how Smart Phone applications are used in patient care and nurse education. Report findings to hospital or clinic management. Direct management to acknowledge the findings and seek nursing input on improving the overall delivery of patient care.
-
5
Retain quality nurses and maintain positive morale by offering "perks" to local health clubs and restaurants. Conduct exit interviews among nurses leaving and evaluate how non-skilled tasks that take away from patient care can be re-assigned. Community health clinics on tight budgets should apply for foundation grants or approach local hospitals to equip and retain staff.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Reward nurses for excellent patient care.
Teach doctors and nurses how to develop high-level working relationships.
Stress the benefits of teamwork.
Don't use punitive incentives when restructuring or reorganizing.
