Nurse leaders play a crucial role in the healthcare ecosystem. Beyond caring for patients, they shape workplace culture for the better, drive positive changes in work conditions, and improve budding nurses’ attitudes to work. They guide and inspire their fellow nurses and serve as the intermediary between health organizations and their nursing staff. To be a successful nurse leader, you need to possess certain qualities and develop some essential skills. Here, we highlight these qualities and explore ways you can develop them during your education and career as an aspiring nurse.
Essential qualities & skills a successful nurse leader must possess
If you aspire to become a nurse leader at a point in your career, certain attributes and skills can make the role easier for you, increasing your chances of excelling at it. Every successful nurse leader possesses these qualities; they are:
Compassion and empathy
As a nurse leader, you must be compassionate and empathetic to patients and the staff you lead. You must exhibit genuine care and understanding for everyone. This helps foster trust and cooperation within the team. Being empathic enables you to communicate non-judgmentally and allows others to discuss essential issues that need attention with you freely without fear or hesitation. It improves your relationship with your peers as a leader and makes it more likely for you to facilitate needed changes. Every successful nurse leader has compassion and empathy as part of their qualities, and you should start imbibing them now if you wish to become a future nurse leader.
Effective communication
Communication is the backbone of every relationship, including leadership and followership. Being able to express yourself clearly and concisely in writing and verbally is a critical skill you must have. Communication is two-way, so ensure you’re open to feedback and you always work on them. Understanding your healthcare team and their needs becomes easier when there’s effective communication between you and them. Excellent writing and oratory prowess are skills not lacking in great leaders, and every aspiring nurse leader must have them, too.
Critical-thinking and problem-solving
Leaders are problem-solvers. To be a successful nurse leader, you must be adept at assessing complex situations, making quick decisions, and finding innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. Your ability to do these makes you stand out among your peers. It’s a benchmark for ascertaining your competence as a leader and can help you deliver significantly in the role. Successful nurse leaders bring about desired changes in the healthcare system with their incredible critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They provide balance and calmness in delicate situations and tackle every problem diplomatically. Hence, you must develop these traits to qualify as a nurse leader and deliver exceptional results.
Adaptability and flexibility
Real leaders are usually flexible. They embrace dialogue and are always willing to try new suggestions. This trait is particularly essential in a dynamic landscape like the healthcare sector. Nurse leaders must show great adaptability in the face of change, embrace new technologies and methods, and be willing to give up conventional practices for better, innovative ones.
Decision-making
As a nurse, you’ll face different situations that will put your decision-making skills to the test. Your decisions are crucial to patient care and patients’ healthcare experience. However, the stakes are even higher when you’re the nurse leader. Your decisions not only affect patients but also your colleagues and the entire organization’s culture. This is why you must have the ability to make informed, ethical decisions at all times to be a successful nurse leader.
Teamwork and collaboration
Collaborative efforts improve results, and successful nurse leaders always bank on this. They build and lead interdisciplinary teams while facilitating a conducive and cooperative environment for optimal healthcare outcomes and strong relationships with other nurses. Promoting teamwork and facilitating collaboration across all spheres of the healthcare system improves your chances of success as a nurse leader.
Time management and organization
Prioritizing tasks, managing time effectively, keeping accurate records, and organizing records meticulously are things that improve nurse leaders’ efficiency in their roles. Every successful nurse leader possesses these essential administrative skills, which impact their performances as a leader positively.
Conflict resolution
It’s not uncommon for conflict to occur in any healthcare setting. It’s left to the leaders in such a setting to swiftly resolve the issues and constructively maintain a harmonious working environment. This makes conflict resolution skills essential for every leader, including nurse leaders, to possess. Having these skills makes it easier to navigate the affairs of the healthcare sector as a nurse leader
Ethics and morals
Nurse leaders are models to others and must exhibit behaviors worthy of emulation. This is why every successful nurse leader upholds ethical standards and makes morally sound decisions. These qualities are fundamental to the role, and you must imbibe them if you wish to become a nurse leader someday.
Experience and Knowledge
Experience is an essential quality every nurse leader must boast. It is crucial to know how well they can perform in their role and facilitate desired changes. It is quite similar to in-depth knowledge about healthcare settings. A combination of vast experience and expertise is a wonderful recipe for excellent nurse leadership. As an aspiring nurse leader, you must understand healthcare policies, regulations, and systems to better advocate for your followers and patients.
All of these qualities and skills are fundamental to the nurse leadership role. Hence, to become a successful nurse leader during your nursing career, you should focus on building these skills now. It’s never too late to develop good traits, especially if you need them in your career pursuit. We consider how to nurture these traits below, especially if you’re an aspiring nurse.
Developing leadership traits during education and career pursuit as an aspiring nurse
Without a doubt, early preparation for the nurse leader role increases your chances of excelling at it. This is why you must be conscious about developing the leadership traits and qualities fundamental to the position. As an aspiring nurse, you can develop these traits during your education pursuit or as you chase career advancement. We explore how you can do any of that below.
Developing leadership traits as an aspiring nurse during education
Getting an appropriate education is the basis of every career. It’s inarguably the best stage to start developing the traits you’ll need to excel at your career and hit the career goals you set. If being a nurse leader is one of your goals as an aspiring nurse, developing your leadership traits is vital during your education sojourn. Here are ways you can go about that:
- Enroll for Courses with a leadership training curriculum
Several nursing education programs often include courses or modules on leadership development. They provide students with foundational knowledge about leadership, especially in the healthcare sector. Enrolling in these programs can be particularly helpful in helping you build your leadership traits. The programs expose you to the basics, giving you theoretical knowledge that can make actual practice easier.
- Mentorship and clinical experiences
Having hands-on clinical experiences and guidance from more experienced nurses is priceless to aspiring nurses looking to develop their leadership traits. It enables you to apply the leadership principles you’ve learned in actual healthcare settings, enabling you to get real-time feedback or assessments from experienced people in the field. This is particularly helpful for your confidence and allows you to monitor your growth as you continue your educational pursuit.
- Joining student organizations
Joining a nursing-related student body can be an excellent opportunity to develop your leadership skills and may assume a leadership role. You can learn the ropes of being a team member and how a leader should act from active involvement in the organization’s activities. Also, sooner or later, you may assume leadership responsibility within the organization, which could help you develop essential leadership traits.
- Self Help
As a dedicated aspirin nurse, you can help yourself develop your leadership traits during education via numerous ways. Reading books, attending seminars, analyzing real-life case studies, and participating in simulated scenarios can help you improve your leadership traits. You can practice decision-making and problem-solving in a controlled environment and remain consistent until it becomes a natural part of you.
Developing leadership traits during the career
It’s never too late to start developing your leadership skills. You can either consolidate what you’ve acquired or learn from scratch as your career progresses. Thus, as an aspiring nurse, you can consider the following ways to develop leadership traits during your career:
- Start from entry-level positions
There’s a saying that “the best leaders were once followers.” This implies that starting from a position where you can learn prepares you for greater responsibilities. It allows you to build essential clinical skills and gradually take on leadership responsibilities. You may find it difficult to function properly at the top if you jump the guns. Following hierarchical order reduces the risk of career decline or failure as you’ll have the experience and knowledge to succeed at each growth stage.
- Continued education and certifications
Successful nurse leaders often pursue advanced degrees and certifications to enhance their leadership and clinical expertise. You can enroll for a Masters in Nursing Leadership at the University of Indianapolisto advance your knowledge and expertise in your niche. This course is designed to bridge the gap between clinical practice and leadership responsibilities, equipping students with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions and drive positive change within the healthcare field.
- Take on progressive leadership roles and responsibilities
As a nurse leader, your actions can significantly impact patient care outcomes. This makes it essential for you to be well-primed and suited for the role. One of the ways to ensure this is by volunteering to take up available progressive leadership roles and responsibilities. Climbing the career ladder within healthcare organizations exposes nurses to these responsibilities, and accepting them without fear would be great for developing your leadership traits.
- Sign-up for mentorship programs
What other way is better than learning from seasoned nurse leaders through mentorship programs? This can provide you with valuable insights and guidance. Mentorship from experienced nurse leaders prepares you for all you need to know about the role and gives you the confidence and capability to excel at it.
Beyond developing leadership traits and qualities
Beyond developing leadership traits during career and education and imbibing essential skills fundamental to nurse leadership roles, nurses must also take cognizance of some essential things. The first one is to recognize the different nursing leadership types and follow the most appropriate or best suited for their environment. The leadership styles include transformational, autocratic, laissez-faire, democratic, servant, situational, and transactional. It’s usually best to combine two or more styles to achieve effective results, but as a nurse leader, the autocratic leadership style is one to avoid.
Nurse leaders are instrumental in shaping the future of healthcare. They embody qualities like compassion, effective communication, critical thinking, adaptability, and decision-making skills. These set them apart from their peers and make them best suited to advocate for others. Aspiring nurses looking to assume leadership roles can develop these traits too, during their education and career. The combination of education, hands-on experience, and continuous learning can prime aspiring nurses for this role. The healthcare system is ever-evolving, making it essential to keep nurturing nurse leaders who can ensure the effective delivery of high-quality patient care and the well-being of healthcare teams. Any of the above-mentioned ways, either during education or careers, can prepare budding nurses for this responsibility. It’s never too late.
