Qualities for Effective Nursing Leadership and

Management
Whether your career goals include becoming a nurse leader or nurse manager, it’s important
to be aware of the qualities you’ll be expected to possess. These qualities are all part of being an
effective leader in a healthcare setting. Healthcare facilities can be challenging environments to work
in, so having the right leadership skills is essential to properly handle problems and difficulties. The
following are some of the skills you’ll need if you want to have a successful career as a nurse leader.
Professionalism
Nurse leaders sometimes act as representatives for a hospital or other healthcare facility. These
nurses might be the person that executive leaders and others turn to for information on the facility
and its services. Nurse leaders need to have a professional attitude and handle these types of
interactions skillfully. This skill can be developed during school, as well as on the job while
interacting with others.
Communication Skills
Being able to communicate clearly and effectively is one of the most important qualities for nursing
leadership and management. Nurse leaders need to be able to discuss medical issues in an
informative yet caring way with patients and family members. They also need to communicate with
other nurses and healthcare professionals, as well as hospital executives, on a regular basis. Those
who want to be nurse leaders can develop good communication skills while still in school. As a nurse
leader, they can continue improving this skill to ensure effective communication.
Dedication to Excellence
Nurses in general should strive to provide high-quality care, but nurse leaders need to go above and
beyond. Nursing leadership involves being committed to excellence in all areas of the role,
since nurse leaders have a direct impact on the overall quality of care a patient receives. A
dedication to excellence requires the highest quality care for patients and the creation and
maintenance of a healthcare environment that benefits patients and staff alike.
Emotional Intelligence
Nurse leaders need to be emotionally intelligent to handle the challenges faced in healthcare
settings. This skill enables them to provide support during difficult times in order to prevent staff from
becoming burned out or emotionally exhausted. Emotional intelligence is also a valuable skill when
interacting with patients. Emotionally intelligent nurses can discuss medical conditions, treatment,
and potential complications or risks with patients in a tactful and compassionate manner. This is a
skill that nurses can develop over time, whether they’re still in school or on the job.
Motivation
Motivation is a crucial part of being an effective nurse leader. Staying motivated makes it possible for
leaders to inspire staff, comfort patients, and ensure that healthcare departments or facilities are
running as efficiently as possible. Nursing, in general, can be a highly stressful career. Nurse leaders
need motivation to keep them thriving and avoid becoming overwhelmed. With the right amount of
motivation, these leaders can focus on achieving goals and enjoying a challenging yet rewarding
healthcare career.
Accountability
Nurse leaders and managers must be willing to take responsibility when problems occur. As leaders,
they should hold themselves accountable and take steps to correct the issue or avoid it in the future.
Nurse leaders should consider errors opportunities for improvement. Being accountable means a
willingness to closely examine failures to find ways to prevent it from reoccurring. Rather than
placing the blame elsewhere, nurse leaders demonstrate leadership through accountability.
Delegation
Leadership and management in nursing involves feeling comfortable delegating tasks and
responsibilities to others. Nurse leaders must delegate to ensure that the department and facility
runs smoothly. Instead of seeing delegation as a weakness, they should consider it a strength. It is a
wise, and often necessary, move that helps healthcare facilities provide high-quality care. Being able
to effectively delegate involves getting to know the skills and experience that each team member
offers.
Empower Others
Nurse leaders have the opportunity to empower others through their leadership. They should take
this opportunity to encourage and support other nurses and healthcare professionals. Empowering
others provides an array of benefits for healthcare facilities, perhaps most importantly, improved
outcomes for patients due to higher quality care. This empowerment also leads to improved job
satisfaction among nurses and other healthcare professionals, which helps reduce turnover and
boosts morale. Nurse leaders can empower others by ensuring they have a chance to voice
concerns and helping them handle change in healthcare environments.
Self-Aware
Nurse leaders need a well-developed self-awareness to succeed in this role. Being self-aware can
help these leaders focus on personal and professional growth, making them more effective leaders.
Through self-awareness, nurse leaders can recognize their strengths and weaknesses and devise
plans for improvement. These leaders can work on becoming more self-aware while they’re still in
nursing school and continue developing this skill on the job.
Support Your Staff
Being a nurse leader means giving staff the support they need to provide high-quality care. The
way nurse leaders support staff might change from one situation to the next, depending on the
challenges staff members are facing. For example, nurse leaders might provide emotional support to
nurses who are feeling overwhelmed or burned out. They might provide practical and professional
support when it comes to handling conflict.
Adapt to Change
Change is a given in healthcare environments, so it’s important for nurse leaders to be able to adapt
accordingly. Adaptability is critical for a nurse to accommodate the frequent changes that occur in
hospitals and other healthcare settings. This involves being able to evaluate situations and
determine what changes that need to be made. Nurse leaders and managers can expect to have
plenty of practice with developing this skill on the job.
Importance of Leadership and Management in Nursing
Nursing leaders and nursing managers both have a significant impact on healthcare quality. Nurse
leaders and managers are responsible for overseeing medical teams and ensuring effective
communication among team members. They also ensure that patients and their families receive
guidance and education on health conditions and have their questions and concerns addressed by
medical staff. These kind of leadership roles help healthcare facilities run as smoothly as possible,
which benefits patients, their families and staff members. Keep in mind that nurses need to work on
building and improving leadership and management skills in order to be effective leaders.
Role of Nurse Manager
A nurse manager primarily focuses on keeping daily operations in the department running as
efficiently as possible. These managers usually don’t handle patient care in a direct way. Instead,
they supervise nurses and other staff members and provide training as needed. Nurse managers
might also be responsible for creating a budget for their department, hiring staff members, ensuring
electronic records are up-to-date, and interacting with stakeholders. When you work as a nurse
manager, you might also need to work with other managers in the facility and step in when difficult
situations occur between healthcare professionals and their patients. Your responsibilities might also
include overseeing healthcare insurance issues.
Role of Nurse Leader
A nurse leader focuses on making sure individual patients receive quality care. As a nursing leader,
your responsibilities may include overseeing a nursing team and working on improving patient care,
as needed. Nursing leaders are often expected to make patient care more efficient to help reduce
hospitals stays, lower the risk of readmissions, and reduce healthcare costs. Other responsibilities
you might have in this position include lowering turnover rates among nurses at your
facility, reducing any conflict between nurses, providing patients with education to help them
manage medical conditions better, and helping them understand their treatment plans to improve
outcomes. Nursing leaders might also provide healthcare services directly in addition to educating
patients. You’ll also need to continue learning to remain up to date on healthcare research that’s
relevant to your area of nursing.
How to Become a Nurse Leader
Becoming a nurse leader first involves registering for nursing school and becoming a
registered nurse. In order to do this, you’ll need to earn your undergraduate nursing degree and
pass the required NCLEX exam. Passing this exam means you’ll be licensed to work as a registered
nurse.
Your next step may include earning a graduate degree from an accredited program. While working
on your graduate degree, you can expect to gain clinical experience that help you turn classroom
learning into the practical skills you’ll need on the job.
From there, you’ll need to become certified if you plan to work as a nurse leader. You can do this
through a certification program, such as the Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Program offered by
the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. After completing these steps, you’ll be able to
begin working as a nursing leader.
If you’re leaning toward becoming a nurse leader, we can help. American Sentinel College of
Nursing and Health Sciences at Post University offers a Master of Science in Nursing with a Nursing
Management and Organizational Leadership Specialization. This online MSN management
and leadership specialization provides you the opportunity to build the skills required for a nurse
leadership position. Please contact us today for more information about this program.