In the facility that I work I see first hand the critical decisions that our nurse leaders make everyday to maintain a cohesive work environment . Some decisions are based on policy and procedure but others are based on many years of knowledge and experience.It is important to note that a range of policies and initiatives means that the nursing profession has influence on all aspects of the healthcare delivery (Kelly & Tazbir, 2014). One occasion where I saw nursing leadership being a instrumental part of patient care is when a suspect in a gang related shooting was brought into the hospital for medical treatment. Once the patient was stabilized in the emergency room he was brought to the med/surg unit for further evaluation and treatment. Multiple nurses on the med/surg unit refused to care for the patient. Before the situation got of of hand the nurse leader intervened and called a staff huddle to address the situation. During the huddle she explained that as nurses we have a responsibility to care for the sick and injured regardless of the circumstance. Through this experience, I was able to see nursing leadership is essential and emotional intelligence is effective trait in a nurse with a role in leadership. Our nurse leader used transformational leadership in this situation to work with the team on the unit in order to provide the best care for the patient.

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

Using the schoo website ……. or the Internet, research about power sources for a nurse leader. Based on your understanding, answer the following questions:

1. In your opinion, what are the three most important power sources for a nurse leader? Why?
2. How are they best used in a leadership role? Describe.
3. What sources of power do you see most often displayed in your work environment? Why?

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

The three most important power sources for a nurse leader, in my opinion, are referent power, expert and reward power. Referent power is important for a nurse leader because if a nurse leader is hardworking, responsible and sets an example for the team, the team will follow their example which will benefit the organization. Expert power can be a needed benefit in leadership role, this gives employee’s and team members confidence in their leader and they will feel as the leader can mentor them as the leader has a high level of knowledge and skills. Expert power and leadership can be a great asset to an organization with new employees and new nurses. Finally reward power can be used as a tool to motivate staff to reach their full potential by using rewards as an incentive.

Leaders create a culture of ownership and investment in the collective action of work, helping to build a community around the purposes of work and deepening the understanding of the relationship among individual work activities, the collective convergence of that effort, and its power to make a difference (Porter-O’Grady, 2016). Using referent power leaders must first gain the trust of the followers or team members by leading by example. After the leader’s trust, honesty and respect are gained by the team members, they will model the leader’s behavior. Expert power is best used by teaching staff new techniques new evidence-based practice, and new policies and procedures. If staff know their leader as an expert, they will be more likely to absorb the new information.  Reward power can be used to increase performance, and rewards can incentivize the benefits of doing a good job.

Expert power is a frequently used source of power in my work. On our unit we have a manager, assistant manager and a clinical nurse leader. With these three leaders available it allows the nurse of the floor to feel confident that they can go to one of the three managers/ leaders to obtain information if they are unsure of a policy, procedure and or if they just need some advice. I know personally having this type of support empowers me to be a better nurse because I know we have a support system to back us up.

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"

Part 1

In your opinion, what are the three most important power sources for a nurse leader? Why?

The three most important power sources for nurses in my personal opinion are the following:

Expert power refers to such power that can influence others by using knowledge and skills. Experience knowledge and skills together make an expert power that is possessed by nurse leader and transferred to other nurses during practice of nursing. (The Sentinel Watch, 2010).  For a nurse leader to have the respect of those around him or her, I believe that first and foremost they must have the confidence that their leader knows what they are doing.  If the leader isn’t capable of doing the job, how can they be capable of supervising or evaluating my performance?

Coercive power refers to authority of a nurse leader i.e. nurse leader can impose penalties or punish other nurses by taking their privileges if they are not doing a good job. If nurses are not doing satisfactory job, nurse leader ensures that every nurse is doing a good job and ensuring patient’s satisfaction. The truth is that the underlying fear of retribution for poor performance comes into play at some point for most employees. 

 Reward power depends on the ability of the person who holds power to confer valued material rewards.The reward source of power depends on the ability of one person to grant another some type of reward for specific behaviors or changes in behavior. Nurses, in their daily provision of care, can use this source of power to influence client behavior as well as others employees.

 So I think that these power sources are most important in nurse leader as these powers influence directly to nurses and help them to get educated punctual and skillful at the same time.

How are they best used in a leadership role? Describe                                                   

Power sources are best used in leadership role as these powers are true essence of the leadership. Nurse leader empowered by skills and expertise will be a good mentor and a working role-model for the junior staff nurses. Her/his authorities to keep a strict check on them give them a sense of responsibility. On one hand, reward for doing great job gives them a challenging, encouraging and motivating working environment; meanwhile, a threat to punish can bring best out of them.  A nurse leader makes best use of her power sources by supervising and managing the duties of nurses to satisfy patient’s demands. (Yapton, 1998)

What sources of power do you see most often displayed in your work environment? Why?

Part 2

 You brought up a good point about coercive power. In health care coercive power is used to maintain standards. Many nurses think that this type of power is negative, but this is not always the case. Several times we must protect other staff and our patients from dangerous situations or incompetent care. The human resource roles are used to uphold many standards for employees, and coercive power is used to sustain them (Stapleton, 2017). The leader must be careful how they use this power, but using it is not a negative situation unless it is done in a ruthless and unfair way. It is a leadership skill to know how to use all the types of power they possess. Have you had a situation where another employee was suspended or fired after an incident? Do you think the use of coercive power was fair in this situation? 

"Looking for a Similar Assignment? Get Expert Help at an Amazing Discount!"