Nurses can influence healthcare organizations at all levels through their leadership skills. They may also help their subordinates to work better and ultimately improve patient care. The rapidly growing older population of baby boomers requires more efficient healthcare settings. Thus, the roles and influence of leadership in nursing are much more evident now than ever before.
Advanced nursing degrees teach you more than theory. You may learn several leadership skills that are crucial for working in administrative settings based on the degree you pursue. You may become capable of advocating for your profession, fellow nurses, and patients. However, you should pass the required licensure tests after completing your bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate in nursing to qualify for a leadership position.
The growing older population demands better-managed nursing teams providing top-quality care to their patients. Therefore, nurses having advanced degrees in leadership are sought after and have an excellent career outlook. The US Bureau of labor statistics projects a 32% job growth in the next decade for healthcare managers. Nurses can develop leadership qualities after graduating with an advanced nursing degree focused on administration.
The various skills that they may acquire through this degree can include the following.
Table of Contents
1. Decision-Making Skills
Efficient nurse leaders make effective and timely decisions that benefit their whole team. An advanced nursing degree can nurture their decision-making skills through case studies. Nurse leaders constantly face big and small challenges on a daily basis. Therefore, having efficient decision-making skills is crucial for them. Resident nurse leaders and other team members look up to nurse leaders for advice and drawing conclusions.
Nurse leaders often develop a strong network of researchers, managers, and scientists to align the decision-making process and to quickly reach a conclusion based on scientific research and facts in times of crisis.
2. Adaptability
Another essential skill that an advanced nursing degree can equip you with is adaptability. Healthcare is an ever-evolving industry, so it’s crucial for nurse leaders to develop the ability to evolve quickly and adapt to the changing trends and demands. Only visionary and proactive nurse leaders can survive the chaos that comes with a rapidly changing healthcare system. The job of nurse leaders is such that they may have to deal with a new challenge every day so, adaptability is an essential skill that they must possess for their day-to-day job. If nurse leaders embrace change head-on, it encourages and empowers their team to do the same.
3. Communication Skills
An advanced nursing degree can polish your communication skills. Good communication skills are immensely crucial in a healthcare setting as the lives of several patients can depend on them. Effective communication is clear, precise, and involves active listening and response. These abilities are nurtured in nursing leadership students over time to ensure the development of excellent communication skills.
Top-notch communication skills ensure success across the board and career. Efficient communication skills also encourage collaboration among members of all levels in a healthcare setting. It guides and motivates them to exceed the goals set for them by the administration.
4. Team Building Skills
Strong nurse leaders create good work relationships with their teams. They often define a common purpose and ensure cooperation among team members to achieve that goal. However, conflicts arise, and maintaining a balance can be challenging. Therefore, leaders should get to know their staff, their skill set, and their communication style to build trust and encourage teamwork.
Nurse leaders should also display model professional behavior to become role models for their subordinates. They should also mentor and help them manage their personal and professional conflicts. Team building is a crucial skill for nurse leaders to be able to build and maintain a collaborative team working for the same goal.
5. Problem Solving Skills
Problem-solving skills are crucial for the healthcare industry and essential for all nurse leaders. Nurse leaders should be able to solve any issues that may arise on-job. Advanced nursing degrees educate and train them to approach the problem with a calm attitude and correctly identify it. Then, follow the proper protocols and step-by-step solutions to solve specific problems.
Quick and effective problem-solving skills are sought after in nurse leaders as they may have to make quick decisions that can impact their team, patients, and the overall healthcare system.
6. Integrity
A strong sense of integrity in nurse leaders encourages fair practice and leads to desirable outcomes. Nurse leaders with integrity can be positive examples for their teams. Making ethical choices in a healthcare setting can sometimes be challenging. However, nurse leaders should always make ethical choices to maintain a positive image. A strong sense of integrity may also earn nurse leaders respect from their staff.
7. Global Perspective
All employees working in a healthcare setting should embrace diversity and should respect all cultures. Nurse leaders may have to lead a multicultural team. Being aware of the cultural differences among the team members and respecting those differences is essential for a nurse leader.
Having a global perspective enables nurse leaders to effectively respond to worldwide healthcare trends and adapt them to their work on every level. It is crucial to share technologies, strategies, and information worldwide without cultural barriers to deal with global healthcare issues, and an advanced degree covers all that.
8. Conflict Resolution
Conflicts are unavoidable and often arise in healthcare settings. Conflicts between nurses and patients are fairly common. Therefore, conflict resolution is an essential skill for nurse leaders as they may be able to negotiate with both the nurse and patient to get along to ensure better patient care.
Moreover, conflict resolution ability can also be crucial when team members have differing opinions about the diagnosis and development of treatment plans for a patient. Conflicts may also arise between nurses and the health setting management or board members. Nurse leaders play a primary role in solving those issues by advocating for the rights of their team and ensuring that the board and upper management fulfill all reasonable demands of the staff. They essentially work as a liaison between the two.
The Wrap Up
Advanced nursing degrees educate, train, and equip nurse leaders with valuable skills that can be crucial for leadership positions. Skills essential for nurse leaders are similar to skills that any leader should possess. Excellent communication skills to effectively listen and respond to the staff and quick decision-making can help save lives in a healthcare setting. Additionally, skills like problem-solving and conflict resolution can come in handy to deal with and resolve any disagreements.
Team building skills are crucial to maintaining your team and adaptability ensures that you evolve with the changing healthcare industry. Above all, a global perspective is crucial to understanding and connecting with people around you. A nurse leader should continuously polish these leadership skills to become an effective leader in nursing. Hopefully, this article enlists all the leadership skills you may be able to develop through an advanced nursing degree.
Read also: 4 Tips for Healthcare Professionals to Enhance Leadership Skills
0