Good Essay On Following The American Psychological Association’s Guidelines

Interview: Nursing Leadership

Interview: Nursing Leadership
Leadership and management are always important in business relations, but it is perhaps never more important than in the medical field. Medical professionals rely on management and leadership in order to understand their role in the facility. They also use proper leadership as support when difficulties in the health field arise. That is why healthcare leaders and managers typically are required to have a strong background, as well as effective qualities befitting a leader. Many other factors are essential when it comes to being an effective leader in the healthcare field. During an interview with Marshall Griffin, Chief Nursing Officer for Forsyth Medical Center, I was able to ascertain many of the necessary qualities a medical leader needs.
During the interview, taking place on January 16, 2015, I was able to ask Mr. Griffin about his background and his current role. According to Diane Huber’s, “Leadership and Nursing Care Management,” extensive education is needed for most primary leadership positions in the healthcare field . Mr. Griffin had begun his career in the healthcare field as a CNA, before eventually getting his RN. He has fifteen years of combined nursing experience at two separate hospitals. Throughout his work as a nurse, he worked toward get his BA in Science with a minor in Management. In 2005, he was named the Chief Nursing Officer of Forsyth Medical Center. As CNO, he is expected to supervise the daily operations of the hospital’s nursing units while also coordinating their movements and their actions. CNO’s are also responsible for maintaining quality patient care. Before become Chief Nursing Officer, Mr. Griffin had minor experience as a Nursing Coordinator at a hospital in Tennessee. Typically, CNOs are required to obtain a Master’s of Science before being named a CNO. However, his previous experience, coupled with the fact that he is currently getting his Master’s from a local university guaranteed him the position.
When asked how he would describe a leader, Griffin was congenial and modest. He does not believe leaders are born, but made. Specifically, he does not think he was born a leader. He was born a shy, introverted child who lacked the tenacity to make decisions. It was only through a series of life-changing events that he was able to build the self-confidence to make decisions needed in the healthcare field. Igor Portoghese and associates, authors of, “Change-Related Expectations and Commitment to Change of Nurses: The Role of Leadership and Communication,” notes self-confidence is an often overlooked facet of being an effective leader . Much like the article, Mr. Griffin also noted that a true leader is one who can listen while communicating effectively. It is more than being a doormat. Leaders give when they can, but ultimately, in the healthcare field, always make the best call for the patient and try to make their subordinates understand why that is best because, “That’s all we can do,” as Mr. Griffin said.
There are many important qualities of leaders. Some are arguable, while others appear to be universal. Most noted by Mr. Griffin are universal. He believes effective leaders are good listeners. They communicate well and are able to work under pressure. He also believes that they do not let the pressure affect their ethics. Most notably, he believes that effective leaders have strong ethics. When asked if an effective leader should have a certain type of ethics, he was slow to answer. In his opinion, unless the ethics of the leader are completely inept or inhumane, there is no reason for one person’s ethics to differ from another person’s. It is human nature to have different ethics because they are all shaped by our perception and experience, which are all different. As long as the end game of our ethics has the best interest of the people around us in mind, Mr. Griffin believed effective leadership was possible. His personal philosophy on leadership, however, was to always do what was best for the patient, make things easier for the employees whenever possible, and always try to strive for a better quality of care for everybody involved. It is easy to forget that nurses need to be cared for too. Caregiver burnout is always lurking around the corner and it is important that hospitals learn to take care of their own in order to keep an effective staff on hand for patients .
As stated, Mr. Griffin did not believe he was a born leader. He attributes many life experiences to his leadership qualities. The biggest, however, was the birth of his son. He and his wife became pregnant at an early age. They were married, and had planned to get pregnant later in their marriage. He had recently lost his job, and his wife was still in school. When she became pregnant, he found a new sense of self, and decided it was time to take charge, not only of his life, but also of his family. He had never wanted to go to school, nor had he thought of a career. CNA courses, however, changed his outlook, and began to give him confidence. His first year working as a CNA showed him he had the capacity to be a leader. Fatherhood is also attributed to his attitude toward leadership development. “Showing another human being how to live their life has a profound impact on how one view’s leadership,” he laughed.
Huber’s novel states leadership in nursing is one of the fastest evolving professions to date, and Mr. Griffin agrees . Since becoming a CNO, and even since becoming a nurse, he attests that he has seen firsthand how quickly things change in the medical field. Even as quickly as he learns things in school, it seems that he needs to adapt twice as quickly in an effort to keep up with the modernizations being introduced in the hospital. “There is always pressure to keep up. We want to be better for the patients,” he remarked in response. “It’s definitely always evolving, and quickly. It’s competitive, but I like that.” The fast evolution of the positions presents the greatest challenge of Griffin’s current position. He enjoys the pressure of his job, but sometimes finds it difficult to keep up with younger individuals just entering the field. He remarks on many younger nurses and CNAs entering the hospital, understanding equipment that he is only recently becoming acquainted with. As a leader, Griffin believes he should be an expert at innovations, so he can set an example for that staff. Learning everything so quickly and staying on top of innovations can be challenging.
Griffin did not have a mentor. He did not know anybody in the medical field growing up, nor did he grow close to anybody as a CNA. It was not until he began working at his second post as a Registered Nurse that he became close with an ER doctor that he finally felt he had a mentor. However, Griffin admitted it was not precisely like having a mentor because the doctor was not in his field, and they were not on the same level. The ER doctor had much more to do, and was responsible for more people that Griffin ever would be. If anything, Griffin admired the ER doctor, but could not follow his example. It is why, now, Griffin attempts to be a mentor to younger nurses; he believes that during times when he struggles, a mentor would have been a profound source of comfort and relief to him. There were situations when he did not know what to do, and believes somebody with experience to guide him would have been beneficial. He attempts to be an open ear to younger nurses, and somebody they can come to as they leave the hospital and advance their careers. He is delighted when those who leave the hospital to further their careers to leadership positions get back in contact with him to ask for advice, or just to speak to him about their current situations. When they are at a loss for what to do, or when they are lacking confidence, he always tells them to follow their instincts, and do what they would do when they were nurses. “I train them as if I were training CNOs. I still act as a nurse. I can still save lives. You have to do all these things as a nurse. When they leave and try to advance their careers, they forget they are still nurses. You always have to think like a nurse. Those skills got you where they are, and you should not doubt them. That’s what I tell them.” Thus far, Griffin’s advice has never steered a former employee wrong.
In sum, a leader is many things. The medical field demands many things from its leaders, and Marshall Griffin rises to each standard. Though he was not a born leader, he used life’s obstacles to turn himself into somebody who could help others. Now, as he works his way through school and gets his Master’s Degree in Science, he manages over twenty-five nursing units in a hospital, attempting to better each individual as he does. He keeps patient quality care in mind, and tries to guide his employees into better careers as he does so. All while doing so, he attempts to better himself as a leader.

References

Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and Nursing Care Management. Boston: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Portoghese, I., Galletta, M., Battistelli, A., Saiani, L., & Penna, M. (2011). Change-related expectations and commitment to change of nurses: the role of leadership and communication. Journal of Nursing Management, 582-591.