Nurse Manager vs. Nurse Leader: what’s the difference?
Nursing is a call to leadership
The role of the professional nurse is naturally one of the leaders. Regardless of our role or practice, we are considered to be leaders in the entire healthcare system. As nursing students, we are taught that we lead colleagues from other sub-groups, supervise nursing teams and are responsible for the results of patient care. Some nurses run informally for years, while others take on formal leadership and leadership roles. However, all management and leadership roles are not the same, and although the titles are often used interchangeably, they are not interchangeable.
The role of the nurse manager up close
Whether managing a unit, business unit or service line, the role of the nurse manager is to make sure everything works like a well-oiled machine. The nurse manager is involved in countless daily tasks and details related to patient care planning, quality improvement, goal setting and budgeting. But that’s not all. Nurses’ managers also monitor employee schedules and assignments, performance, professional growth, and the constant provision of education and career opportunities. The manager is responsible for ensuring that employees perform all orders and is held accountable if it is not.
And employees – nurses, CNAs, technicians, etc. – have certain expectations of their managers. They expect their managers to have clear communication, guidance and support in fulfilling their tasks and responsibilities. They also want their managers to be available, open, and honest. Nurse managers are their source of information, advice and guidance, but they also want – and deserve – encouragement, clear expectations and directions, and some teaching and coaching. Above all, they want to be involved in decision making, recognized for their contributions and viewed as important to the team.
” Nurses managers are their source of information, advice and guidance, but they also want and deserve encouragement, clear expectations and instructions, and some instruction and coaching.”
The role of the nurse guide up close
In most cases, senior nurses ‘managers are less task-oriented than nurses’ managers. They are less active and focus more on setting standards, driving transformation and inspiring and influencing their teams. They are tasked with fulfilling the organization’s mission, vision and strategic long-term plans.
Your role includes setting guidelines and monitoring quality measures. Dealing with compliance with regulations, assuming tax obligations and more. You are responsible for the overall quality of patient care, patient and staff satisfaction, and organizational results.
Both employees and management expect their knowledge, experience and vision from them. Your role is extensive and affects the entire organization.
Managers and executives complement each other
Managers work best in the company of good leaders, but both roles should be filled by people who deserve the respect and admiration of their employees, who are enthusiastic about their work, and who instill this passion in their employees. Both managers and managers:
Must be motivating, have a positive influence on their employees and set positive role models.
Must have excellent decision-making skills and be able to coordinate teams and delegate tasks.
Must be committed to the organization and those who run it.
Apart from the title, all nurses are called to the leadership
The call to leadership takes us all to a higher level of responsibility and accountability, with or without a management title. it is common to all nursing positions, from the nurse to the CEO. We all have similar goals and responsibilities for patient care.
“The call for leadership brings us all to a higher level of responsibility and accountability, with or without a management title. it is included in all nursing positions, from the nurse to the CEO. ”
With all the changes that are currently taking place in our health care system and nursing profession, all nurses must strive to imitate the characteristics of good management and leadership and always work on our professional growth. We all need to stay informed and be politically secure. We need to know what our journals and nursing organizations are saying and drive our education forward.
In the end, all nurses must be visionaries, critical thinkers, experienced communicators and teachers. And the good news is that you don’t need an official manager or leadership title to do any of these things.
Conclusion: Implications for Nurses
The most important contribution that today’s managers can make to the future is to develop their successors so that they can adapt, thrive and grow. Given the anticipated high retirement rates for many Baby Boomer nurses, the future of leadership in nursing at the beginning of the next decade will be in the hands of Generation Y nurses. The views expressed by the participants in this study indicated that current relationships between managers and nurse staff may not be as positive as is necessary to create a healthy and nurturing work environment. Unstoppable changes in health care, the focus on costs, and a greater control span in many leadership positions have contributed to their perception.
Although not much has been reported about it in nursing literature, recent research has been carried out to support the views of these emerging leaders that the current health environment has affected the relationship between managers and employees . For the past seven years, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) has funded research to investigate the work environment of intensive care nurses and nurses in other areas, such as the emergency room. A research team led by Dr. At national level, Beth Ulrich interviewed nurses on each of the six key factors for a healthy work environment and specifically asked them how well their leaders and chief nursing officers held up in each of these dimensions. The studies were carried out in 2006, 2008 and 2013. The 2013 study included a very robust sample of 8,000 nurses nationwide. The results showed a deterioration in the scores at a statistically significant level in every dimension for both frontline managers and CNOs ( Ulrich, Lavandero & Early 2014 ).
The study conducted by AACN and the research results presented in this article should give the current heads of nurses a call to action. In addition to building more coherent relationships with employees, it is clearly necessary for managers to communicate more efficiently with employees about leadership roles and responsibilities. The good news with this research is that Generation Y nurses are interested in leadership skills and are confident that they are able to make positive changes in their environment. To address their concerns about role failure, they need structured leadership development programs and strong support.
… the changes in today’s health environment require that managers question their thinking and acting to realize that the core of leadership lies in the power of relationships. Growing future leaders for nurses is a long-term task that requires both planning and action. Our aspiring leaders will ultimately replace our current leaders and continue the very important work that is being done to improve the environment in nursing practice and especially patient outcomes. However, succession planning is a challenge today in a rapidly developing and constantly changing health environment. Current nurses and nurses are often so busy with their day-to-day work, and are unaware of the impressions young emerging leaders can have about their roles and implications. Kouzes and Posner ( 2012 ), two well-known business leaders, have found that the most important contribution that today’s leaders can make to the future is to develop their successors to adapt, thrive, and to grow. Porter-O’Grady and Malloch ( 2015 ) believe that the changes in today’s health environment require managers to question their thinking and acting to realize that leadership is at the heart of relationships. They found that leaders “will increasingly use their resources to help others adapt to the new rules for success in the world of work” (p. 22). The findings from this study indicate gaps in communication and communication between managers and their employees, which have to be bridged in order to attract and retain generation Y nurses for management tasks.
Why is leadership and management important in nursing?
As the health care system continues to experience a rapid change, the nature of sister roles are also changing, according to Healthforce faculty research . Nurses are four times more likely than doctors to be the largest licensed medical profession in the United States. They practice in almost all areas of healthcare and many are ready to take on leadership roles. However, many caregivers need to acquire new skills, including leadership and management skills , to meet patient needs in this increasingly value-based healthcare environment.
How our programs support nursing leadership
In order to meet the most important challenges of the health system, health professionals from different areas and with different backgrounds have to dismantle and work together in silos. The Healthforce Center’s leadership development programs take an interdisciplinary approach and train health professionals in the workforce. The CHCF Health Care Leadership Program prepares example clinically trained professionals preparing to lead the California health organizations. Nurses, doctors, clerks, and more team up to learn key leadership and management skills. We believe leadership development is a discovery process and our programs help participants develop effective leadership styles, facilitate action and lead teams.
News and research for nursing leaders
The Healthforce Center is a leading source of research on nurses. For more than two decades, we have been conducting nursing studies and surveys to better understand:
The impact of government regulations on the scope
The availability of nurses and nurses to care for vulnerable populations
Nurses and midwives use health information technology
The factors affecting land keepers include job satisfaction and the intention to remain in rural areas
