Leadership in nursing is essential for better patient outcomes, higher staff morale, efficient operations and professional development. There are different nursing leadership styles, including autocratic, democratic and transformational. Some essential leadership qualities in nursing include communication, collaboration, teamwork and cultural competence.
Constantly evolving fields need competent leaders to help organizations navigate changes over time. Particularly in the nursing profession, leadership is critically important. Competent leadership in nursing encourages more motivated and capable staff and drives better patient outcomes. Given their importance in nursing, it’s beneficial to cultivate your leadership skills, no matter your current job title.
But what exactly does leadership in nursing look like, and how can you apply it to a nursing career? At Madonna University’s accelerated BSN program in Metro Detroit, we provide an education that emphasizes leadership qualities while providing opportunities to develop them in mock clinical and real-world situations. Let’s explore more about what nursing leadership is and see how it can benefit your career.
What Is Leadership in Nursing?
Nursing leadership is sometimes inherent in one’s job title. For example, nurse managers, clinical nurse managers, charge nurses, and nurse administrators are individuals who lead their teams. However, one doesn’t need a supervisory job position to become a nurse leader. In fact, nurses at every level of the organization (regardless of specific credentials) can demonstrate leadership skills.
Nurse leaders are true professionals who serve as excellent role models for their coworkers. They embrace high ethical standards, promote evidence-based practice, and inspire and influence those around them to live up to their full potential. Although these individuals share some common traits, they might go about their work differently; each leader has their preferred leadership style.
Nursing Leadership Styles
One nursing leadership style isn’t necessarily better than any other. Each style has potential advantages and disadvantages. However, some leadership styles may fit specific nursing environments, teams, or specialties better than others. Let’s take a closer look.
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Autocratic
In autocratic leadership, leaders typically make decisions with little to no input from team members. Team members have limited autonomy, as the leader usually delegates tasks. While this leadership style may seem off-putting in environments that benefit from informed collaboration, it can be effective and valuable in settings that require quick decision-making, such as the trauma center or emergency room.
Laissez-Faire
The laissez-faire leadership style is relatively hands-off. In sharp contrast to the autocratic style, this style gives considerable autonomy to the individual team members—nurse leaders will only step in when necessary. This nursing leadership style can work well in home health agencies and with highly experienced and credentialed nursing teams.
Transformational
Transformational leaders in nursing focus on empowering others to achieve their full potential by providing continuing education, professional training resources, and mentorship. This leadership style can work well in nursing teams that include new, inexperienced nurses who could benefit from the guidance of a more seasoned professional.
Democratic
Democratic nurse leaders consider the input of team members before making decisions. This highly collaborative, supportive, and empowering leadership style can work well for nurses focused on organizational improvements. However, it may be less effective in fast-paced nursing departments that require rapid, independent decision-making.
Servant Leadership
Servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team members. They empower their team members to succeed by prioritizing active listening, mentorship, professional development, and emotional intelligence. This leadership style can work well in nursing education, long-term care, and hospice care.
Transactional
Transactional leadership can work well in nursing environments that benefit from rigid structure and close team monitoring. Team members are expected to follow specific rules and meet established standards. They are rewarded for doing well and may be penalized for falling short. This leadership style focuses on efficiency and performance and can help minimize medical errors in settings with a high patient caseload.
Situational
As you can see, not all leadership styles work well in all situations. Situational nurse leaders are highly adaptable and flexible, able to adjust to different leadership styles based on the needs of the particular context or team member.
Key Leadership Qualities in Nursing
Leadership in nursing can look different depending on the leadership style, the leader themselves, and the nursing environment. However, all leaders can benefit from cultivating certain leadership qualities in nursing.
At Madonna University, the clinical rotations portion of our ABSN program allows students to enter healthcare facilities for practical experience treating patients. There, they will receive hands-on tutelage from nursing leaders and get a taste of what that means in the day-to-day.
Collaboration and Teamwork
Virtually all healthcare settings rely on nurses and other providers’ seamless collaboration to deliver exceptional care. Effective nursing leaders prioritize team building and cooperation.
Delegation
Essential leadership skills include the ability to delegate tasks to others. No matter how capable a leader is, no nurse can do everything for every patient or department. Leaders must understand each team member’s strengths and weaknesses and delegate tasks efficiently and effectively.
Cultural Competence
Nurse leaders require a healthy amount of cultural competence, as they routinely interact with patients and other nurses from all walks of life and of different social, religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
Communication
Communication is one of the most critical leadership skills in nursing. Effective leaders need receptive (active listening) and expressive (spoken and written) communication skills. They must clearly communicate information to patients, nurses, physicians, and other team members.
Learn more about the importance of communication in nursing here.
Nurse Leaders vs. Nurse Managers: Understanding the Difference
All nurses have the potential to become nurse leaders, and nurse managers are indeed a type of leader, as they are responsible for overseeing staff. However, there are subtle differences between nurse managers and other types of leaders.
Role Overview
Nurse managers fulfill a leadership role that is both clinical and administrative. They are responsible for overseeing clinical staff and handling administrative tasks.
On the other hand, nurse leaders may hold virtually any job title—from manager to charge nurse to critical care RN to chief nursing officer. Their specific role varies according to the job title. In general, however, leaders at any level inspire those around them to work toward achieving higher standards of care.
Primary Duties
The duties of a nurse manager generally include supervising team members and handling administrative tasks, such as budgeting, patient care planning, scheduling, training, and quality improvement.
The duties of other types of leaders within healthcare settings vary, depending on their specific position. For example, a charge nurse will ensure the smooth functioning of their unit during their shift, oversee patient care, and handle record-keeping, among other tasks. A dialysis RN with leadership qualities may step in to help a coworker with a particularly busy caseload or advocate for professional development resources for their team.
Education Requirements
Education requirements can vary considerably, depending on the healthcare organization and job title. Some hospitals prefer to hire nurse managers who have a master’s degree. Other types of leaders, such as RNs who embrace leadership roles, may only need a bachelor’s degree. Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) require either a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing.
Why Is Nursing Leadership Important?
The importance of leadership in nursing cannot be overstated. Here’s a look at some of the benefits:
Better Patient Care and Patient Outcomes
Leaders in healthcare organizations share the same goal: to provide better patient care and promote better patient outcomes. Nursing teams can rely on their leaders to set high standards of patient care that benefit their patients.
Higher Staff Morale
Nurses led by competent, caring leaders will benefit from knowing they are in good hands. Nurses need highly professional and ethical leaders to serve as role models and to promote a positive, supportive workplace culture.
Professional Growth
Leaders in nursing environments understand that the more education and training a nurse receives, the better they can do their job. Armed with more robust skills and education, nurses led by competent leaders can enjoy more opportunities for professional growth.
Work Toward Becoming a Nurse Leader at Madonna
At Madonna University, our values-based education graduates highly competent and compassionate future nurses who are fully prepared to tackle any challenge in the nursing field — including leadership roles. No matter where your nursing career takes you, you can build a strong foundation for your future at Madonna.
Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program can allow you to graduate in as few as 16 months if you have a previously completed non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 non-nursing college credits. You can work one-on-one with an Academic Success Coach to support your progress upon enrollment.
Contact our admission representatives in Metro Detroit today to find out if you’re eligible to apply.