Leadership Journal: Authority

Leadership Journal: Authority

Grand Canyon University

NUR 670

Leadership Journal: Authority

During the previous weeks with my preceptor in leadership, I absorbed the experience she has as a leader to a department that has been absent of one for several months being vacant. We sat and spoke for over an hour about various aspects of the department which included staffing issues, patient satisfaction and safety concerns. We agreed to utilize my time to address a few of these concerns and create an opportunity to influence a new culture within the department. On the initial day after our discussion I spent the entire 10 hours in multiple cases in different operating rooms. I introduced myself to everyone in each room and identified my objectives for being in the room during the case. I said I was given the task to observe for any safety issues and methods of sharps handling by the surgical staff. Observing for the culture of safety habits by the current staff will be used to declare a draft for a practice change the director plans to initiate with my assistance.

Each surgeon, nurse and surgical technologist I encountered during my time in the operating room was welcoming and they accepted my role as a safety officer or auditor. I basically introduced myself as an observer to their culture of safety and sharps handling and I hope to bring awareness to the habits to recommend any improvements to increase safety towards staff as well as improve the quality of patient care. The staff has been made aware by the director of the department, my preceptor, of my presence and objectives. With my introduction to her staff she basically has given me the authority to address the concerns regarding sharp safety in her department. Before each case I asked each member of the surgical team their methods of sharps handling on the surgical field and if they knew what their department’s policy is regarding the handling of sharps. Many are aware, but hardly practice such methods to reduce injury. The use of the recommended practice method may be because of the authority figure being present in the surgical arena. Possibly only the self-conscious towards policy will step forward to admit they do not follow the recommended methods and use unsafe practice.  

With the authority given to me not only by my preceptor but from the lord himself, I have the authority to serve another with the purpose of helping others, our patients at potentially their most vulnerable moments. Providing quality care for a nurse in any organization is and should be their primary goal. In a recent encounter, I introduced a circulating nurse to the hands-free technique in sharps handling where she heard of but was not familiar with the skill. We took a few moments to practice the technique and she agreed to use this method for her future cases. She basically acknowledged the method as a safe practice and would help her successfully provide a higher quality of care.

The video on authority made me realize that authority is often perceived as a negative attribute. As the speaker explains the relationship between authority and management, more often people view the authority in the traditional working environment as one who directs another because of their position or title. The use of this authority is given to managers to obtain the organizational goals. To emerge as a leader, authority should be utilized to obtain trust from your subordinates to be inspired to work for you in a productive manner. The authority should be used to inspire and guide others to reach organizational goals, in the operating room the goal is to ultimately provide safe, quality and effective care (Aholaakko & Metsälä, 2015). Secondly, the video expanded on trust, he explained that trust is needed to receive informal authority rather than formal authority. Being a servant leader among nurses, the environment that you work in can function at a higher level when there is trust between you as a leader and others who work for or with you (Anderson, 2016).

Concluding the leadership journal for this week, authority is a powerful gift for someone in a position with authority to directly influence others. Nurses should understand their authority over others they work with and work for. Nursing leaders should use their given authority to influence the new and beginner nurses to be a positive contributor to the profession. Incorporating a servant leader mentality may provide nursing leaders with the skills to effectively guide other nurses to serve others first and be an example for others to follow.

References

Aholaakko, T., & Metsälä, E. (2015). Aseptic practice recommendations for circulating operating theatre nurses. British Journal of Nursing24(13), 670-678.

Anderson, D. (2016). Servant Leadership, Emotional Intelligence: Essential for Baccalaureate Nursing Students. Creative Nursing22(3), 176-180. doi:10.1891/1078-4535.22.3.176

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