Leadership and Advocacy in Nursing

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Table of Contents

Defining Advocacy
Leadership Advocacy Example
The Impact of Leadership and Its Application
Methods for Development
Challenges
Conclusion
References

Leadership plays an important role in nursing practice. It may vary in methods of implementation and brings different results. While there are some limitations and challenges of nursing advocacy, it is generally characterized by having a positive effect on populations undergoing medical treatment.

Defining Advocacy

It is crucial to determine what lies within the concept of advocacy. Several studies address this question and offer an extensive definition of this term. Advocacy is regarded as a set of actions targeted at promoting and supporting people’s health by working along with corresponding stakeholders, ensuring access to health care, and providing opportunities for community health improvement by working with relevant decision-makers on enforcing the health care policies (Ezeonwu, 2015, p. 126). Briefly speaking, advocacy is work done by nurses to support patients and other community members on every step of the health care system.

Leadership Advocacy Example

One of the examples where nurses implement the leadership advocacy principles can be seen in creating various patient support groups. These groups are usually attended by people who have the same diagnosis. The common case is the illness diagnosed to a patient is dangerous and sometimes not subject to treatment. People who are aware of having such an illness require extensive psychological support, as they experience fear and uncertainty regarding their future. Sharing this fear with people undergoing the same situation can be beneficial for patients, resulting in a positive attitude towards the future and optimistic outcomes.

Nichols and Wright (2015) have researched the support group for patients diagnosed with a brain tumor, which shows evidence of the nurses’ leadership’s positive impact. The role of leaders in nursing is classified as not only the task of coordinating patients but also the way of changing their lifestyle. While doctors are mostly viewed as technical specialists, nurses use their soft competencies to treat people. The study suggests that the main reasons for the support group’s positive dynamics are based on the practices of building long-term relationships with patients and their families (Nichols & Wright, 2015, p. 465). A personal approach has created an atmosphere in which people felt comfortable and willing to follow the suggested scenarios of treatment.

The Impact of Leadership and Its Application

Initiatives taken by nurses are not limited to the direct work with patients. They may also be targeted at implementing regulations and practices targeted at enhancing the working conditions of the staff. The studies prove that nursing leadership advocacy may result in the decline of mortality rates by “creating safe working environments that promote satisfied and high performing staff and establishing adequate staffing and resources to avoid unnecessary deaths” (Wong, 2015, p. 276). Professional collaboration is a key to ensuring all nurses have the same performance standards. Moreover, communication between leaders and staff is required for receiving feedback on the nurses’ satisfaction with work conditions, as they are the factor defining their performance.

Methods for Development

Clinics and health care unions are currently working on methods that could be applied to leadership advocacy development. Numerous interviews are conducted throughout the country to collect the nurses’ opinions on how they perceive leadership. Personal stories feature abstract concepts such as “creativity, change, collaboration, community, context and courage” (Buckner et al., 2014, p. 470). These terms are short definitions for methods used in real practice. For instance, the article by Buckner et al. (2014) tells about the impact made by the Columbian community on helping families regarding caring practices. This example proves that nursing can be performed with united efforts.

Initiatives targeted at developing the leadership advocacy may also be described in more specific terms. They may include health promotional campaigns for increasing the community’s medical literacy. Methods for accessing medical and social treatment should go along with these programs, linking theory to practice. Moreover, the collaboration between clinics and associations mentioned above would be a base for creating consistent leadership guidelines and knowledge sharing. Technical support is crucial for this step, so it must be taken care of as well. Besides, technologies will give people an option to contact nurses in the way which they find to be the most comfortable.

Challenges

Despite all the positive outcomes of the leading advocacy initiatives, there are some drawbacks to the system. The core element in it is, of course, the staff. However, countries all over the world are experiencing a nursing shortage. Budgets are being cut each year, and professionals do not feel rewarded for their input. Moreover, the workload increases as the number of practicing nurses declines. It puts staff in a situation where there is no time for other initiatives apart from the primary responsibilities. There also exists a problem with acquiring experience from nursing leaders. Young professionals tend to have high expectations of their management, even to the extent of them being unrealistic (Dyess, Sherman, Pratt, & Chiang-Hanisko, 2016). Personnel does not find the leaders’ actions inspiring or educational. Thus, there is no motivation for growth and devotion to the career.

Conclusion

Nursing leadership advocacy is a powerful tool in changing health care services. Nurses can affect the lives of patients and the industry’s mechanisms. Despite the challenges regarding the lack of time and resources, they enrich the medical treatment practices and positively influence the communities’ lives.

References

Buckner, E. B., Anderson, D. J., Garzon, N., Hafsteinsdóttir, T. B., Lai, C. K. Y., & Roshan, R. (2014). “Perspectives on global nursing leadership: international experiences from the field.” International Nursing Review, 61(4), 463-471. Web.

Dyess, S. M., Sherman, R. O., Pratt, B. A., & Chiang-Hanisko, L. (2016). “Growing nurse leaders: Their perspectives on nursing leadership and today’s practice environment.” Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(1), 3. Web.

Ezeonwu, M. C. (2015). “Community health nursing advocacy: A concept analysis.” Journal of Community Health Nursing, 32(2), 115-128. Web.

Nichols, L. J., & Wright, K. M. (2015). “Implementing a primary healthcare framework: The importance of nursing leadership in developing and maintaining a brain tumor support group.” Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 19(4), 463-467. Web.

Wong, Carol A. (2015). “Connecting nursing leadership and patient outcomes: state of the science.” Journal of Nursing Management, 23(3), 275-278. Web.

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