Self-Assessment of Leadership, Collaboration, and Ethics
Leadership has earned heated debates on what makes an individual a better candidate for the position. Various qualities are explored to define the kind of leadership and determine the individual's excellence or failures. Self-control and self-awareness are necessary to keep leaders on their toes and help them know how they need to react to specific issues in their careers. Self-reflection is critical to allow the awareness and control abilities to be reviewed and enhanced desirably. Leaders need commitment and dedication to effectively carry out their obligations. Excellent leaders need a culture of learning and continuous growth and development to foster new skills and experiences. The Western Medical Enterprise Questionnaire reveals critical issues that earned the response as presented in this assessment section. The response explores the leadership attributes, behaviors, and approaches that promote collaboration and the use of specific codes to address ethical issues.
Section I: Leadership and Collaboration Experience
I recently worked at John Hopkins Hospital as a registered nurse and was required to lead a group of nurses in the emergency room (ER). The team's shared vision was to ensure the patients have safe and quality care from the nursing department. The vision was fostered by the nursing objective to always work to assure patients of safe and quality care delivery. My time at the hospital experienced significant challenges following the outbreak of coronavirus. The work mode had to change, and the team was forced to adapt to new work dynamics. I used a transformational leadership approach to manage the team and drive them towards the main objectives. Transformational leadership is where leaders work with their teams to identify the need for change, create a vision, and guide them to execute the reforms (Nicola et al., 2018). The pandemic introduced various hospital measures, and the teams needed to change to meet the new work guidelines defined by the World Health Organization and other health agencies. The facility stakeholders appreciated my approach to leading the team as I worked to ensure they are all aware of the need for the new measures and stay motivated to work and maintain quality care.
The assertive communication approach has been my best mode of communication with the team members. The model includes active listening, open to feedback from the teams, and setting clear expectations. During this period, these factors were imperative where nurses are exposed to the virus infection and the riskiest profession. I listened to every concern the team members raised, asked for their opinion and input on specific issues, and informed them of what the emergency room expected from them. The assertive communication approach helped manage the team and efficiently implement the desired principles and objectives (Real & Pilny, 2017). The most appropriate decision was to involve the team members in finding a solution to our department's issues. I will uphold this tradition as it helped develop better working guidelines and principles and a source of motivation for the team. On the same aspect, behavioral decision-making seemed appropriate, especially when using the transformational leadership style. The approach helps note the team's poor behaviors and use the best appropriate approach to ensure the issue is countered. The behavior approach to decision-making empowers the team members, creates a feeling of value, and enhances the communication within the department.
The approach to improve collaboration, motivation, and team engagement is teleconferencing. The aspect of social distancing as recommended by the health stakeholders applies to prevent the spread of the virus. The approach allows the team members to listen to each other actively and observe the nonverbal cues and emotional connection (Karis, Wildman & Mané, 2016). It allows the collaboration between the team members to be enhanced and engagement among the remote individuals.
Section II: Ethics Experience
Ethical issues are more challenging in the healthcare sector. Ethical dilemma for nurses is more sensitive and involves the emotional ability of the leaders. Such issues involve putting the nurses and their leaders in a position where they are torn between following their professional code and their employer or religious obligations. John Hopkins expects the employees to uphold integrity, compassion, innovation and maintain safe and quality care management. Such expectations influence the employees to hold themselves and their patients to the most rigorous possible ethical deeds without compromising their work principles.
Sometime in the past, I encountered a case where a family wanted to impose their religious beliefs on their son not to undergo treatment at the hospital. The patient was a minor, and it was appropriate for the parents to intervene in the decision making. However, he was not in agreement with his parents' decision to forgo the treatment on a religious basis. As a nurse, it was an ethical dilemma on whether to listen to the parents or uphold the minor's decision. In response, I exercised the autonomy principle of ethical decision making in the healthcare setting. I acted on the basis that each person had the right to make their choice. The principle makes the basis for informed consent in the relationship between the patient and the physician (Donnelly & MacEntee, 2016). I ignored the fact that the patient was a minor and took note of his choice to treat the religious background.
The professional nursing code influenced the decision to exercise the patient's interest despite his status as a minor. I recalled taking an each to always make sure every individual receives the best treatment and always gives safe and quality care. My work as a nurse is to ensure my patients are safe and treated, and allowed to live healthy lives (American Nurses Association, 2015). The principle of autonomy and the oath of nursing practice informed my decision to listen to the choice selected by the patient. Although the parents threatened to sue me for the issue, I chose to uphold my obligations as a nurse to make my patient safe and to allow him to decide on his health.
Conclusion
Leadership in the healthcare setting is critical and desires the best attributes, skills, and experiences. The leadership techniques, qualities, and values are significant factors to consider when exercising in the nursing sector. The responsibility to the organization, profession, and followers to embrace ethical deeds is among the key agenda for leaders. Excellent leaders reflect on their actions and behaviors to make necessary reforms and foster accountability in their careers. Leaders desire a learning culture to assure them of the best appropriate results in their teams and achieve goals.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Nursingworld.org. https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
Donnelly, L., & MacEntee, M. I. (2016). Care perceptions among residents of LTC facilities purporting to offer person-centred care. Canadian Journal on Aging, 35(2), 149-160. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0714980816000167
Karis, D., Wildman, D., & Mané, A. (2016). Improving remote collaboration with video conferencing and video portals. Human-Computer Interaction, 31(1), 1- 58. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2014.921506
Paolucci, Nicola & Dimas, Isabel & Zappalà, Salvatore & Lourenço, Paulo & Rebelo, Teresa. (2018). Transformational Leadership and Team Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Affective Team Commitment. Revista de Psicología del Trabajo y de las Organizaciones. 34. 000-000. 10.5093/jwop2018a16.
Real, K., & Pilny, A (2017). Health care teams as agents for change in health and risk messaging. In R. Parrott (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health and Risk Message Design and Processing. New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.517
