Healthcare always seems to be a hot topic as it goes through a number of different reforms each year. The healthcare environment is complex and faces problems such as changing demographics, government policies, economic factors and the shortage of healthcare workers. All such issues in the healthcare sector need to be resolved. Effective healthcare leadership plays a crucial role in shaping a perfect healthcare sector.
What is Healthcare Leadership?
Healthcare leadership is a management skill which entails planning, organizing, implementing, evaluating and budgeting for a specific health company, hospital or healthcare occupation. In short, it means efficient utilization of resources to reach organizational goals. It plays a crucial role in managing medical facilities. With additional leadership and management training, the health’s organization can meet specific U.S. regulations while improving care and combatting the shortage of medical workers.
This training gives nurses and healthcare workers strong communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills. These healthcare leadership qualities will help existing health care workers provide the right training to their peers.
Management and leadership skills can help nurses better understand their role and work more efficiently. They will be more prepared when patient emergencies arise and be able to lead an organized team more effectively. It will also provide nurses with the ability to give equitable services. Leadership training will help them to remove their use of biases in giving care, which in return, allows them to give equitable care to each patient.
Healthcare Leadership Qualities
The most important leadership qualities that should be engrained into healthcare workers are the following;
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Preparation
If you work in the medical field, it most likely means that you will have to face various daily challenges that you may have never dealt with before. Disaster could strike at any time. As new hectic challenges come forth, nurses and healthcare teams must always be prepared. “Proper preparation prevents poor performance” is a saying that rings true for all healthcare professions.
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Communication
Another important healthcare leadership quality is effective and interactive communication. Healthcare professionals who have adapted effective communication skills can better interact with their patients and colleagues. They will be able to help guide and lead new employees to understand the team values and workplace goals. The ability to effective communicate will provide benefits of open communication between patients, employees and managers which should increase the quality of care.
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Decision-Making
The ability to make quick, effective decisions in difficult situations is another important healthcare leadership quality. Healthcare professionals should be able to tackle any emergency problem quickly and make good decisions that will have positive results. Even a decision as small as running additional tests on a patient can make a big difference in a diagnosis or the quality of care the receives.
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Empathy
Last but not the least, healthcare professionals need to be empathic and understanding in the workplace. They need to understand how their patients are feeling and show genuine care for patients and their families. Professionals who already have this quality should train new nurses so they can adopt the same empathy for their patients.
If you are interested in learning what it takes to become a nurse, below we have outlined the three types of nursing education paths you can choose from.
Nursing Education Options
Nursing is a diverse career which will provide you with the ability to work in hospitals, private homes, elderly care centers, or physician’s offices. It is a challenging yet very rewarding career. To become a nurse there are three basic education options available for you;
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Nursing Certificates | Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
The easiest way to get into the nursing profession is to become a CNA. That is a certified nursing assistant. A CNA provide hands-on care to patients in a medical setting with the supervision of a RN or LPN. Certified nursing assistants are not required to get a college degree, but they are required to go through state-sanction training programs and pass a state certification exam.
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Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
Many ADNs are offered by community colleges, technical schools and nursing schools. Through one of these programs, nursing students will go through relevant classwork and hands-on training that will prep them for the final nursing exams. Degrees take anywhere from two to three years to complete. Once getting a ADN, students will be offered to take the NCLEX-RN and apply to become a registered nurse.
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Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
If you’re looking to get a more advanced degree before you go into nursing, a BSN might be right for you. It is a four years program offered by various colleges and universities. In these programs, you’ll learn more about patient care technology, public health promotions, insights into new research and ways to improve patient safety and quality care. Even if you get a BSN, you’ll still have to pass the NCLEX-RN licensing examination. After passing this, you’ll be rewarded with better job opportunities and a higher salary.