Good Management Skills in Nursing

Due to the aging population in America, the healthcare sector is seeing a growth like never before. Huge demand for healthcare services has brought about many changes in the way things work at the various medical facilities, all over the world. The goal of all hospital facilities, whether big or small, is to provide excellent care services to the patients.

In order to meet this goal, lots of organizational changes are being made in the health care systems. For instance, nurses in larger facilities are taking on the roles of leaders and managers, to ensure that quality and standard of services to the patients remains at par.

The nurses in the management positions have to take all the measures that are necessary to see to it that the institution which they are working for is recognized as first-class. To carry on as a leader, nurses have to inculcate and develop various kinds of management skills.

Leadership and management is not all about knowing the rules and regulations and making the others follow them. It is much more than that. A leader has to develop his own style of functioning, which is suitable for a specific workplace as well as the staff working under him. The same thing applies to managers in the nursing profession as well.

A nurse manager has to develop her own leadership style and management skills in accordance to the facility where she is employed as well as the nursing staff under her. Of course, a prior knowledge of the skills that she should possess will definitely make her job easier. So, here is a list of some of the skills that she needs to inculcate:

• A nurse manager should have the mental temperament to work under pressure. She should also have the knack of solving problems amicably, without creating any kind of conflict situations or negativity.

• A nurse manager should have excellent people's skills. As she will be dealing with patients, their families, on a daily basis, she should have the required ability to empathize with them and gain their confidence. She should be on good terms with the nursing staff so that they accept her as their leader and follow whatever rules or changes she initiates.

• In a managerial position, a nurse has to display the qualities that she expects the other nurses to have. As everyone else looks up to her as a role model, she has to be a positive thinker, hard worker, inspirational and devoted to taking care of the patients.
• She sets goals for her staff on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and ensures they meet these goals.

• A nurse manager works as a mentor for the staff working under her. She motivates her staff to become responsible and independent. Thus, she should have the ability to encourage her staff to inculcate leadership qualities so that they can take on managerial responsibility in the future.

• A nurse manager should possess good communication skills. She should be a good listener, taking feedback and suggestions from her staff on a regular basis as well as giving all the necessary inputs and information, which will enhance their work quality.

• A nurse manager should know how to manage her time well. Time management skills in nursing are of utmost importance, due to various factors, including lack of adequate staff. Moreover, if the nurse manager manages time well, the others are most likely to do the same too.

Good management skills are a necessity in any industry. A nurse manager should possess all these skills, should have a vision to make things better and be courageous enough to see that all the organizational goals are met.