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Analyze a Leader
Stephanie Logan & Danielle Loomis
Ferris State University
ANALYZE A LEADER
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Analyze a Leader
This paper analyzes the manager on the 2 South, Ortho/Neuro Unit, at Spectrum Health
Hospital Butterworth Campus. Amanda Bourdon is the current nurse manager on the 2 South
unit, and has been in this position for two months. Bourdon has a long history on the 2 South
unit, previously working as a volunteer, eventually becoming a nurse assistant while in nursing
school, and accepting an RN position on the unit. Bourdon quickly advanced to the charge
nurse, followed by supervisor, and has recently accepted the Nurse Manager position. Bourdon
has a BSN degree, from Grand Valley State University, as well as an orthopedic nurse
certification. In order to keep the position as manager, completion of a Masters degree and
Nurse Executive Board Certification are required. Bourdon excels as a leader on this unit
because of the extensive background in almost every position the floor has to offer. Having
firsthand experience of each position, gives Bourdon an upper hand by knowing what
improvements could be made in every role.
Roles and Responsibilities
As the Nurse Manager, Bourdon has many responsibilities. Nurse Managers must
assume 24-hour accountability, meaning that an individual in this position must be available at
all times, day or night, to assist with issues that need to be addressed (Spectrum, 2011). Bourdon
was recently called in the middle of the night so employees could report a patient fall that had
occurred. Being responsible for operational and financial effectiveness and efficiency of nursing
services on the unit is another responsibility of the nurse manager (Spectrum, 2011). Bourdon
plays a large role in developing processes and procedures, to ensure high quality services to
patients. Some recent changes that Bourdon has made on the 2 South unit include: medication
cue cards, a bowel committee, and call light no pass rule. Medication cue cards were created
ANALYZE A LEADER
as a result of the Patient Satisfaction Survey patient feedback. Patients noted that side effects of
the medications that were passed were never made clear to them. The patients also felt this
information was important and worth knowing. To address this issue, cue cards were created for
the nursing staff to quickly reference the medications, if needed. Nursing staff had concerns with
how to keep better track of bowel movements for patients on the unit. Because of this concern,
the bowel committee was developed. Finally, the no pass call light initiative was rolled out on
the 2 South unit to reduce patient falls. Data was collected on the unit over a period of time, to
determine how long patients are actually waiting for the call light to be answered. It was brought
to managements attention, that many patients were waiting longer than five minutes for staff to
assist, which was leading to more patients get out of bed without assistance, increasing the
number of patient falls. The no pass rule means that whenever there is a call light on, no staff
member on the unit, can pass that room without addressing the patients needs. Bourdon is
responsible for supporting and being present for staff to promote a healthy work environment
(Spectrum, 2011). Addressing staff issues and concerns, is a large part of the nurse manager
role. This may include staff personal problems affecting the work environment, work related
issues, ethical dilemmas, and conflict resolution. Bourdon believes that consistency with hiring,
terminating, and performance feedback is essential in staff satisfaction and retention.
There are a variety of individuals that report to Bourdon. Any staff on the 2 South unit
report to the nurse manager including nurses, nurse technicians, nurse aides, secretaries,
physicians, care management, pharmacy department, and environmental services. Bourdon
reports to Linda Schultz, Nursing Director, and Linda reports to Shaun Ulrich, Chief Nurse
Executive.
Communication and Relationship Building
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Nurse managers are the center of communication on hospital units. According to the
American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), when changes are decided on and need to
be implemented on the floor, it is the nurse managers responsibility to ensure the changes are
made (The American Organization of Nurse Executives, [AONE], 2011, p.4-5). The nurse
manager listens to staff concerns, and reports the concern to superiors to see if a change can be
made. As the nurse manager on 2 South, Bourdon communicates with a variety of individuals
daily. Bourdons primary means of communication is via email and presence on the unit.
Bourdon is excellent at relationship management and shared-decision making. Being present on
the unit daily, checking in with each individual nurse to see how the day is going, and being
consistent with performance feedback and disciplinary action, is key in relationship building.
Weekly newsletters are sent and monthly staff meetings are held to keep staff up to date on
changes coming in the future, as well as things that the unit should work on and things that have
been executed well. Staff must attain an 80% attendance rate to staff meetings within a year.
This was put into place, by Bourdon, to ensure that staff is adequately educated on the
expectations and changes that occur on the unit.
Knowledge of Health Care Environment
As the nurse manager, being current on evidenced-based nursing practice, and facility
policies is required (AONE, 2011, p.6-7). Bourdon is in close contact with Linda Schultz and
Shaun Ulrich, for updates or changes in policy or evidenced-based practice. Staff meetings are
held, emails are sent, and weekly updates are posted around the unit to ensure staff is aware of
the changes. An example to improve patient safety is the Kabashi Board. This is a board of
different safety concerns the unit may have. At the beginning of each shift, the charge nurse
must pick a card that has a specific concern on it, such as checking in on patients pain control,
ANALYZE A LEADER
or making sure Foley bags are not sitting on the floor. Over the course of the day, the charge
nurse must then check every room for that specific safety concern, and then documents any
problems that were found. This is another way to check rooms for safety concerns that may pose
a risk to a patient, which are sometimes missed if not specifically looked for. Bourdon has
embraced many quality improvement changes on the unit, and rewards staff for making changes
to improve safety.
Leadership
Bourdon demonstrates leadership in multiple ways, on a daily basis. Not only is
leadership a part of the job description, it is something Bourdon naturally possesses. Listening to
the ideas and concerns from the staff on the unit, is a strong example of her leadership skills.
Bourdon believes it is important to not only listen, but take their ideas and thoughts into
consideration as well. As a new nurse manager, Bourdon struggles with leading her department
in visionary thinking and new innovative ideas. Bourdon feels this is something she will be
better at in the future, but at this time learning how to manage everything and staying up to date,
consumes most of the time. Implementing the no pass zone demonstrates strong leadership
skills. The no pass zone was successfully implemented because it was driven by Bourdons
outstanding leadership qualities.
Professionalism
Bourdon meets the professionalism aspect of being a nurse manager, by being a positive
role model for the organization. Accountability is also a high standard that is held for her and the
floor employees, alike. Being positive, always being available, and being willing to help solve
any questions that arise on the floor, are all ways Bourdon tries to be an active role model.
Because Bourdon has worked in almost every role within the unit, understanding what it is like
ANALYZE A LEADER
to have a strong leader as a manager is well understood by Bourdon. Bourdon leads by example,
and holds the staff accountable for their actions. Discipline is practiced by the conflict resolution
approach. This approach consists of up to three infractions, which are noted in employees file.
The first policy misconduct results in a notice. The second is an employees final notice, and the
third; one must resign or become fired. All three of the misconducts must happen within a year.
After the year is over, an employee starts with a clean slate. Bourdon strictly follows this policy
because a manager must lead by example and set the barriers for the organization.
Business Skills
Business skills are a strong quality of Bourdon. On a daily basis, Bourdon runs a
meeting where they look at staffing and where cuts should be made for the day. This meeting
consists of several different floors around 2 South. Bourdon works the staffing and utilizes
employees, which is a financial management strategy. In order to save as much money as
possible and not be overstaffed, Bourdon redirects any extra personnel from another floor that is
not being utilized. Bourdon demonstrates business skills, but a lot is left to be desired. Because
she is new to the manager role, Bourdon believes within time, the business side of things will
become a strong point.
Conclusion
Being a nurse manager is a heavy role that takes many skills to successfully run.
References
ANALYZE A LEADER
Spectrum Health. (2011, December). Job Description. In Spectrum Health. Retrieved February,
2015.
The American Organization of Nurse Executives. (2011).The aone nurse executive
competencies.The American Organization of Nurse Executives, p. 1-11.