Faithin Omaha eBook Collection

Download or read book Implementing Frontline Leaders in Acute Care written by Brenda Montoya-Medina and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The modern nursing profession is faced with many obstacles. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Projections expects the registered nursing (RN) occupation to grow 19% by the year 2022, anticipating 525,000 replacements. (as cited in American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2014, para 2 ). Average American nurse turnover rates are at 13.9%, and many nurses report a need to change professions (AACN, 2014, para 9). Health care structure is constantly adjusting, as organizations strive to meet quality and safety standards demanded by the public through the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Many organizations continue to rely on transactional leadership practices, resulting in ineffective communication, poor response to practice change, and loss of stakeholder support. Organizations witness poor response to change initiatives, increasing turnover rates, higher patient dissatisfaction levels and lower quality of nursing care. With a projected nursing shortage combined with higher expectations of quality health care, organizations need to find a workable solution. Frontline leadership behaviors in acute clinical settings have been shown to influence organizational culture, work environment, staff satisfaction, staff retention, patient outcomes and satisfaction. Research evidence supports a transformational approach to leadership, with an emphasis on comprehensive training of these leaders with organizational support (Cummings et. al, 2009; Germain and Cummings, 2010; Richardson and Storr, 2010; Wong, Cummings, and Ducharme 2013). This proposal includes a plan to integrate trained frontline leaders with transformational leadership qualities in acute clinical settings. Approval will be obtained from key stakeholders and investors, securing financial and organizational support. Information about the nurse leadership program will be communicated with employees, using an application and interview process to place qualified clinical leaders. An educational program will be created and implemented, incorporating techniques promoting transformational leadership qualities and providing information about organizational structure and management. Data will be gathered before and after program completion to evaluate effectiveness on staff retention, patient outcomes and a culture of excellence within the organization. Results of this evaluation will be disseminated to appropriate stakeholders and the nursing community.