Why are management and leadership skills necessary for Nurses and Care Assistants?

May 14, 2018
Paul Johnson

Every profession requires some level of proven managerial and leadership skills. Having practical knowledge of your field of practice is never enough until you possess these skills.

The nursing profession is not left out; asides displaying empathy and compassion to patients, nurses, and care assistants also need to be able to demonstrate management and leadership skills.

In the healthcare system, equipping yourself with the right leadership qualities will have you prepared for anything. You will be able to respond to imminent challenges and opportunities, amongst many others.

See why the following leadership skills are pivotal to your success as a Nurse and Care Assistant:

  • You’ll need these skills to sharpen your global perspective. As a nurse or a Care assistant, you’d be working in a community of different people; hence, the need to embrace the cultural diversity within the society. Having a global perspective will make your response to universal healthcare trends more effective. To tackle widespread health issues, there’s a need for working together, sharing technologies, ideas, and approaches.

 

  • You also need a functional knowledge of technological know-how if you must operate efficiently. The world is going digital on increasing speed. Knowledge of biometrics, clinical decision support, and electronic health records (EHR) support daily interactions in healthcare. They also affect the collection and maintenance of healthcare data.

 

  • Another management skill is being proficient in making decisions. Results from experimentation and research often form the basis of healthcare decisions. You don’t make decisions alone as a nurse leader. As such, to aid your decision-making process and combat problems effectively, you need to be part of communities made up of foremost researchers, managers, and scientists.

 

  • The ability to communicate and work well with a team: This skill is also essential for every nurse and care assistant. Being a good leader revolves around sustainable relationships, working as a team in cooperation, managing conflicts, and staying on the same page. Achieving a balance will not always come easy, but clear communication and unity of purpose hold it all together. Communication also involves being a good listener as well as being a sound speaker.
  • Having integrity is an essential and valuable quality of a leader. When there are targets and budgets to be met within the healthcare system, Nurses and care assistants may find themselves in a moral quandary. The real values could be replaced with falsity while trying to meet up with performance expectations. Personal integrity aids nurses and cares assistants in making the right choices during critical stages in patients’ health treatment.
  • Adaptability; change is dynamic, and as a leader, you need to be able to adapt quickly to the changing tides of your work setting. Being proactive and resilient is an outstanding quality that will help you stand tall and strong when faced with a healthcare system on the brink of chaos. Nurse leaders need to embrace change, adapt to it, and in doing so, give a new lease of life to the workforce.

In a nutshell, the management and leadership skills necessary for nurses and care assistants are inexhaustible. These skills work hand in hand to ensure positive growth, proper organization, and efficacy of service delivery in healthcare. As a nurse or a Care assistant, you will be better having these skills.