To be a change agent means to simply facilitate change.  The change agent is responsible for translating changes into plans and executing them while also motivating and encouraging others to achieve the desire results (Nurse Leader, 2017).  As a leader, I have been a change agent on many occasions.  I am the responsible person for training and enforcing policy changes in the clinic.  Change does not always (if ever) go over smoothly with my team.  One scenario in specific stands out to me.  Recent changes in leadership at our facility have created some chaos at the clinic.  Annual clinical competencies have always been completed and reported in the same manner.  When the new leadership came, the entire evaluation and competency program was revamped.  Although this was for the better, the staff had a difficult time adjusting.  After being given my guidelines, I was responsible for creating a plan to get all of the skills organized.  This included making a schedule to have everyone observed and signed off, educating staff where needed, and reporting the results to my leadership.  I motivated the team with words of encouragement.  “How fortunate are we to work for a facility that not only keeps us accountable, but also aids in our continued education to help us be as informed as possible.  We are able to provide better care to our patients because we are better educated.” 

Another nurse at my facility (also a member of leadership) is often times a change agent as well.  She has a way of wording things to sound pleasant when they may not be.  In this way, she encourages and motivates our team to take active roles in changes around the clinic that they may otherwise shy away from.  The staff are more engaged with changes when they feel involved.  This makes a smoother transition for everyone.

Comment 1

My executive summary will be on change of shift admissions and effects on patient care. Change of shift is a vulnerable time for both patients and nurses. During change of shift, critical informatin regarding patients is communicated to the on-coming nurse and ancillary staff. Interuptions during hand-off, including admissions and transfers may hinder the integrity of communication between nurses and delay the completion of critical patient-centered tasks. I would like to create a policy to decrease the flow of traffic during critical shift change times between the hours of 7:15am-8:15am and 7:15pm-8:15pm.

Comment 2

I would like to describe differing approaches of nursing leaders and managers to issues in practice when discussing nurse-staffing ratios. This is a big issue in the country because aside from California, legally mandated nurse-staffing ratios do not exist. When it is discussed in the hospital now, nursing supervisors discourage it by telling nurses that it is not all it’s cracked up to be. Some hospitals can go under due to the need to staff appropriately. When talking to a nurse who has worked under both situations, she has said that the cost of healthcare ends up declining in a good way because nurses are making less overworked mistakes and patient-satisfaction is up. This can be the big difference between managers and leaders in the big picture of things. Managers will listen to nursing complaints of being overworked beyond safe circumstances and the manager will simply say, “this is what you signed up for when you became a nurse,” like we’re soldiers complaining about being shot at when we chose to be a soldier. We signed up for nursing to care for patients and participate in the optimization of their help. Leaders will listen to nursing complaints and ask themselves what can they do to help. At the end of the day, if more people were leaders, nursing shortages may not exist. Nurses would be happier and stay in their positions longer.  

Comment 1

There are numerous ways to communicate with the stakeholders as well as the executives of the hospital. Communication is an important means of transmitting information as well as making other understand oneself. As a leader, I would start sharing my outreach program vision by using written communication. This will help me share effectively and thoroughly through explaining how this program will benefit the entire community. I would also organize a meeting to provide a professional presentation concerning the program’s benefits. I would use non-verbal communication methodologies to make the community members see my vision like making eye contact, having an open stance and smiling among others. I would use effective verbal communication through speaking clearly as well as allow time for others to communicate (Huber, 2018). This will help communicate effectively my vision for the outreach program.

Strategic management may be described as organization management based on its vision. To accomplish this, one needs to develop a vision, set objectives, develop strategies, execute the strategies as well as evaluate the outcomes. I would use the strategic management process to make the outreach program vision a reality. In the written communication as well as the presentation I will ensure that my mission and vision of the outreach program are stated clearly to make sure that stakeholders and the executives understand the purpose of this program. Setting objectives mean explaining the program goal and creating an implementation strategy mean explaining my plan on how to reach the goals. After the executives and the stakeholders decide to execute the strategies for developing an outreach program, then I would evaluate the program effectiveness constantly (Huber, 2018). As a leader, using the strategic management will allow me understand the community needs, determine the community future and set achievable goals and plans.

Comment 2

There are a wide range of tools that can be used for outreach program and implementation of strategic management. Strategic management is defined as the process by which managers of the firm analyze the internal and external environments for the purpose of formulating strategies and allocating resources to develop a competitive advantage in an industry that allows for the successful achievement 00resources, processes and skills and also monitoring of action steps in order to cope with unpredictable internal and external factors. Management in this context therefore indicates the ability to manage the constant changing circumstances, which organizations have to face regularly. Strategic management is therefore said to “understand the strategic position of an organization, its strategic choices for the future and turning strategies into action.” Huber, D. (2014).  Strategic management is, in terms of decision making, not only in the organization of operation-based procedures but also includes more organizational, non- routine and more complex procedures.

 I will use stakeholder approach for the outreach program become reality. The idea of stakeholder approach to strategic management, suggests that managers must formulate and implement processes 00is to manage and integrate the relationships and interests of shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, communities and other groups in a way that ensures the long-term success of the firm. A stakeholder approach accentuates active management of the business environment, relationships and the promotion of shared interests. Stakeholder approach encourages management to develop strategies by looking out from the firm and identifying, and investing in, all the relationships that will ensure long-term success.

Comments 1

As a nurse leader, I would like to see my hospital implement a food bank for needy members of the community. In order to develop a shared vision with my stakeholder, I would first provide statistics on how many members of the community go without food. For instance, one in every six children in New Jersey, struggles with hunger (N. Leonard 2016). I would then provide a visual representation. I would take all the food one of the stakeholders had in a day and compare that to how much some of our community members might eat. For instance, the stakeholder may start the day with two cups of coffee, 3 eggs and a piece of sausage. For the lunch, he or she may eat a chicken Caesar salad, diet coke, and a latte from Starbucks. Finally, he or she would sit down to a spaghetti and meatball dinner with garlic bread. I would put all of this food in front of them then take the piece of sausage and coffee to the side. I would explain that this is what some members of our community might have in a day. I would then explain why this is an issues for the stakeholders. People in the community cannot afford food, become deconditioned, and end up in our hospitals with no means to pay for their medical bills. By helping the community outside the hospital, the cost the hospital eats from hospitalizing these people may be lower. I would apply strategic management but allowing for people to volunteer at the desk of a food bank. These volunteers could be college kids that can use us as a resume builder. I would ensure that there were enough fundraisers to pay for the facility and enough leftover to buy extra food when donations are slow coming in. Finally and most importantly, I would reach out to the community asking for donations for non-perishable items.

Comment 2

As a nurse leader there are numerous approaches to communicate with administrators and stakeholders of the health facility. I would start sharing my vision for the effort program through composed correspondence; this will enable me to share altogether and viably with the goal that I may clarify how the program will profit the network. In the wake of giving all the data in a composed arrangement I would then sort out a gathering in which I could give an expert introduction about the advantages of the program (Huber, 2017).The techniques I would use all together enable the individuals to see my vision would utilize nonverbal correspondence, for example, grinning, having an open position, not remaining with my back to anybody, and looking. I would likewise use viable verbal correspondence by talking unmistakably and enabling time for others to convey. 

Key administration is characterized as the administration of an organization in view of its vision, this is refined by following the parts of building up a vision, setting destinations, creating techniques, executing systems, and assessing the outcomes. Keeping in mind the end goal to make to the vision for the effort program a reality I will use the vital administration process. In my introduction and composed correspondence, I will obviously express the vision and mission of the effort program with the goal that the partner can comprehend the reason behind the effort program. By using vital administration, it enables me as a nursing pioneer to comprehend the necessities of my locale, set achievable objectives and plans, and additionally enable me to decide the eventual fate of the network.