Relationships in the health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Relationships in the health care - Essay Example If leadership and management are defined by the ability or the position to implement change, then in this case, leadership and management become a role appropriated to the health care providers-more specifically in this paper, to the nurses. The roles that nurse's play in patient care is as critical as that of any other health care professional because they are considered the "frontliners" of health care (Consumer Health Care Products Association 2002). They are usually the ones who are directly involved and are aware of every minute circumstance that happens to the patient. Nurses provide the patients and families a favorable environment for healing which must be both humane and caring. They serve as the clinicians, educators and researchers. Nurses are the initial assessors of the patients' health status. Part of their roles is to identify and intervene with clinical problems, appraise the risks, manage those problems and be able to lead effective change. They interpret diagnostic tests, plan and sometimes prescribe both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment of health conditions and also monitor the patients' treatment and health status (Ed4nurses 2006; Quan 2006). Being a nurse requires much decision-making in relation to the very complex and inconsistent patient care problems in the health care setti... Only by using these skills well will nurses become excellent in their profession. Leadership and management entail skills like delegation, appraisal, staff development, disciplinary handling, employee relations, negotiations, and chairing and conduct in meetings. It is a requisite for managers to be able to identify general as well as specific objectives, and diagnose and gain full understanding of problems to be able to take effective actions. Leadership and management involve actions that have people guide, direct and influence others to a certain objective (Van Wagner 2006). In the context of health care, leadership and management skills are requisites in health care professionals particularly those in the nursing profession who must directly interact with the patients, their colleagues and even themselves. The nurses have to guide, direct and influence their patients to recover from their conditions. They have to guide, direct and influence their colleagues to set high work standards especially in terms of caring efficiency and work quality. In the same way, those in the nursing profession also have to guide, direct and influence even themselves to maintain their high work standards. As with any other career, skills in leadership and management are necessary if one needs to advance in the nursing profession. It is not a question of choice on whether or not a nurse wants to become a leader and manager because these are given roles that are already attached to the nurses' long list of responsibilities. The only choice for registered nurses is whether or not they want to lead and manage well (Ed4nurses 2006). Nurses who have developed skills in leadership and management are said to have improved patient