Role Of Position Research Articles

Nurses’ perceptions of preparedness for acting as Nurse Unit Managers: A cross-sectional study.

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> The Nurse Unit Manager role is vital to achieving outcomes in health care. Although research shows that Nurse Unit Managers feel underprepared for the role, little is known about the experiences of senior clinical nurses as they move into the role. The perspectives of these nurses are important because their perceptions of preparedness will likely affect their experiences, impacting patient and organisational outcomes. <h3>Aim</h3> The aim of this study was to explore the development opportunities available to potential nurse unit managers in an Australian health service, the effectiveness of these and nurses' perceptions of preparedness for acting in the role. <h3>Methods</h3> A largely quantitative approach was used to collect cross-sectional data via a survey-based study design. The study examined the experiences of senior nurses who had acted in the Nurse Unit Manager role, across four domains aligned with the role's position description. <h3>Findings</h3> Overall, participants reported feeling unprepared for the Nurse Unit Manager role, which negatively affected their experiences. Participants reported a deficit in support and structured development opportunities provided to potential Nurse Unit Managers. Where education was received, participants reported feeling more confident and prepared. <h3>Discussion</h3> The findings suggest that education, mentorship and experience in acting in the role contributed to nurses feeling prepared and confident about transitioning into the Nurse Unit Manager role. Further research should be directed to the development, implementation and evaluation of structured development programs that encompass these aspects. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This study indicates that strategies should be implemented to improve the preparation of potential Nurse Unit Managers.

Emotional Intelligence and Work Perceptions Among Nurse Managers.

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to a person's ability to acknowledge the feelings of oneself and others, and to control those feelings so as to behave in a socially acceptable manner. We investigated the relationships between the characteristics of EI among nurse managers, and their perceptions of how much their position's roles and responsibilities can be delegated to other staff members. We surveyed 150 nurse managers working at 30 hospitals by using an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of basic attributes, EI and work perception. The emotional intelligence scale (EQS) domain scores were analyzed by means of one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. EQS scores were compared with corresponding averages for working adults in the instructions. The perceived importance of duties of nurse managers was compared between the resulting EQS scores 'High' and 'Low' groups. The analysis population consisted of 105 nurse managers. Their EQS scored higher in all three domains, and with the exception of Altruism for all factor scores than the average for working adults. The perceived importance of the typical duties of nurse managers were compared between the High and Low groups for each EQS domain. Significant differences were observed between nurse managers with High and Low Intrapersonal emotional quotient (EQ) on four tasks. No significant differences were found for any of the responsibilities when nurse managers with High and Low Interpersonal EQ or Situational EQ were compared. The nurse managers' average EQS scores were higher in all areas. The high scores that were exhibited by could be considered desirable qualities for nurse managers. It seemed nurse managers with high scores in intrapersonal EQ struck a good balance between placing importance on EI considerations like managing relationships and creating a comfortable workplace, and management and leadership behaviors like department management and operations and data management.

Finding the Key to a Better Code: Code Team Restructure to Improve Performance and Outcomes

Code teams respond to acute life threatening changes in a patient's status 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If any variable, whether a medical skill or non-medical quality, is lacking, the effectiveness of a code team's resuscitation could be hindered. To improve the overall performance of our hospital's code team, we implemented an evidence-based quality improvement restructuring plan. The code team restructure, which occurred over a 3-month period, included a defined number of code team participants, clear identification of team members and their primary responsibilities and position relative to the patient, and initiation of team training events and surprise mock codes (simulations). Team member assessments of the restructured code team and its performance were collected through self-administered electronic questionnaires. Time-to-defibrillation, defined as the time the code was called until the start of defibrillation, was measured for each code using actual time recordings from code summary sheets. Significant improvements in team member confidence in the skills specific to their role and clarity in their role's position were identified. Smaller improvements were seen in team leadership and reduction in the amount of extra talking and noise during a code. The average time-to-defibrillation during real codes decreased each year since the code team restructure. This type of code team restructure resulted in improvements in several areas that impact the functioning of the team, as well as decreased the average time-to-defibrillation, making it beneficial to many, including the team members, medical institution, and patients.