Leadership reflection free essay sample

ThoughtLeading and managing is a vast process in nursing. Leadership is the process of engaged decision making linked with actions taken in the face of complex, unchartered or perilous circumstances present in clinical situations for which no standardized solution exists (Bleich, M. R. , 2011) Description: I would like to share an incident in my nursing experience where one of my colleagues played a leadership role. I was working in the cardio thoracic and vascular surgery intensive care unit (ICU) on an evening shift. It was a large unit in that hospital with 20 beds, and we had 1:1 ratio for nurse and patient. That was a busy day and the ICU was almost full with 18 post operative patients. We 18 nurses were posted in the ICU at that time except shift in-charge. As per the unit policy, there should have been one extra nurse for each shift. However, fortunately or unfortunately, no extra nurse was available on that day. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership reflection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, all of us were taking care of patients assigned to each of us. Around 1700 hours, the shift in-charge received an urgent call from the operation theatre, informing that the patient who was arriving from the operation room needed immediate attention. Moreover, they were sending the patient within five minutes. Just after listening to the telephone call, the shift in-charge informed everyone in the unit in a loud voice to keep the emergency medications, emergency cart and the defibrillator ready. But half of the team members did not understand why she was shouting. So that, not everyone listen to the message. One of my colleagues and I were at the very end of the unit and so we could only hear that she was shouting for something. I heard some other nurses talking about the phone call, and then I reached the other end of the unit. By that time, the patient already had arrived in the unit. When I reached there, only one staff was standing nearby the patients bed and the rest ran together to take the emergency medicines. In fact, nothing was organized to deal with that emergency situation. Neither the emergency medicines, the cart, nor the defibrillator was ready at the bed side. We all became very nervous and could not concentrate on what we were doing, because of lack of co-ordination and leadership. The patients condition was deteriorating. He was on continuous ventricular tachycardia and was hemodynamically unstable. His ABG showed respiratory alkalosis. The patient was on full code. One of our staff called code team. So, they arrived along with the physician. After receiving the surgeons command, as a team, with the other junior doctors, other nurses, cardiac perfusionist, and the respiratory therapist sincerely tried to retain the life of the patient and somehow we could do that. The time ran away and reached the end of our shift. Till then, no one remembered to inform the family members of the patient. The next day following that incident, the patients wife came to visit the patient and asked about the current condition of the patient and then she came to know about the last days happenings. She got very angry because nobody informed her about the situation, and she complained about the occurrence to our chief surgeon. Due to all these reasons, we were scolded by our chief surgeon. This situation is managed poorly because of poor leadership skills, lack of collaboration, and lack of critical thinking skills. Reflection and Analysis: Initially, I felt I was going to pass out in front of our chief surgeon. Because he was shouting and was really aggressive. My nervousness and fear did not allow me to open my mouth to rationalize the situation. At that time, I was thinking about myself and how could I run away from that situation. I did not think about the patient. Later, I questioned myself about the patient. If we could not restore his life, what would have been happened? How would have his family members cope with the loss? Moreover, the situation might become a life-long stress for me. I might think about the situation till I die. Firstly, when I reflect upon this incident, I have learnt that leadership has an important role in nursing. For instance, if our senior nurse who played the leadership role was knowledgeable about the main components and qualities of a good leader, she would not have done such a mistake in an emergency situation like that. If she knew the basics of leadership, she would have divided the task to each of us in the team. Furthermore, I have learned that a leader should be knowledgeable, able to work within the team, confident and enthusiastic. When I reviewed the leadership styles, I found the democratic leadership style is the best to be applied in nursing. Hibberd Smith (2006) says, The effectiveness of the leadership style is determined by the appropriateness of that style to the environment in which it is being used. In my opinion, a leader in nursing must be an active listener, has the skill to deal with complex / conflicting situations, protective to clients as well as colleagues, be able to convey the correct message to the health care team, be organized in their decisions, be a motivator, and be responsible to their own actions and decisions. Also in an emergency situation, each nurse is a leader. An efficient nurse must have the knowledge, skill, and judgement to manage any emergency situation. Secondly, I realised that there was a lack of communication and collaboration between the team members and the delegation task was not properly arranged. If the team leader was able to communicate the whole message which she received over the phone, we might have overcome that challenging situation in a different way. Also, failure to collaborate added to the improper handling of the situation. Riley, J. B. , (2008) says, Collaboration ensures the benefits of two heads working on a health problem; this is essential because nursing cannot exist in a vacuum. (p. 35). The situation shows a lack of empowerment of the staff by providing the elements such as the correct information on what the situation was about, enough support in the situation, and resources, along with informal/formal power. Finally, critical thinking skill is an important component of good leadership. If our team leader or the staff used their critical thinking power, the outcome of that might have been different. Critical thinkers usually start with inquiring about the current situation. We would have asked our shift in-charge about What? How? When? questions to learn more about the telephone message. Critical thinkers approach problem solutions in a systematic, organized, and goal-directed way when making clinical decisions, Arnold Boggs, (2011). Conclusion and action plan: Having experienced with this situation, I have significantly developed an insight on how such events should be handled. I now feel, if I was in the position of my colleague who played the leadership role, I would have handled the same situation in a better way. I would have informed my colleagues about the telephone message clearly and clarified their doubts. Then, I would have assigned each nurse for each task, and asked for their opinion. Also I would have work with them to meet the goal of stabilizing the emergency situation. However, I have not sufficiently developed my skills in communicating with the health care team using SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) tool. This means that I have to learn more about the communication using SBAR tool in the context of Canadian Health care System. This skill is essential to me as a learner because, I have no experience as a nurse in the Canadian Health care System, and I know that it is totally different from where I have experienced as nurse. As a next step, I need develop a learning goal in order to meet the standards of College of Nurses of Ontario. To put it in a nutshell, a nurse leader has the skills of organizing actions and decisions, as well as their focus should be on the clients well-being. In future, if the same situation occurs in my career, I will be able to manage or handle the situation smoothly without blaming anyone. I am confident that, I can easily adapt to such emergency situations without being nervous. I believe in continuous learning.

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buy custom Case Analysis-Terri Schiavo essay Terri Schiavo was a legal case in the United States of America that involved the parents of Teresa Marie Schiavo and her legal guardians. Teresa Schiavo was commonly referred to as Terri. Terri was the main subject of this legal case. In 1990, she collapsed at her home in St. Petersburg, Florida due to cardiac arrest. Her brain was damaged due to ineffective supply of oxygen, and she remained in a coma for two months. Her condition was elevated to vegetative state. Doctors tried to restore Terry to the state of awareness through physical and experimental therapy. In 1998, her husband felt that her feeding tube be eliminated, and he filed an appeal in line with the Florida Statutes contained in section 765.401. Terris parents who claimed that she was in her conscious state objected this. The issue reached the level where the only solution could be found from the court. The court held that Terri did not wish to continue with the life prolonging measures. Her feeding tube was thus remov ed, but it was later reinserted after the court gave an injunction to stop the removal of the feeding tube. In 2005, a court in Penillas County ordered that her feeding tube is removed. This led to numerous appeals in courts concerning the issue. The most significant appeal was the one signed by the then US president George W. Bush, to keep her alive. The appeals in the federal courts come and passed, but the origin decision of removing her feeding tube was up held. The tube was removed on 18 March 2005, and; unfortunately, she passed on just a few days prior to the removal. An individual is obliged to turn down medical care if one feels he is all right. For instance, the court asserted that Terri did not wish to continue with the life pro-longing measures. This meant she did not wish to continue with the medical care in the long- run. This was her right and no one could object to it. Her wish against medical care was to be adequately addressed because there was a feeling that she was self supportive. The case brings out both moral and ethical issues. The moral issue drawn from the case is greed. It is perceived that Terris husband takes the decision to have the feeding tube disconnected just because of his greed to posses Terris estates after her demise. Greed is the worst part of life that makes individuals decide anythng malicious against others. For instance, Terris husband was aware that the removal of the tune could result in the ultimate death of his wife, but he did not care. This was against her parents wishes. The husband was also aware that Terri was going to die intestate. This meant he could be the ultimate owner of the vast estates left behind. In this case, I would prefer that Terri be cared for in the life prolonging medical care to keep her for a longer time. This is just the human position to take because each one of us has a right to live until the right time for death comes. In addition, no one is supposed to terminate the life of another individual due to the greed of acquiring the remaining estates and property. The theory of human life and how best to live would be vital in explaining this ethical issue. All humans have a right to life and their lives are valuable. Life should thus be treated as a vital gift to humans that cannot be compared to matters such as property. Human beings must keep in mind that all other individuals have a right to existence and achievement of their dreams whichever even if their condition is unpredictable. Terri would ultimately die. This is because the tube that supports her life would be eliminated thus exposing her to death. She would not be able to survive any longer, as there are no support systems for her feeding mechanisms. Her husband would enrich himself. This is because it is in his best of interest that Terry dies and leaves behind the estates. He would thus gain from the death of Terri due to his greedy behavior. The doctors would be defeated to make a choice between supporting life or killing. The doctors duty is to facilitate the healing of an individual and not to kill. The elimination of the tube would be a way of killing Terri; this would leave them in a dilemma regarding what to do. The taxpayers would have to have to pay more to support the life of Terri if the tube is not eliminated. The parents would end up losing their beloved daughter due to the elimination of the tube. Terris parents would have supported my ethical position to have Terri continue living because she is their daughter and they still cherish her. On the other hand, her husband would be against this because he needs Terris estates after her demise. The health pollicy consideration in this case is that an individual is attended to according to his wish. The law asserts that an individual can choose the kind of attention he needs. If one feels that his condition is too critical and could not survive any longer, he has a right to call off medical care for self-support. In addition, the health policy provides that an individual would be cared for according to his wish. For instance, Terris husband claims that she did not wish to continue with the prolonged medical care and her wishes were ultimately addressed. The health issues relating to individuals are vital and should be treated with the utmost care. Tong (2000) asserts that matters relating to the lives of other people should be put into consideration before making any decision relating to their further treatment. Due care should be the guiding principle to ensure that all other individuals have a right to life. Human beings should not give up even if they are in a critical state that is perceived so complicated. For instance, everyone should have supported the issue that Terri stays with the tube for a longer period in order to ensure she continues living. The ethical issue arising from the case could have been avoided. For instance, if a will had been earlier drafted the husband could not have pushed for the removal of the tube. He would have known his position in the will in advance and thus the greed to own Terris estates would be eliminated. These issues would not have arisen. In addition, it could be avoided by mutual agreement on the course of action needed. If the parents and the husband had talked about the issue, there could be no conflict of interest. They could have decided on one course of action, and they would have pursued. They would have probably settled on the course of action that is beneficial to both of them. This would assist in saving the life of Terri. This basic issue could have been solved in an easier manner if each party was told of the benefits of saving Terris life. In conclusion, the Terry Schiavos case spanned across many years and various questions abound regarding the validity of the decision argued by different parties concerning whether she should be allowed to live via life support, or her life be terminated. Thus, the case arises different ethical issues. Buy custom Case Analysis-Terri Schiavo essay