Succession Planning in Nursing - Who Are Tomorrow’s Leaders? (1 Hour)

The authors of this course introduced the topic of succession by talking about the nursing shortage. There will be a shortage of 340,000 registered nurses in acute care hospitals by the year 2020. One of the biggest reasons for this shortage is the baby boomer generation moving to retirement. These baby boomer nurses are the current nurse leaders today. Because of this looming problem, hospitals need to have succession planning in order to keep their business going. Succession planning involves grooming and getting ready nurses to lead in the future. Succession candidates should have the skills including experiential training, development through training and education, and coaching and mentoring. In order to groom future leaders, organizations need to have a mentoring program in place. Most nurse managers stated that their interest in management was a result of being mentored. The course authors state that most leaders are made not born, so leadership training programs need to be implemented in hospitals and healthcare facilities. As I look to grow in my career, I will take advantage of every leadership, and mentoring opportunity offered to me. It is through these programs that I will be able to learn more about what it means to lead and advance my career.

The Art of Suggestion (1 Hour)

The art of suggestion was a course I took that was basically what the title states. The course taught about how to cultivate the art of suggestion and use it in nursing practice and leadership. This course was very interesting and showed how leaders can use suggestion to help motivate followers. It was stated that once you capture someone's attention you have an opportunity to embed many suggestions. I really liked this quote from the lesson, "Suggestion as opposed to persuasion, threat, or force is a powerful way to influence change. Persuasion, threat, and force often set up mental barriers that prevent an idea from taking root in the mind. Suggestion implants an idea into the mind in such a way that it bypasses critical thinking and enters freely." Now, I know that sounds a little "Inception" like, but according to this course it works. The course went on to describe different nursing scenarios and laws associated with the art of suggestion. This course taught me that in order to be a good leader, I need to cultivate the art of suggestion.

The Power of Change (1 Hour)

"The nursing profession has often been viewed as the target of change rather than a force that proposes, leads and implements change." This course talked about how nurses can and should propose, lead and implement change. There are many different ways leaders can bring about change. The first strategy is the power-coercive strategy. This strategy involves implementing the change and giving people the choice to either follow the change or leave. The next strategy is a rational-empirical strategy. This strategy is based on the belief that people will use rational thinking and will act on behalf of the change if provided enough information. With any type of change, the authors suggest there will be anxiety and stress in some of those involved. Change is necessary for growth, so nurses must overcome barriers set in their way. The class talked about different scenarios where nurses were able to bring about great change in their workplace. Leaders are needed to bring about change in healthcare. Nurses can be those leaders.

The Rap on Rapport (1 Hour)

Rapport is a very important part of nursing and an even more important part in nursing leadership. In nursing, we are leaders. Leaders with our patients and with each other. Rapport is essential in building relationships with our patients and colleagues. This course defined rapport as "the ability to relate to ourselves and others in ways that create a climate of respect, trust and cooperation." With this definition we can see that rapport is not just for the nurse and patient, but for the nurse leader and those who are led. This course really emphasized that rapport does not just exist but is a process. Body language is a major part of building rapport. Leaders must be aware of their posture, gestures, facial expressions, etc...Tone of voice and the words used are also a big part of building rapport. It is important for nurses to develop rapport with each other in order to successfully lead and create a healthy working environment.

Unlock Your Creativity (1 Hour)

The title "Unlock Your Creativity" caught my eye when looking through the list of Continuing Education classes under leadership and management. I was curious how creativity could be related back to leadership. The course explored the concept of creativity and how important it is to be creative as nurse leader. The authors of the course said nurses have to think outside the box toward the ultimate goal in order to achieve goals in leadership and healthcare. I really loved this quote from the course, "Nurses as individuals and nursing as a profession must be willing to shift easily and to adapt creatively to the tsunami of ongoing change." The profession of nursing is constantly changing. The day to day work for a nurse is always changing. Nurses have to be able to adapt to the change and create solutions for problems that arise. In order to be creative, the course listed these rules:
- Claim creativity as your birthright.
- Value your own uniqueness.
- Avoid mental ruts.
- Recognize freedom and play as the DNA of creativity.
- Learn to minimize the fear that impedes creativity.
- Go with the flow.
- Exercise your creativity muscles regularly.
- Join other people to power creativity.
- Disregard all rules that fail to stimulate new insight and creativity.
The course then listed these questions to consider and realize creativity is needed in nursing:
- How can we attract and retain highly competent, enthusiastic nurses?
- How can we create conditions of unity within the profession?
- How can we promote diversity of thinking within nursing?
- How can we most effectively promote ourselves as the healthcare champions that we are?
- How can we blend technology and human compassion to the advantage of our patients and ourselves?
- How can we promote interdisciplinary collegiality and collaboration?
- How can we integrate spontaneity and creativity into nursing practice?
These questions really helped me to understand the link between creativity and nursing leadership. Nurse leaders need to be creative to be good leaders.

Course was taken on http://ce.nurse.com

Transformational Leadership — A Growing Promise for Nursing (1 Hour)

Transformational leadership was explored in this course. Transformation leadership is based James MacGregor Burn's theory of leadership. Burns wanted to study the leadership of people like Gandhi, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. Burns defined transformational leadership as, "two or more persons engage with others in such a way that the leader and followers raise one another to high levels of motivation and morality." This was different then the traditional sense of leadership in that it involved a dependency on the followers. Transformational leadership is the belief that it takes both the leader and the follower(s) to achieve the goal. There is a relationship between Burn's theory and Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Most hospitals and leaders reward their staff with the first three needs met by compensation. Burns suggested that leaders strive to meet the top needs of self-esteem and self-acualization. To do this leaders need to have these elements:
Idealized influence
Inspirational motivation
Intellectual stimulation
Individual consideration
Nurse leaders that are transformational leaders will have staff that are more committed to their organization and a happpier, healthier work environment. This was an interesting course to me. I had never heard of transformational leadership. I really like the idea of interdependence to achieve the goal. I think it is a great idea to put into practice in all healthcare facilities.

Transitioning From Staff to Management: The New Leader’s Toolkit (1 Hour)

This course was different then my other courses in that it involved video! It was fun to watch and learn from this video. The video discussed management vs. leadership and how to become an effective leader. At the beginning of the video a scenario was discussed where a staff nurse was promoted to management. The nurse all of a sudden had a smaller "peer" group at work, was in charge of and made decisions that not everyone liked, became the bridge between staff and management, and was responsible for the unit's financial health. The authors of this class stated that nurse leaders need to have the following competencies:
Visibility
Flexibility,
Authority
Assistance
Feedback
Respectability
Trustworthiness
The video then went on to talk about the difference between managers and leaders. Management is a "science in which a series of steps can be followed to implement the rule." Leadership is the process of motivating people to accomplish a goal. It is "the most observed and least understood phenomena" Nurse leaders have to have good time management skills, financially and technologically savvy, professional role models, advanced skills and education in management and business. The video was much more in depth then this blog post, but it gave some great advice for new leaders. I learned a lot about what a new leader needs to have. I have a mental list now of skills I want to develop in order to become a better leader.

Florence Nightingale (1 Hour)

We have talked a lot about Florence Nightingale in nursing school. I decided to take the continuing education course about Florence Nightingale to learn more about Florence and how she was a leader in nursing. Florence focused on promoting health. She wrote many health guides and reports to lead people in their quest for health. Florence started a nursing school to teach and lead future nurses. The nurses she taught were able to provide nursing care all over the world. This course discussed eight Millenium Development Goals that were created by the United Nations. Each of these goals relate back to Nightingale. She was an early leader in nursing and the effects of her leadership extend to today. The eight goals are to eradicate poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat infectious disease, ensure environment sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development. The authors of this course went through each goal individually and discussed how Nightingale had similar goals and actions related to each one. The authors talked about how Nightingale was a leader in nursing and how we all can be leaders and promote change. The course inspired and motivated me to want to become a nurse leader and bring about change in the world.

Don’t Worry‚ Be Happy! Harmonize Diversity Through Personality Sensitivity (1 Hour)

Nurse leaders have always and will always need to deal with personality conflicts. When a group of people work together, there will almost always inevitably be a personality clash. In order to be good leaders, nurses need to understand different personality types and how to create a personality-sensitive work place. There are many different personality tools out there. This course discussed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which is based on behavior. It also discussed the Disc which is based on four types of behavior. The last tool they discussed in detail was Hartman's Color Code. The color code is divided up into four colors; Red, blue, white, and yellow. Reds want to have power, blues want intimacy, whites want peace, and yellows want to have fun. Hartman believes that everyone has one core color. Each person may have a mix of colors, but will always have one core color and motive. Nurses work with many different people on a daily basis. In order for nurses to be effective leaders they need to strive to understand each person's personality and identify ways to connect with a variety of personalities.

Do You Reflect a Positive Image of Nursing? (1 Hour)

This course was designed to educate nurses on the importance of reflecting a positive image of nursing. As nurses, we are all leaders. Part of the responsibility of nursing leaders is to reflect a positive image of our career. This course explored different ways nurses can do just that. Some tips they had were to identify ourselves as nurses, get involved in politics, serve on community boards, and utilize nursing skills by serving in the community. The course also had specific tips for nurse leaders to reflect a positive image of nursing. They said to promote nurses' self image. To do this use recognition and encouragement. They also encouraged nurse leaders to make sure nurses were represented on key committees, provide continuing education and professional development opportunities, and promote ways for the community to interact with nurses. The career of nursing is a respected one, but still has some stereotypes and negative images to overcome. As a nurse and a leader, I will strive to reflect a positive image of nursing throughout my career and personal life.

Novice to Expert Through the Stages to Success in Nursing (1 Hour)

In Nursing Theory we learned about Patricia Benner's 5 stages in nursing. In nursing leadership, it is important to understand these stages in order to effectively lead and manage. The five stages of nursing are
1. Novice
2. Advanced Beginner
3. Competent
4. Proficient
5. Expert
The novice is the student nurse. They need almost a micro-manager in order to function properly. They need very specific directions. The advanced beginner is the new graduate. This level lacks experience to back up their clinical knowledge. I would consider myself an advanced beginner. The competent nurse has worked in the same area of nursing for two to three years. The proficient nurse recognizes "salient points" of nursing and make anticipatory plans of action. The expert nurse has a solid foundation and is expert in critical thinking. The expert nurse is a valuable resource to all nurses. This course discussed the importance for management to identify what stage the nurse is in, in order to effectively lead and manage.

Networking for Career Advancement (1 Hour)

Networking is crucial for career advancement. This course offered tips and strategies to successfully network for career advancement. One of the biggest things I learned from this course was the importance of staying connected. As nurses and students we tend to have very busy lives. We need to stay connected with many different groups despite our busy schedules. We need to find time to branch out, meet new people, and reinforce relationships that we already have. This course talked about finding mentors and references. Many people we already know can become mentors and coaches in nursing. The course referenced Dear Donna and said "“Networking has long been touted by career experts and others in the know as the most effective way to stay cutting-edge with your information and knowledge, remain visible and connected to your profession, promote a business or service, and keep your social skills sharp. Plus, networking can make you better at your current job.” I hope to utilize these strategies learned to continue to network and network more effectively in the future.

Keeping Colleagues Nurse Retention is Everyone's Responsibility (1 Hour)

Every nurse is a leader and every nurse has responsibility. This course explored nurse retention. There are many different reasons that nurses leave jobs. There were five reasons that this class focused on.
Intense workload
Lack of scheduling flexibility
Low compensation
Inadequate access to continuing education
Minimal opportunity for career growth
Each of these areas have caused poor nurse retention. The authors of this course made a great point that nurses are great at caring for the patient, but need to be better at caring for colleagues. Poor nursing retention leads to an unhealthy working environment and poor patient outcomes. Nurses can really make a difference in nurse retention. By knowing our colleagues and treating them how they would like to be treated, we can create a more healthy working environment. Nurse managers can address issues such as workload, scheduling, compensation, etc... In my career, if I get the opportunity to be a nurse manager, I will keep these top 5 reasons present in my mind. I will try to address issues and initiate change to increase nurse retention on my unit.

Interviewing for Career Avancement (1 Hour)

Interviewing is a topic that is very critical in today's economy. The title of the course caught my eye because it talked about career advancement. In order to be considered for jobs in this job market, you have to really succeed in the interview portion. This course gave me a lot of tips to use in my next nursing interview. It talked about how to present yourself and how to act in an interview. The course also discussed how to advance in your career through interviewing. I know that my idea of a "perfect" job will continually change as I get more experience. I hope to always be advancing and growing. Interviewing is not just going to be part of this phase in my life, but will probably be something I will do throughout my career. This course is related to nursing leadership and management in many ways. The most obvious way is that nurses have to apply for and interview for most career advancements (including management). I hope to refine my interviewing skills and utilize what I have learned in this course in my future interviews.

Get Down to Business with a Business Plan (1 Hour)

This class focused on the business side of leadership in nursing. It is so important for nurse leaders to understand that healthcare really is a business. In order to effectively change things, nurses need to understand the business of healthcare. This course educated me on what a business plan is and how to create one. This will be important for me to understand in my career. If I see a service that is needed in my workplace, I will be able to create a proposal to present to the administration. As a nurse leader I will want to bring about change many times over the course of my career. In order to do this, I will need to have the skills needed to create proposals, business plans and presentations. These are all forerunners to change.

Evidence-Based Effective Nursing Leadership (1 Hour)

This course was interesting because I am so used to hearing the term "evidence-based" when discussing practice and skills in nursing. This course explored evidence-based nursing leadership. Leadership is such a huge part of nursing, so it should not have surprised me that there has been a lot of research and evidence found on the topic. This course discussed being an "authentic leader". An authentic leader is true to their values, while showing compassion and being trustworthy and genuine. This course encouraged nurses to find leadership development opportunities. They also encouraged nurses to create a healthy work environment. Studies have shown that healthy work environments are linked to better patient outcomes. Other pointers in the class were to keep staff engaged in work and help new graduates transition to the work place. As a new graduate, I hope that someone will take this to heart and help me transition to the work place. Overall, this course motivated me to strive to become an authentic leader.

Delegating to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (1 Hour)

Another continuing education class that I have taken is titled Delegating to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel. This class was very valuable to me. I have already in my career been exposed to managing and delegating to unlicensed assistive personnel, mostly CNAs. This will continue to be apart of my career. This course explored how to effectively and safely delegate and manage unlicensed assistive personnel. It was a good reminder and refresher of what to do and what not to do. I was reminded that I am held responsible for whatever I delegate. I need to use effective management and leadership skills when making delegating decisions.

Coaching Makes Nurse's Careers Grow (1 Hour)

For a good part of my 46 hours of clinical I will be doing continuing education through Gannett Education at ce.nurse.com. This website offers a wide variety of classes with varying subjects. My continuing education that I will do, will be in the areas of management and leadership. My first class that I have successfully completed is called Coaching Makes Nurses' Careers Grow. This class discussed the meaning of coaching. Coaching is different then precepting in that precepting is about 75% teaching skills and only 25% of a psychosocial component. Coaching is different then mentoring, in that mentoring is an "intense psychosocial relationship". Coaching, according to Gannett Education is aimed to improve work performance and professional development for all nurses. This course explored different steps involved in coaching and different scenarios where coaching would come into play. I hope that in my nursing career I will have the opportunity to be coached and to coach others. Coaching is essential for the career of nursing to continue to grow.