Lori Raulerson
NUR/492
April 30, 2012
Berthenya Dunbar
Interview of Health Care Leader
In today’s rapid changing world, leaders are very pertinent, especially in the field of nursing. Good nursing leaders have the ability to provide direction, facilitate structure to reach goals, and cohesiveness throughout team members. Leader by definition is “someone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish specific goals” (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 329). On the other hand a manager is different. Their goal is geared toward being responsible and accountable for the goals of the organization. Below is the summary of an interview with L.A. Patient Care Manager of Endoscopy/ Special Procedure Room. I have written down her exact replies to the questions. BACKGOUND
L.A. began as a Neuro ICU night-shift nurse for 15 years. During that time she was the manager for two years and then given the G.I. Lab to start from ground up and she had no experience in G.I. With a lot of hard work and many hours, she was able to complete this task successfully. In her next position she worked at Barnes Jewish hospital in St. Louis, MO, which is a top ten hospital. The position title she held was patient care manager over the GI and Biliary Lab, and minor procedure center. She was a leader in this facility overseeing 75 full time employees, while also serving as director of workshops and training. The current position she holds today is with Moffitt Cancer Center as patient care manager of Endoscopy/Special Procedure Room, where she oversees 25 full time employees. LEADER DECRIPTIONS
When asked the question “How would you describe a leader?” she quickly answered with what she thought was a huge characteristic of a true leader, and that was to lead by example. She went on to describe other important characteristics of a leader, such as holding people accountable for their
References: Sullivan, E.J., & Decker, P. J. (2009). Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing (7th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.