Leadership In My Clinical Experiences

Each nurse on CIU can have a patient load of up to 4 patients during the shift. However, there is one situation where the nurse could potentially have a patient load of only two patients and that is if one of the patients is receiving a certain IV drip that requires closer patient monitoring. I have not had this situation happen yet, therefore, when I do start the shift I am either at my load of 4 patients or have 3 patients. If I am not full, shortly after the shift starts I usually get my 4th patient. I believe that having 4 patients allows me to spend enough time with my patients and get all of my cares completed in a timely manner. I think if I had any more than 4 patients, I wouldn’t get the chance to get to know my patients like I do
375). Throughout my experiences I have been able to observe the role of both formal leaders and informal leaders. The formal leader in my clinical experiences has been the charge nurse. The charge nurse is very flexible and handles stress well. She is always there to answer questions and give a hand if needed. I have also observed informal leaders throughout clinical and one was a staff nurse with a lot of expertise. This nurse was always checking in with the members of the team and asking “are you good” or “do you need me to help you with anything”. This staff nurse would always take time to explain interesting pieces of knowledge to me throughout the shift. From observing the leaders that I have observed this far, I believe that the core competencies for leadership are communication skills, critical thinking, a willingness to help others, and a positive attitude. Other competencies are leading the vision of the hospital, interpersonal skills, introducing change, and health care knowledge (Giddens, 2013, p.
According to Giddens (2013), informational leaders impact their followers by providing information in a clear and concise way (p. 378). Rather than feeling intimidated or nervous for clinicals, I go into each shift confident because I know that when I leave, I will leave with way more knowledge than I came with. Informational leadership is best when the information is given indirectly, such as through clues or recommendations (Giddens, 2013, p. 378). I feel that my preceptor never gives me answers right away, first he will question my base knowledge and then if it is wrong or does not fulfill what he was asking, he will begin to explain things. I think I get more out of this because it makes me think about what I already know and try and use that knowledge to understand new