Transition from Student Nurse to Registered Nurse

Introduction

Nurses tend to get involved in various leadership undertakings in the course of their daily tasks on their job. While some of them naturally embrace an effective leadership style, others may not be comfortable with the leadership theory or perceive themselves as leaders. Effective leadership is crucial for the delivery of superlative standards of care, ascertaining patient safety, and developing a positive attitude amongst the staff (Barr and Dowding, 2012).

Leadership is an eternal practice that guides others towards pursuing a particular goal, destination, or desired result. Simply put, a leader is one who is able to motivate, inspire, as well as guide others towards the achievement of pre-determined objectives. A leader was initially envisaged as a person who would preside over others, bestowing wisdom, rewarding as well as ensuring discipline. The historical perception of a leader was that of a person who commanded and controlled others, issued directives, enforced them, but distanced themselves from the daily activities. However, with the passage of time, the role of a leader has evolved considerably. Leaders of today identify as well as develop talent, strive to foster a healthy environment in order to enable individuals to effectively use their talents and skills towards the achievement of the prime objectives.

In order to foster an effective work environment, the leader must instill and reinforce core values, establish a code of conduct as well as instill a sense of accountability to ensure that the team succeeds in its tasks. The present-day leader is in the midst of all action, giving support and direction, leading from the front instead of leading from the top. This paper aims to assess the leadership skills of nurses and their transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse. Further, I would also be reflecting upon the group work that we were assigned as a team.

Leadership and Management

A leader may be defined as a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. Leadership is a quality through which a leader is able to persuade others to work as a team towards the achievement of common objectives set by the management or leader (Sharma & Jain, 2013). Leaders are recognized by their leadership style, which is a combination of the leader’s ability as well as performance with respect to their subordinates. It reflects a leader’s beliefs, abilities, and outlook. Although a leadership style could be an amalgamation of all the three styles, the more dominant style is usually taken into consideration (King & Lawley, 2012).

Leadership and management are distinct systems of action that are complementary in nature. The terms “management” and “leadership” have been used interchangeably as most think them to be one and the same thing (Lopez, 2014). All-encompassing managerial skills are essential ingredients for being a good leader as a leader is assessed by how successfully they manage the operations. Nonetheless, management is very much distinct from leadership (Popvici, 2016). Management is more of a function and is process-oriented involving coordination while leadership has a lot to do with the emotional quotient which unites the followers and brings a change.

A key difference between management and leadership is that the former deals with physical assets, processes, and systems, whereas the latter leads people. Thus, management deals with how to do things, while leadership is all about the way to be (Kotter, 2009).

Since a manager is responsible for the productivity of the workforce, they are bestowed with authority and power to ensure that the desired output is achieved. In the case of leadership, following a leader is considered to be more of a voluntary act. Thus, leadership is more situational than positional as it requires the right person at the helm of affairs during a critical situation that will have the courage and vision to lead their people to greater glory and heights. Although both the manager and leader should possess comprehensive knowledge of the business, the leader is one who knows better and is able to do things differently.

Adair is of the view that knowledge or expertise alone isn’t sufficient to lead; nevertheless, it is a critical component of leadership. A leader needs to be aware of both group and individual requirements and should combine and align them to the organizational objectives (Adair, 1998). A leader must be capable of gauging critical facts, market dynamics, and the underlying business trends in order to have a vision and formulate future strategies. A leader is a champion of change and a revolutionary approach, whereas a manager focuses on stability and the status quo (Latham, 2016). Furthermore, a leader is able to catch people’s beliefs as well as win their confidence and commitment, whereas a manager shoulders the responsibilities and exercises authority to ensure the successful completion of tasks assigned.

Traits of an Effective Leader

Leaders are often described as being visionary, equipped with strategies, a plan, and a desire to direct their teams and services to a future goal (Gill, 2006). Effective leaders are required to use problem-solving processes, maintain group effectiveness, and develop group identification. They should also be dynamic, passionate, have a motivational influence on other people, be solution-focused, and seek to inspire others.

Self-Reflection on Group Development

As our seven-member group was formed, it was not a smooth transition right from the beginning. As usual, we went through the general four phases of the formation of a new group. The first stage was that of forming. During this stage, we as a group were just coming to know each other. The leader of the group had not been selected and there was a sense of anxiety as to how things were going to unfold. We were careful not to get into any sort of confrontation or conflict. We communicated formally about the assigned roles and the tasks/common goals required to be accomplished and integrated into the team to produce an action plan. Personal opinions were kept to ourselves and the communication was on a minimal level.

The next stage was that of storming. As we got to know each other and started building a comfort factor, we became more confident and conflict started to surface. Members started showing their own interests and expectations, and the leadership qualities of the group members started coming out in the open. We could sense the degree of leadership potential each one of us had, as we started voicing our opinions more strongly and put forth our arguments. After some time, the leadership was taken by one person possessing the “autocratic/telling” leadership style.

As evident in this type of leadership style, an autocratic leader invariably keeps all the authority and power to make decisions over time (Tannenbaum and Schmidt, 2009). The leader was allocating precise work to be accomplished by other teammates. We were being directed as to what we should do. The leader was taking total control of the group and at times was taking things for granted. This type of leadership style prescribes individual goals, policy as well as procedures, largely controls all interactions, but hardly provides any feedback (Bhatti, Maitlo, Shaikh, Hashmi & Shaikh, 2012).

The emergence of an autocratic leader among us led to the first conflict in the group. This was primarily because people who were not open yet and had the free-rein Leadership Style were not voicing their opinions and were neither following the directives of the autocratic leader in the group. There was a struggle for their personal space in the group, with their own interests and expectations. These were the free-rein Leaders who generally stay away from authority as well as responsibility. These leaders are largely dependent upon the members to achieve their own goals and manage on their own.

A free-rein leader bestows all the decision-making authority and rights upon his team members. The leader only observes and doesn’t get involved in the processes and activities. Thus, the leader practices a no-interference policy and provides absolute freedom to his followers. As a result, there is no one specific way of achieving goals (Chaudhry & Javed, 2012).

However, there were a few quiet members as well who were not very vocal and were not struggling much for their personal space. As the comfort level increased and people started trusting each other, we moved to the third stage of group development which was the stage of norming. We started functioning in cohesion as the conflicts reduced considerably. The cooperation level increased after the task allocations were made clear among the team members. All team members tried to partake in the activities as we found out the way to handle conflicts and agreed upon decisions.

Nearly every group member tried to add something to the construction, even if it was not called for. Here we saw the participative leadership style in a few members. As per this style of leadership, a leader would opt for a more cooperative, receptive, and interactive method with the followers with respect to work as well as the work environment. The leader displayed trust as well as confidence in the abilities of his team and didn’t hesitate to delegate authority and responsibility to his team members. The participative leader believes that the members are not only desirous of contributing to the organizational goals but are also capable enough to do so. The leader ensured the involvement of all members while setting goals and communicated directly with them. The leader encouraged brainstorming and discussions with members and provided regular feedback. This facilitated the way to clear the rules of how to get along with each other and to find the different functions of the different members of the group. With this, we reached the last stage of group development which is the performing stage. We ultimately started feeling like a team. High productivity was achieved as new ideas were introduced without any interruption or resistance from any team members. This was largely because a rapport was developed among the group members.

Transition from Student Nurse to Registered Nurse

The shift to the role of registered nurse from a student is an overwhelming process laced with stress and challenges. It is observed very often that as a newly graduated nurse there is a sense of insecurity in the newly acquired role and with the new responsibility that they are entrusted with. As per Morrow, newly graduated nurses must maintain healthy relationships with peers, have strong leadership qualities, receive support from seniors or preceptors, and not feel insecure about critical comments (Morrow, 2009). Preceptors or mentors are usually assigned who guide the new graduates through their new phase and their own working styles, attitudes, and practices of the mentor go a long way in contributing to the learning and professional growth of the new nurses.

Working as a group during the course provided insights into the clinical teams at hospitals, which helped me plan my transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse.

Role Clarity

Role clarity is essential for proper integration into the professional sphere as it ensures the delegation of proper duties and functions. Poorly defined roles cause conflict among individuals and hinder effective functioning in healthcare settings. A precise clarification of roles with seniors and teams can reduce power struggles and ensure proper integration within the team and harmony among the members (Brault et al., 2014).

Support from Seniors and Management

Adequate support from seniors and management is very crucial. Graduating and leaving the supportive atmosphere of the university can affect the confidence of the new nurse as the theoretical knowledge acquired during the course of studies alone is not sufficient. Robust training and guidance provided by the preceptor help the newly registered nurse implement the skills acquired effectively (Ripley and Hoad, 2011). Maintaining a healthy relationship with seniors and peers, seeking their guidance, and not hesitating to ask for help whenever required are the key factors for the successful transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse.

Reflective Analysis

It is also important to regularly reflect on one’s performance as well as areas that need improvement. A self-reflective analysis of one’s work and behavior could help to identify one’s strengths as well as weaknesses. Maintaining a steady performance and working towards those areas that need improvement could help with professional growth and proper transition into a registered nurse role.

Conclusion

Working in a group has provided valuable insights into the world of professional nursing. The leadership skills acquired during the group work are key ingredients for transitioning from a student nurse to a registered nurse role. Coping with the new expectations of the job requires that you find solutions to professional problems and ensure that you have good relationships with peers, strong leadership attributes, support from seniors, and are open to receiving guidance. These factors are critical in ensuring a successful transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse.

References

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