Leadership Interview
Professional identity and stewardship are core areas that the nursing profession focuses on as a way of promoting care of the patients and improving outcomes in the workplace. The two areas are involved with personal and professional development through the internalization of core values recognized by the nursing profession (Gokenbach, 2012). I had an opportunity to perform an interview on professional identity and stewardship with the aim of determining how nurse leaders view and value the two areas in the nursing profession. Mr. Jacobs Keen is the nurse manager of the gynecology ward in Fraser Canyon Hospital Colombia, and I was privileged to have an interview with him last week.
The interview focused on four major questions. I started by asking Mr. Jacobs, his role as a healthcare team member and he positively responded as follows “I am simply the person responsible for creating a safe, healthy and conducive environment for my team members as a way of promoting the safety of the patients.” He continued to express that through the safe environment, the outcome of healthcare provision is positive, and the primary role of the nursing profession is achieved. From the response, I was able to observe that management is not all about budgeting, scheduling and keeping records as we view it traditionally, but an integral part of nursing that promotes the safety of the staff and the patients.
The second question was about the definition of professionalism and how it influences Mr. Jacobs’ work as a nurse manager. Professionalism is the act of behaving according to the defined and expected manner of the nursing profession, he said. Professionalism entails display of skills and values speculated in the guide of the nursing field, and it varies within individuals. Professionalism positively influences Jacob’s work as he understands that he must serve while at work and even after that.
When asked if Jacobs considers himself a steward of health care, he had the following to say. “I am a steward of health care because I believe in changing the outlook of the nursing profession and help my colleagues understand the changing nature of the work of a nurse,” says Jacobs. He expressed how the regulatory bodies are fighting for the betterment of the nursing services to promote care of the patients and he being one of the nurse leaders, he forms part of the stewardship team. “Stewardship involves the creation of an environment that upholds value-based nursing,” said Mr. Jacobs.
The last question addressed during the interview was if it was important for Jacobs as a leader to exercise professional advocacy and authenticity as well as power and influence when working with colleagues. Mr. Jacobs believes that it is necessary for leaders to exercise power, advocacy and authenticity because they are forces that drive nursing and earn respect to the leaders. Power controls staff and guides leaders on how to make choices affecting patient’s safety
When comparing the responses in part one and part two, I realize that there is much similarity in how the leaders or nurses view professionalism and stewardship. Both interviewees acknowledge that professionalism is the incorporation of core values in nursing and it aims at providing care to the patients. At the same time, stewardship in health care is viewed as a way of providing a safe environment for work and fighting for the betterment of the nursing profession (Fouche, 2015). Lastly, they both agree that advocacy, authenticity, and power are essential aspects of leadership. When I analyze the two responses, I find that professionalism and stewardship are areas focused by nurses and they are key parts in the nursing profession.
References
Gokenbach, V. (2012). Professionalism in nursing: What does it really mean?. Nurse Together. Retrieved from https://www.carecor.com/news/what-does-professionalism-nurse-really-mean
Fouche, N. (2015). Stewardship in health care, in the nursing profession, and of self. Southern African Journal of Critical Care, 27(2), 38-40.
