NURS – 4634 Transitions – Leadership Interviews & Reflection – Clinical Activity

Instructions:
1. Select 3 managers/leaders in a healthcare organization/agency to interview. Two of the interviews must be with
nurses at different leadership levels (Ex: Director, Manager, Charge Nurse, etc.). One interview must be with a non-
nurse healthcare leader/manager. (Ex: Ancillary department).
2. Record the name and title for each interviewee in the column title. (J. Doe, RN, MSN; Title: Director of Oncology;
Organization). For the non-nurse manager, indicate their name and title. (M. Smith; Title: Radiology Manager,
CGSMC).
3. Record the responses (clearly and briefly) in the table below. The areas in the table will expand as you type. This may take a
several pages.
4. Answer the remaining questions on this template and give specific examples/rationale as directed.
5. Upload the completed template to the Canvas assignment link by the due date/time.
 Questions for Leaders & Nurse Director, Manager or
Managers Coordinator.
Name: Terri Rowden RN, MSN
Title: Trauma Program
Organization: Christus Trinity Mother
Frances
How long have you been in I have been in my role since 2008.
your role?
As a leader/manager are Absolutely, my whole job focuses on
you concerned about quality. That is what we are here for, to
quality and safety? Explain make sure of.
and describe briefly.
What are your greatest Our greatest challenge is justification
challenges as a leader in this for extra staff needs.
organization?
Do you feel supported as Yes, I feel supported, and it is because
leader/ manager? How so? administration is extremely supportive
and easy to contact.
Manager
Name: Patricia RN, MSN
Title: Inpatient Wound Care
Nursing Services Manager
Organization: Christus Trinity
Mother Frances
I have been a wound care nurse
for 6 years.
Yes, these are paramount
concerns for us. The staff must be
well trained to recognize and
report any quality issues and as a
leader we set the standards of
making it safe to allow for any
safety questions.
The greatest challenge currently
is our workload. It has nearly
doubled because of the acutely ill
with COVID-19. Staffing needs
correspond to the increased
number of patients and their
acuity.
Yes. Management above me is
very supportive, giving me the
tools needed to make this
department efficiently and
effectively.
Non-Nurse Leader/Manager
Name: Stephanie Garrett, R .Ph
Title: Pharmacist
Organization: Brookshires Grocery
Company
2 years.
Yes, it’s more important to get
patients the right medicines that will
not harm them than it is to get out
quickly.
Trying to get everything done safely
while being short-handed and while
trying to keep up morale.
No,
Because people above us do not
understand the workload we are
being given and how it can interfere
with safety. They do not understand
what we are dealing with on our
level.
What is the most rewarding
part of your role?
Seeing patient success stories and
making a difference is the most
rewarding part.
Most rewarding part of my role is
being a part of grooming new
nurses, watching them learn, and
get excited about wound care.
When I am able to help someone
with their health concerns and they
are able to make informed decisions
from the information I’ve given
them.

List three things that it 1. Be Calm 1. Listen, listen, listen 1. Communication

takes to be an effective 2. Be willing to do anything you ask 2. Be willing to admit to 2. Delegating
leader? your staff to do being wrong 3. Teamwork, you must be a
3. Be communicative 3. Be willing to continue and willing team member.
grow and learn
What are two barriers you 1. Lack of access to events due to Time and money. It seems there 1. Time to train people
face as a leader/ manager in COVID-19 is never enough time. Money is Correctly.
your current role? 2. The hiring committee and more sometimes an obstacle. 2. Staffing shortage
employees.
What advice would you give You need to find the area you like and Take time to get the experience. Have an open communication
to aspiring leaders/ stick with it. Don’t lead in an area that Take your time to observe many environment with your team. If not,
managers in healthcare you don’t love. different roles and leaders. Say you may lose people without
today? yes when you mean it and learn understanding why and how you
to say no when you mean no. could have potentially fixed it.
Does your department use a Yes, we do not call it that by name, but Yes, we each operate Yes, an example would be through
shared governance model? we do believe in collaboration and independently, under our own pharmacy techs being overseen by
If so, how is this accountability form each employee. license. However, we share the pharmacist but not having to be
demonstrated? information and come to a double checked on every assignment
consensus about what is best for or tasks. They are responsible for
our patient’s care. doing their job correctly and
properly.
After completing the interviews with different leaders in your healthcare setting, answer the following questions in detail. Use your
Yoder-Wise text as needed for information and detail on terms, etc.
1. In reviewing leadership styles, are you more transactional or transformational? Give a specific example.

I think leadership style is many times situational. Yet, I do think my style of leadership leans heavily towards transformational. This is
probably because my own personality thrives from being inspired and communicated with in an enthusiastic manner. An example of
this is when we are put into groups for projects. I try to bring everyone together on a common ground and consider each person’s
strengths when discussing what we should all accomplish in the project (Yoder-Wise & Evans, 2019, pg.498-499). This is the type of
leadership I thrive under and speaks the most to me. By encouraging their strengths, it allows them to feel empowered and willing
to work. The same applies to finding a common ground for everyone, that being our passion for nursing and graduating successfully.

2. Provide ONE citation from our Yoder-Wise text that supports your predominant leadership style. Use correct APA format
for this citation and reference. Reference your paraphrased citations using chapter author(s), year, and page number(s).

Yoder-Wise, P. S., & Evans, M. L. (2019). 28. In Leading and managing in nursing (pp. 498–499). essay, Mosby.

3. How do you see yourself as a follower in your current clinical setting? Give a specific example.

I see myself as an effective follower in the current clinical setting. I feel like it is important to have effective followers in the ever
changing and growing healthcare system. Effective followers are known for being in good spirits and they can influence their peers
and leaders (Yoder-Wise & Boothe, 2019, pg. 93). An example of this is when I had the chance to participate in giving COVID-19
vaccines. I was responsible for taking information in and participating in giving shots and explaining side effects to look out for. I had
the chance to be a fresh face who was enthusiastic to learn more about the vaccine and inform the patients. As well, we
collaborated and created effective ways to increase vaccine administration efficiency.

4. Provide ONE citation from our Yoder-Wise text that supports your role as follower. Use correct APA format for this citation
and reference. Reference your paraphrased citations using chapter author(s), year, and page number(s).

Yoder-Wise, P. S., & Boothe, A. (2019). 6. In Leading and managing in nursing (p. 93). essay, Mosby.
 5. Of the leaders that you interviewed, who most reflects an effective leader? Give an example or rationale.
Mrs. Patricia in the In-Patient wound care most reflected an effective leader to me. I was able to watch her delegate tasks, such as
wound packing and cleaning, when she was needed in meetings in other areas. She showed compassion to her staff who was sick
and worked through a short staffing day to make sure the staff that was available did not feel overwhelmed. She listened to her
team as they collaborated on what staging and what steps to take in helping patients wounds. This showed her dedication to quality
of care and collaboration. She most reflected a leader to me because of these things.

Identify at least 3 similarities and 3 differences of the healthcare leaders/managers you interviewed? Use the table below to record
your ideas. Be specific in your description of each similarity and difference. Give examples.

Similarities Differences
1. 1.

The leaders I interviewed all felt that they were equals with their staff
and had styles that reflected that. I saw this in the way they
communicated with their staff by asking questions and offering help,
never telling them they must do something for them or stating their
leadership role over them.
The difference I noticed during the interviews were the differences in
advice. While some said stick with one area and hone in, others
stated to get experience and explore to find your passion. This was
exampled in the Interviews under the question “What advice would
you give to aspiring leaders/ managers in healthcare today?”.

2. 2.

They all focused on a passion for quality for their team, but mainly
for the patients. This was shown in many ways. In trauma we met for
rounds and reviewed every patient that was admitted under trauma
and asked what we could do for them to help them. In wound care I
saw the manager physically help patients and clean them to ensure
comfort and better quality of care. In pharmacy she states this is
done by checking over medications to make sure they are accurately
dosed and do not interact so that patients can have the best
A difference that I am glad I got to see in these three leaders was
their response to the question “What is the most rewarding part of
your role?”. They all had varying responses. The trauma coordinator
expressed her joy in patient success, the wound care leader
expressed her passion for seeing new nurses learn, and the
pharmacists stated the pride she feels when she is able to give
patients information so they can make an informed and confident
decision. These differences stand out to me in the best way. It creates
a full circle of the healthcare system as a whole.
outcomes with their medications. All these things prove to me they
have a passion for quality.
3.
All positions felt that communication was a large part in being an
effective leader. The Trauma coordinator believed communication is
important, the wound care manager stated that listening was
important, and the pharmacists chose communication as well as
being in the top three. I believe this speaks volumes to our leaders
and how they understand the need of communication to have an
effective team.
3.
The pharmacist felt that there was no support. This is a difference in
comparison to the other nursing leaders. They both felt like they had
exceptional support. This is shown by the way the two nurses
answered their questions of “Do you feel supported as leader/
manager? How so?”. The nurse leaders answered by stating they
were able to get in contact with administration quickly and that they
always have the tools they need for patient quality care. The
pharmacist’s answer was that there was not an understanding of
what they are going through.