Traits of an Effective Nurse Manager
- Communications Skills
- Leadership Skills
- Compassionate
- Self-Awareness and Self-Assessment
- Organizational Skills
Nurse managers are responsible for retaining, recruiting, and supervising nurses. It is also their job to ensure that nurses operate in an optimal work environment. It is an incredibly demanding position that requires balancing managerial duties with clinical responsibilities. Below are the key traits that a nursing manager must not lack.
1. Communications Skills
A successful nurse manager is one with the ability to communicate concisely. They should keep in mind that effective communication involves not only speaking but listening. Thus, they listen to the concerns of the junior nurses and tries to understand their differences when delegating duties.
They must be able to create a good rapport with the hospital administrators, physicians, and other staff so as to ensure the smooth running of the day to day operation. To avoid any assumptions of favoritism, it is advisable to disseminate all new information in a group setting. Communicating with a large group also cuts down on rumors or misinformation that may arise from misinterpretations.
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2. Leadership Skills
Familiarity with the struggles and difficulties that nurses face enables them to foster an ideal work environment for the nursing unit. Nurses should be supervised and not micromanaged. They should be allowed to do their jobs without feeling intimidated or insecure. Great managers support the nurses and encourage them to achieve their potential.
Some nurse leaders are afraid to lead the nurses in the right direction because they are scared of displeasing the hospital administration. Successful managers should stand their ground and take the lead on policy changes in order to ensure that the nurses under them conform to the accepted norms and the hospital provides a suitable environment for them to do so.
3. Compassionate
Compassion is an essential trait for any nurse, and a great nurse manager should exhibit more of it than the average nurse. Most nurses will try to emulate what they see their manager doing. If empathy is seen in their mannerism as well as their words, nurses will respond by providing maximum care for their patients and going about their duties with minimum fuss.
If the manager lacks empathy for the patients, then the other nurses will feel that it is okay to let them suffer. Eliciting kindness and care from nurses and other staff will not only benefit the patients but the hospital’s reputation too.
4. Self-Awareness and Self-Assessment
On top of awareness of others’ feelings, great managers are aware of their own. They should acknowledge the stress that comes with their work situations and seek help when the outcomes are challenging. They should accept that even the most powerful people need advice and support when facing crises or unfortunate situations.
They should also strive to be the best versions of themselves by examining their own performance records and adjusting as necessary. Apart from self-analysis and evaluation of staff turnovers, they can conduct an anonymous survey to find out what the nursing staff thinks could be done better.
5. Organizational Skills
Great nurse managers are able to work in coordination with other departments. They must also possess the ability to oversee an array of practice functions including staff supervision, clinical tasks, and appointments. It is also part of their jobs to liaise with pathology labs, suppliers, and other health facilities. Great interpersonal skills come in handy here because they provide for effective collaboration at every level.
Even with the above characteristics, there are still several educational requirements that one needs to fulfill before they can qualify to work as a nursing manager. Interested people should also expect to put in some clinical hours first because experience is golden in the medical field.