Nurse empowerment

My team began work on a nurse empowerment plan after we completed the IHI improvement skills training. First, it is important to define empowerment: to equip or supply with an ability. In our case, my main responsibility as a good and effective leader would be to support my team members in performing their best work.

As a start, I conducted a team development survey of my nurses to examine what changes we should make at our workplace and within ourselves.  The SimplerWork-Index slides provided my inspiration for this process: our next step will be…..taking steps that lead to easier and more satisfying work.

I have also identified that the primary goals for my department are improving nurse coverage and employee satisfaction. Appreciable examples of initial actions we will do include providing an in-house stationery supply and having upcoming maternity coverage in place. The bigger challenge for me is to empower my employees to take ownership (to take part in the decisions that affect their day-to-day work and working conditions) of their work satisfaction. It takes moral courage for anyone and everyone to prioritize and advocate for what is important in work and life (everyone should read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

I will be developing my team nurse empowerment plan further. Yes, I as a leader can and should provide the tools and support for my team.

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