Nurse Leadership vs. Management

The terms “leader” and “manager” are sometimes used interchangeably.  Those who have worked for, or with, someone who is one and not the other, will see the error in viewing those terms as synonymous.  An individual can be a great leader but not a manager.  Conversely, an individual can be a manager but not possess many leadership skills.

What is the difference between nurse leadership versus management?

A leader often doesn’t have delegated authority.  The “power” that the leader has acquired has come informally from others in the group.  Leaders focus on empowering others, as well as motivating, inspiring, and influencing others.  A leader typically has good communication and interpersonal skills.  True leaders must be sincere and energetic.  A leader may be a risk-taker, but not to the extent that others feel that they are reckless.

A manager is provided with this status as a formal role which is given to him/her by someone else.  He/she has an assigned position within the formal organization.  A manager is expected to carry out specific duties and has definite responsibilities.  Control over processes, decision-making, and the work of others are included in the manager’s role.  Good managers are skilled at coordinating resources, both financial and personnel, following rules, and meeting the goals and objectives of the organization.  Control is a key element of the role.  Good managers also use reward and punishment effectively.

Although differences do exist, the roles can definitely overlap.  The best case scenario is for an individual to have the best characteristics of both.  All nurses are leaders and managers at some level.  We all strive for a balance between doing the right thing and doing things right.  The rapid and dramatic changes in health care make these skills more important than ever.  Critical thinking skills, active listening skills, and good coping skills are essential at all levels in today’s nursing workforce.

Both leaders and managers need to envision the future and lead the way towards a productive and efficient unit with satisfied personnel.  We can never stop seeking additional professional growth and opportunities to make a difference in our profession.  There are many ways to accomplish this, including becoming politically aware and active, reading professional journals, and attending continuing education offerings relevant to our practice.  No formal title of manager is required to do these things.  A good leader and a good manager will take advantage of these and other opportunities.

Weight Loss Tips for Nurses

Nurses are on their feet for many long hours every day. It is important to keep the weight off in order to fit in your uniform, but also to look good as a health professional and to be comfortable on your feet. It your feet and legs have to carry a lot of weight around every day, you are bound to suffer from back pain. Here are some great tips to lose weight as a nurse.

It is important to be comfortable in your nursing uniform

In order to be comfortable in a nursing uniform, nurses should take care of their weight. Nursing is a rather active type of work, and it is important that nurses are mobile. While dieting is regarded as a bad word for many people, perhaps the focus should shift to healthier eating choices. It is best to eat a well-balanced diet so that you get all the nutrients required to perform your duties.

Burn more calories

Nurses are in the fortunate position that the nature of their work helps them to burn calories throughout the day. If you still have a weight issue, then you need to find ways to burn more calories in order to fit into your nursing uniform. Waking up a little earlier each day to fit in some light exercise will go a long way towards this.

Take a brisk walk 2-3 times a week so that you burn more calories. While at work, try to use the stairs where possible, this will burn many calories over a week or a month.

Eat less

If fitting into your nursing uniform is important to you, then you need to cut back slightly on your food portions. Using a small plate will give the impression that you are still eating a lot of food. This is a great technique to ensure that you cut back on your intake of calories. In next to no time, you will start shedding the inches and find that you are fitting more easily into your nursing uniform.

There is no quick fix to weight loss

All your dietary changes need to be permanent. If you revert to old eating patterns, you will regain the weight. This will seriously impede your efforts to fit into your nursing uniform. Embrace the fact that you have decided to improve your healthy by losing unwanted inches and pounds. Variety is the spice of life, and this should motivate you to eat a varied diet. Increase your intake of fruit and vegetables and reduce your intake of simple carbohydrates.

WORKING WHILE GOING TO SCHOOL TO BECOME A NURSE

Students who need to work while they are in school to become a nurse can’t just haphazardly attend class and go to work and study whenever they have time, because they will find themselves without any time to study!

The first step to successfully balance work and school is to determine where the required activities will fit (and if they fit!)  This process is explained in this post.

After the skeleton outline of time allotments is complete, the key is to use the time you have well and find hidden time in your schedule to maximize your productivity.  The following are tips I’ve used to manage my time, thus far on my journey to become a nurse.

Planning Tips on Working While in School to Become a Nurse

1)   Make sure that your schedule allows for sufficient time to study. It is generally accepted that each hour in class should mean 1-3 hours outside of class studying.  This means that if you are taking 5 units, you will need to study 10-30 hours each week, depending on your major and your intrinsic abilities. As a student who needs A grades and is enrolled in prerequisites to become a nurse, I studied over 30 hours per week during my last 4 unit science class.

2)   Develop a written study schedule so that you know what you’re going to do before you sit down to study so that you don’t waste time figuring out what you are supposed to be doing. Since many of the classes that you take to become a nurse are science based, you may need to approach studying in a systematic manner to be able to study appropriately while working.

3) Organize your time.

4) Follow a schedule.

5)   Consider the best use of your time when developing your schedule. Determine which study activities require your total focus and which can be done while multitasking on other activities. For example, I can review flash cards while walking through the parking lot to class. But I’m not so good at reading my textbook while walking to class.  However, you might be able to read your textbook during your lunch break. When I was in college before, I had a job that allowed me the time to write out checks to pay bills during downtime at work.

6)   Split your study time. Studying doesn’t need to be done in one multi-hour sitting. By breaking up study session between before and after work sessions, you may be able to squeeze more study time in.

7)   Don’t underestimate the power of studying for short periods of time frequently! All those small increments add up.

8)   Put time in your schedule to read the textbook multiple times. This is especially effective if the topic is complex (as many of the science classes that people must take to become a nurse are) and your teacher wants you to be able to understand and apply the information. If the teacher doesn’t use the textbook or just wants you to regurgitate her ideas, then disregard this idea and don’t spend time reading the textbook. It only takes me 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours to read a chapter, depending on if the it is my first or second time reading the chapter.