Custom «Nursing Management» Essay Paper Sample

Introduction

I am pursuing a major in Nursing Management and I have a lot of interest in studying this course. The representative of the profession is charge of nurse who takes care of the sick patients in health institutions such as hospitals. Since I am planning to be a nursing manager, I intend to gather more information about this field. The aim of this assignment is to interview a profession nursing manager and obtain as much information as I can. I was able to understand the roles and responsibilities of a nursing manager by conducting the interview. I used additional two resources to obtain more information about the profession. Included is a summary of the interview and the questions asked.

Interview Summary

Background and Career Path

After searching for a nursing manager to interview, I found the ideal person whose career interested me a lot. I interviewed Miss Elizabeth Kern, a professional in the field of Nursing Management. Elizabeth made the decision to become a nursing practitioner when she was still in nursing school. During her stay there, it occurred to her that physicians had such a busy schedule attending to several patients at the same time. In as much as they were doing a commendable job, they were not spending any quality time with them to be able to connect with them at a personal level. The patients wanted more than just the routine treatment they were receiving, they wanted someone to listen to their concerns, understand their fears, and someone to talk to and maybe shed more light on their ailments. It occurred to me that she could help to fill that gap.

Elizabeth attended Albright College in Reading for my Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing Management before proceeding to the University of Virginia for her Master’s of Science in Nursing. Pursuing Master's degree opened her eyes to a lot of things and concepts she had never encountered before. She worked at the State Hospital wards for about two years before moving to the ICU for another six years. Additionally, she has 28 years of experience working as a nurse practitioner, 14 of which have been focussed on emergency care and the remaining 14 yrs in basic care. She also worked for 12 years in a low-income area in East Baltimore.

Elizabeth’s day starts at 5 a.m. She attends patients between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Afterwards, she stays in the office until 10:00 p.m. evaluating test outcomes, writing prescriptions and answering the phone. Most patients suffer from chronic diseases since most are low-income individuals that make the process of treatment cumbersome and time consuming. She offers primary care to the patients. She attends patients three days every week to provide care, treats their chronic illnesses, and refers them to specialists when it is necessary. There are five other primary care givers two of which are nurse practitioners.

The path to success in this profession is to have a broad understanding of several issues, which are only appreciated by studying. You have a firm grasp of the sciences, for example, pathophysiology and psychology. One has to understand the illnesses and their treatments, including the consistently altering treatments for patients. Other skills are patience, elementary computer skills, interpersonal skills, and a desire to learn since the system is ever changing.

The key to a long career is working sufficiently hard with your education. Opportunities are not hard to come by once you are qualified. Considering that healthcare providers are few and the demand is high, coupled with the fact that the course is not easy, jobs are relatively easy to secure. She greatly loves interacting with the patients and forming a personal bond with them. They love sharing their concerns with her which she does her best to address effectively. She understands that she impact their lives positively. Because there are constant changes in the sector, it is never dull. Her personal life also has changed great thanks to the stuff she has learnt. Elizabeth does not plan to retire any day soon and vows to continue as long as she can. In case when she retires, Elizabeth would love to volunteer for services to help the less fortunate. She would also love to see that nursing practitioners are compensated on the same level as other professional health workers that they feel better working hours.

Roles and Responsibilities

Nursing managers are tasked with assisting patients through the management of the individuals directly involved with looking after the patients. The managers are predominantly responsible for the hiring and retention of the nursing employees and supervising their actions. Additionally, they may be required to co-operate with physicians caring for patients attending to patients and their families by addressing their concerns and questions. Nurse Managers have several responsibilities such as acting as a connection between the organization, the nurse groups and the direct staff (Carpenito, 2009).

Nurse Managers supervise a particular unit in an organization, for example, an intensive care unit in a hospital. They oversee both the clinical and managerial features, together with overseeing nurses and handling the questions of patients and their families. Not only they are required to possess specialized nursing qualification, but also required to be mentally strong with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to lead others.

The nurse manager is equally responsible for assigning duties and responsibilities to the nurses under her supervision, with regard to their weaknesses and strengths, their years of expertise, and the nature of the illness of the patients requiring care. By evaluating the information available to her, the nurse manager then tasks the nurses with particular responsibilities and sets timetables for all the individuals under her supervision. It is her responsibility to ensure that the duties assigned to the nurses are successfully completed according to the standards set out by the hospital. If the conditions are not met, the nurse manager has the authority to take disciplinary action against that particular nurse (Gulanick & Myers, 2011).