Nursing is a diverse and continuously changing industry, and this can make becoming a nurse an extremely rewarding and challenging experience.
However, if you believe that you could make a positive impact on the sector, here are some of the top steps that you need to take if you want to lead change within the medical industry.
Take an EDD
Although your qualifications do not necessarily show that you have what it takes to lead change within your industry, a lack of qualifications can create a career barrier. This can bar you from the senior positions that you need to secure to implement and drive change within your institution.
The best qualification for those that want to take on influential positions within the nursing sector is an EDD Leadership degree. This type of degree differs from traditional post-graduate courses by giving you the tools that you need to take on research or scholarly positions.
These can help you to pass on knowledge to the next generation or discover new innovations that could positively impact patient care.
Mentor the Next Generation of Nurses
To drive change in the future and to continue to exact influence throughout nursing once you have retired, you should look to mentor and guide the next generation of nurses. Although you can do this by looking for scholarly and university lecturer roles in the future, you should also look at mentoring young nurses or creating a shadowing scheme for those that are looking to be inspired.
By mentoring the next generation of nurses, you will be able to fully engage and motivate young nurses to succeed and inspire them to be interested in creating and forging change in the sector, as you have throughout your career.
You can find nurses to mentor by attending professional networking events or by joining nursing associations.
The most significant nursing associations in the US include.
- American College of Nurse Practitioners
- American Academy of Nursing
- National Association of Independent Nurses
- American Medical Association
- Society of Nurses in Advanced Practice
Improve Your Leadership Skills
However, to be in the right position to lead change within your organization, you should consider looking to get promoted to a managerial role. To do this, it is paramount that you can improve your leadership skills, including communication, interpersonal skills, and empathy.
To improve your skills, you should consider accepting and offering yourself for any leadership projects or opportunities that are presented to you, as well as looking to find volunteering opportunities outside of the workplace.
You could also consider asking whether your institution runs employee exchange programs, which can help you to get the skills that you need and grow your confidence, building a grounding that you can use to implement change in the future.
Value Research
If you want to implement change within your industry by discovering innovations and using the latest medical developments to treat your patients, you should start to value the benefits of research, and commit to carrying this out regularly.
By understanding and knowing about the latest developments in healthcare, you will be able to ensure that your workplace can become a modern and leading institution within the industry. You will also be able to ensure that you can give your clients the best care possible.
Meet Future Challenges
One of the most significant future challenges is an aging workforce; 44% of the nurses working in the USA are over the age of 55.
Nursing and the healthcare sector are not without its challenges, though. Whether this is the nursing shortage or the dominance of technology within the industry, you should be prepared to meet the challenges that may hinder your drive for change in the future.
You can prepare for the future challenges in the sector by creating long-term plans for you and your institution, starting to implement the necessary changes as soon as possible, and staying on top of the developments and current issues within your sector. You should also consider using incentives to lure young nurses into the profession and consider improving the skills of your team.
Consider Advocacy
If there are any issues that you feel strongly about, you should be unafraid of becoming an advocate for them both in your institution and beyond. Many of the changes that have impacted healthcare the most in the last century were the product of advocacy. You can do this by helping to support others who may have ideas that they want to implement, trying out and discussing new ways to change your institution regularly, and ensure that there is an effective communication strategy between you and your managerial team.
This will ensure that you have a say in the running of your institution. You should also consider becoming an advocate for your patients to implement the change that they want to see.
Implement New Management Strategies
New strategies are being developed all the time that can lead to change in terms of nursing management and the running of the workplace. These can help to motivate your team and improve the care that you provide.
You should ensure that you keep up with the latest and most modern strategies and how to implement these within your team if you are a senior nurse. For instance, you should consider using disruptive strategies by working with community services to develop a different company model or switching to value-based care, which you can do by looking at the stats and data of your institution.
Lead Digital Transformation
However, one of the most significant changes in nursing that have occurred in recent years is the digital transformation of most medical facilities. If your institution has not implemented these changes, they run the risk of becoming old-fashioned and failing to modernize appropriately. You can lead digital transformation with the introduction of:
- Scheduling software
- Online booking software
- Telemedicine and video conferencing
- Electronic monitors
- Prescription software
This can help your institution to run smoothly and to prepare for some of the most significant challenges in the future, such as an aging nursing workforce and the nursing skills gap.
For many nurses, the healthcare profession is a vocation, and this can lead them to want to implement continuous change within their institutions. If this is the case for you, there are a huge variety of ways that you can make an impact on nursing now and in the future,
