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Reviewed by Abbie Jacobs, RN, BSN
In the medical industry, nursing does not just occur in the examination room. Nurses work with doctors, attend meetings, work with technical staff, and more. In order to inhabit all the roles a senior nurse needs to on a daily basis, there are multiple leadership skills to exercise and master. Here are the top three tips to start with.
Mentorship
In nursing, mentorship between senior and junior nurses results in two distinct outcomes: a higher retention rate and greater job satisfaction. By mentoring junior nurses in their first two years in the profession, they can get the support and knowledge they need to assist new nurses and have great job satisfaction. Senior nurses should encourage junior nurses to get involved in projects at their clinic or hospital because fresh perspectives are not just welcome but necessary, and by being personally invested in a project, each nurse will enjoy their job more, which keeps them around for longer.
Communication
As with most jobs, communication is a key element of keeping the organization running smoothly. In the medical industry, this is just as important. Senior nurses should give out daily communication notes to their staff, as well as meet with nurses on a daily basis. Meeting with staff members as they come in and leave will allow senior level staff to keep track of all the moving parts of the clinic, as well as keep staff up to date on any changes happening, such as new security protocols or education initiatives.
Flexible Leadership
A senior level nurse deals with more issues on a daily basis than most. They have meetings to attend, staff members to keep in contact with, perhaps even patients to meet with. All of those require different kinds of leadership ability. The best nurses are those that can inhabit multiple roles in a day for the effectiveness of their team, from top level leadership to nursing management to interprofession meetings.