(SOLVED) Define leadership within the nursing context. Give two examples of how Rob might enact this in his daily practice .

Leadership within nursing context:

Nursing is a dynamic and challenging profession requiring engaging and inspiring role models and leaders. In today's ever changing and demanding healthcare environment, identifying and developing nurse leaders is one of the greatest challenges faced by the nursing profession. The concept of leadership is a complex and multi-dimensional phenomenon; research conducted for over a century concludes that although it is one of the most observed concepts, no universally accepted definition or theory of leadership actually exists. There is increasing clarity surrounding what true nursing leadership is, and how it differs from management. This discussion will outline the nature of nursing leadership and importance of nurse leaders in advancing the profession; clarify definitions and differentiate between nurse managers and nurse leaders; describe the evolution of nurse leadership by identify theories and styles of leadership relevant to nursing practice; and highlight the importance of identifying leaders in the nursing profession. The paper also serves as a caution to recognise, avoid and discourage "negative" leaders in the pursuit of a bright future for the nursing profession. With appropriate identification, support and development of future nurse leaders, an acknowledgement of the shifting paradigm of leadership theory and the context in which future nurse leaders are destined to grow, the ultimate goal of the nursing profession--excellent in person centred care--can be achieved. It is essential to the future success of the nursing profession that informal, negative "leaders" be discouraged and positive leaders, possessing the evidence-based qualities of leadership be identified and nurtured to lead the profession.

Advocacy within the nursing context :

As health care professionals practice as a team, they take on responsibilities that are specific to their roles—responsibilities that are recognized and understood by the team and management as pertaining to their professional domain and expertise. Is advocacy part of the role of the nurse? Members of the nursing profession commonly maintain that it is, but is there a consensus on this issue, both within the profession and among other stakeholders? Is there a clear understanding of the term advocacy, and is this reflected in Codes of Practice and research into practice? An examination of significant documents and reports of empirical research reveals conflicting conceptions and opinions. There is potential for a common definition, but agreements need to be reached on whether advocacy is an essential function of nursing within the management of health care, and if so, what is advocacy’s importance, focus, and limits.

The dictionary defines an advocate as someone who pleads the cause of another. In the nursing profession, advocacy means preserving human dignity, promoting patient equality, and providing freedom from suffering. It’s also about ensuring that patients have the right to make decisions about their own health.

Examples of advocacy range from lending patients a friendly ear to providing additional information to a patient who is trying to decide whether or not to accept treatment. But as a patient advocate, nurses must provide support in an objective manner, being careful not to show approval or disapproval of a patient’s choices.

however, nurses often face several barriers when trying to effectively advocate for their patients, with the biggest hurdle being at the institutional level. Depending on the employer, some nurses receive little or no support from administrators, physicians, or peers when trying to carry out the patient advocacy role.