Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

Leadership is essential to the successful management in the field of nursing. However, nursing leaders and employees have different views on the type of leadership style to be adapted for best results. Owing to the challenges in the nursing leadership, re-evaluation of current managerial tactics is necessary. A nurse leader must master delegation because it constitutes a critical portion of the effective leadership and success in the patient care. Since we live in a multi-cultural nation; good leaders should consider all aspects of a person including cultural diversity. Time management skills, self-efficacy and assertive communication are the other significant qualities of nurse leaders. All the attributes of a nurse leader influence the quality of care provided to the patients.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

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One of the nursing leadership approaches is transformational style. A transformational leader is the one who employs good and qualitative styles associated with improvement in patient care. This style inspires the others to develop and implement leadership qualities. It comprises charisma, self-confidence, inspiration, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. The transformational leader motivates the other nurses; he is sensitive to the needs of his subordinates and communicates effectively. This style of leadership increases the staff satisfaction leading to an overall reduction of nurse turnover and an increase in patient satisfaction (Smith, 2011). Though transformational leadership promotes nursing excellence, the difference in the interpretation of the nursing styles between the nurse leader and the staff is often associated with decreased satisfaction with the leadership (Andrews, 2012).
Several studies have been done to establish a relationship between managerial competencies, personal characteristics and leadership style of the nursing leaders. Managerial competencies refer to the ability of the nursing leaders to manage the other nurses well. The managerial competencies of nurse leaders consist of characteristics like visionary leadership, conflict resolution, effective communication, problem solving abilities and teamwork. The issues requiring apt management by nursing leaders include conflict resolution and addressing the laziness of employees. A leader must, therefore, have qualities or competencies that help in problem solving and conflict resolution. A leader who is a great manager is the one who is long-sighted. A leader must be a person who considers the future and not just the present. The leader must know that future healthcare depends on the present health care. Another important attribute of a nurse leader is delegation. Delegation of work by the leaders increases the satisfaction amongst the employees and nurses working under them. All these characteristics and attributes positively correlate with the patient care both in the short- and the long-terms (Lorber & Savic, 2000).Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay
There is no dearth of knowledge regarding the appropriate leadership styles for nursing fields. However, inappropriate leadership styles are used by the nursing leaders in many healthcare set-ups. Therefore, a uniform and unique healthcare model for all institutions must be formed so that the country can properly facilitate the reforms needed in the healthcare system or sector. The country must also facilitate the competency evaluation and consistent monitoring of the leader’s work so that the results can be seen and appreciated. The leaders that do not furnish appropriate results may be denied their leadership roles (Lorber & Savic, 2000).
The definition of leadership is multi-faceted. All sectors in the society, from the business to the financial sector and even the nursing or the healthcare sector require good leadership for greater productivity. According to Giltinane (2013), leadership in the working environment is of utmost significance. Direct involvement of the leadership is advised because leaders motivate the employees to go beyond the call of duty. The leader’s role is to ‘elicit effective performance from others.’ The leader influences and guides others towards positive results and productivity. They empower the employees and, therefore, increase organizational loyalty, job satisfaction and reduce sickness levels. The direct involvement of nursing leaders in the actual work of taking care of patients encourages the other nurses to work and to take care of the patients in a better way. Hence, the nursing leader must have personality traits, emotional intelligence and apt cognitive responses that are able to inspire others to work harder and better in their work stations. Thus, a positive productivity is associated with good leadership styles. Effective leadership also requires trust between the leader and the staff. Therefore, the leader should treat them fairly and acknowledge individual achievements. A good leader shows interest in the working of the staff, listens to their problems and helps them in decision making (Giltinane, 2013).
The leader is a person who can inspire those behind him. This means that the followers should be able to agree with their leader, and the leader should be able to make them see the things the way he sees them. Overall, there should be an agreement between the leader and the followers regarding the goal(s). A respectful leader is the one who inspires the subordinate(s) to achieve the positive and effective results of the laid plans (Boyle & Kochinda, 2004). The registered nurses are trained to use techniques of the goal-oriented path to delegate more effectively to the patient care tasks. Delegation is an entry level skill and is the ability to be able to assign duties well to the respective people. Lack of delegation skills is a potential cause for negative and adverse outcome(s) resulting from ineffective supervision (Boyle & Kochinda, 2004).
A good nursing leader must learn the skill of delegation through educational and practical experience. Thus, a nursing leader can’t live without the delegation power, and every success of a registered nurse will depend on their power to effectively delegate duties well. Delegation has the major role in leadership and has the determination of how the leaders perform their duties. The results in positive or negative outcomes in patients measure the level of delegation in nurses. Therefore, a successful leader is the one who possesses the qualities to delegate duties well to the subordinate staff (Dunham-Taylor, 2000).Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay
Confidence is the value of self-belief that a nurse should possess to be able to delegate patient care tasks. Research shows that demographic variables, registered nurses leadership skills and confidence in delegation are related to the outcomes of patient care in a community teaching hospital. The level of confidence is vital in the process of delegating duties among the registered nurses. The low level of confidence affects the delegation of tasks by the nurses adversely and may result in poor patient outcomes. Therefore, the level of confidence in the nurse leaders directly influences to the productivity in the health centers (Saccomano & Pinto-Zipp, 2011).
In a recent study, it was hypothesized that registered nurses who demonstrated a supportive leadership style will report more confidence in delegating patient care tasks than the ones with either directive or participative styles. The hypothesis failed to hold from the research conducted and thus, the level of confidence was not justified as a measure to alter the delegating process. The level of confidence was then correlated to the delegation of duties by the nurses. In a healthcare setting, some departments help to develop the delegating skills while others do not. Therefore, the skill may or may not develop in the leader. Also, the level of confidence in the nurses will help in increasing the productivity level as they are aware of what they are doing and are not undertaking a trial process. If the nurses undertake their duty with confidence, their productivity levels are bound to increase (Saccomano & Pinto-Zipp, 2011).
The nurses serve the patients with very distinct cultural beliefs. Some of the issues that face the nurses due to such occurrences include the language barrier in cases where the nurse is serving a patient from a different ethnicity or with communication problems. Secondly, there can be the cases of prejudice. They may serve the patients with their belief about the patient or what they think rather than taking keen interest in the problem faced by the patient. Thirdly, they could be ethnocentric. The issue is more problematic where a nurse is serving patients from a country that has different ethnicities, religion and/or cultural beliefs. The nurse may serve in favor of some ethnic groups, religions or communities. In the case, a hospital is not in the position of solving the issue of biasness, the simple acts of favoring one group of patients and not-favoring the other group(s) may settle an institutional trend. This type of trends may lead to the loss of nurses as well as the healthcare organization(s). Therefore, much needs to be done about the issue of cultural competence in nursing students and faculty. Psychological empowerment is considered as the best option to enhance the cultural competence. Nurses should be trained on how to give equal treatment to the patients of different backgrounds. They should have the capacity of understanding that every patient is as important as the others and the services and resources should be allocated equitably and not by bias of issues such as ethnicity, religion or race. A perception is very powerful and can lead to justice in any service. The decisions of nurses should be autonomous with a professional basis in the decision making process. This can be installed by bringing in such study fields in nursing schools as well as seminars in places of work. The nurses should be empowered by the knowledge and not pressure (Dreher, & MacNaughton, 2002; Lipson & Desantis, 2007). A nursing leader has several roles in a culturally diverse healthcare system. In any hospital setting with culturally diverse nursing workforce, the nurse leader should be fair and unbiased towards all the staff members irrespective of their background. Leadership directly affects the staff retention, level of motivation and quality of the care provided. Therefore, a good leader should be able to generate and maintain a diverse workforce for the provision of culturally relevant care.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay
According to Skim and Miller’s theoretical framework (1999),(I could not find this reference??) there is a given process of achieving a sensitive process of changing the perception of a nurse or healthcare provider. The process involves the steps mentioned below:

• Understanding cultural diversity: Learning different cultural practices from other countries from where the practitioner might get clients.
• Increasing cultural awareness: It involves teaching the nurses to be mild on cultural decisions and not acting in the favor of some patients at the expense of others.
• Minimizing cultural sensitivity by uniting the community: This means that the patients work together with the medical practitioners in improving health standards. They communicate well and try to understand each other.
• Eradicate cultural competence behavior in the individual(s): In cases of cultural differences, the different cultures may be competing on usage of health resources. Nurses are not supposed to be a part of this fight. Therefore, they should remain neutral.

Such a process has the capacity of making a nurse act more professionally and avoiding being biased (Dreher, & MacNaughton, 2002).
In a study conducted in Australia, there was much effect of diversity on medical practices as well as medical practitioners and patients. Biases were noted in the nursing practice, and the patients with chronic diseases were very much affected in terms of the provided healthcare. Therefore, medical professionals need training on how to be of higher importance to such patients. The patients include diabetics, cardiovascular patients and others chronic disease patients. These patients need medical training on how to manage the illnesses and conditions when the medical practitioners are not around. The healthcare of these patients may be adversely affected if they are subjected to bias. Hence, the medical practitioners are needed to ensure a diverse cultural understanding of the community they are dealing with (Pardue & Morgan, 2008).Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay
Another study was done in three different first world countries viz. the USA, Canada, and Switzerland. In all the three countries, the research gave a positive report about the diversifying services in the medical sector. Such diversities included overcoming language barriers. One of the best examples of the study was in the USA, in a clinic where physicians were facing a little challenge with language problems with some of their patients. They were not in a position to communicate perfectly with other patients other than the ENL speakers (ENL- English Native Language). The researchers brought interpreters of other languages and communication flow was improved. The result was evident from the customer satisfaction analysis. It proven that the services were appreciated 140% of the previous level of appreciation, an implication that diversifying cultural practices, such as teaching nurses different languages is of utmost significance to service improvement process in hospitals as well as clinics and also medical practices at homes (Pardue & Morgan, 2008).
Cultural diversity has been discussed as a way of improving the services of nurses and medical practitioners. It is of high importance to consider communication. To get better services, a nurse or any other practitioner must be in a position of understanding the language of the patient quite vividly, implying that the practitioner will be able to know the problem faced by his or her patient. For example, if a French speaking patient who does not communicate in fluent English is assigned to an American nurse, a communication breakdown is expected since most American health workers are trained in English (Flores, 2006).
In order to come up with a better understanding, medical practitioners should have cultural diversities. They should understand several languages and, therefore, be able to serve patients better. There is also a possibility of working with interpreters. It is, however, not only a matter of spoken language; the dumb might also need to be served in a hospital. They communicate using sign language. Interpreters of such signs should be available to ensure communication between the patient and the nurse (Gerrish, Chau, Sobowale & Briks, 2004).Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay
Patients and medical practitioners need to work together interactively. Hence, there should be a clear understanding of communication from both sides. The nurses need psychological preparations that are of importance to them during the process of providing medical services to patients. Language barrier and other issues due to culture should be dealt with; they are a barrier to communication as well as efficient medical services. Patients with chronic diseases need attention and well stated instructions, since in the absence of doctors and medical practitioners they are supposed to nurse themselves. The process of treating them, therefore, needs to be communicated well to them, to avoid misunderstanding due to cultural differences including the language barrier (Flores, 2006).

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Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing
NUR/492: Leadership and Management
July 9, 2012
Instructor: Janet Bailie Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing Leadership and management are essential to any health care organization, balancing patient care, employees, physicians, and the organization. Nursing is founded on interpersonal relationships. As a people-oriented profession, nursing leadership styles are influenced by humanism. The mission, attitude, and behaviors of a health care organization begins with its leadership, which creates the direction and purpose of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to differentiate between leadership and management, describe views of leadership, and explain the…show more content…
Through trusting interpersonal relationships staff members are empowered to discuss openly concerns and proposed solutions without consequence from the leader. It is important that followers feel comfortable with approaching the leader with complaints or concerns. Leadership demonstrating a neutral position and maintaining a non-judgmental attitude when faced with difficult situations is much easier to approach. Effective Leadership Leading a health care organization comes with immense responsibility and is not an easy task. Transformational leadership has proven to be an effective leadership style in the nursing profession, demonstrating a clear mission, a commitment to excellence, and the ability to motivate and lead others to higher levels of achievement (Schwartz, Spencer, Wilson, & Wood, 2001). Characteristics and qualities of an effective leader include • Communication skills- able to openly communicate, easy to approach, and listens • Compassionate- kind, caring, and respectful of others • Dependable-reliable, consistent • Motivating- empowers others to perform at their best, promotes a sense of responsibility, encourages and assists other to excel in their profession • Actively participates- is a team player, leads by example • Fair- remains neutral when dealing with conflict, treats employees equally, is non-judgmental Employee Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

Leadership is an important aspect of almost any industry. Most people would often think that leadership is only important in industries that are related to business or making profit. It is only logical to think that leadership is important in all aspects of managing an organization because an organization without an effective leader would not be able to survive the harsh business environment that is prevalent in a highly interconnected world economy. There are sources that suggest that leadership is part of a learning process. The objective of this paper is to discuss the importance of leadership and management in the field of nursing, particularly to support the idea that suggests that not all leadership is about changing or challenging people’s vision of the future. The author of this paper will draw on previously published literature on the topic of clinical leadership and management in the field of nursing to support the assumptions and inferences that will be made in this paper.

A leader, regardless of the type of organization or the processes and operations that it is involved in, is often described as someone who can easily inspire others to do orders and work together in order to achieve the goals of the company or organization. In this case, we are talking about an organization that is involved in the nursing industry. Examples of goals that a good leader in the nursing leadership can do are the enhancement of the quality of patient and healthcare, accessibility, and affordability, among others. This would of course vary from one organization to another, depending on the focus of the leader, and the current issues and problems that the nursing organization faces. Regardless, an effective clinical management and nursing leader should be able to know how to manage the available funds and financial resources, among others that can be used to fuel a project or any organization-related campaign, in order to achieve the organizational goals and objectives. This is where the effectiveness and skills of a leader in the nursing industry would be tested. Naturally, a leader who shows greater promise in meeting the organization’s clients and senior leaders’ expectations, or ideally, in outperforming them, would be considered as more effective compared to one that shows less promising results.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

A common assumption in organizational management is the one that suggests that leadership is all about changing or challenging a group of people’s vision of the future. This assumption may pertain to the various changes that any leader of an organization would have to spearhead in order for the organization to reach its goals and objectives. This, at some point, may be considered to be true because after all, a company would not be able to grow without introducing significant changes to the way how things are organized from the chain of command down to the way how each small processes and operations are carried out (Stanley, Congruent Leadership: Values in Action, 2008). Often, the greater the changes that have been introduced, the better it would be for the organization in the long run, provided that everything from the planning process down to the part where the planned processes have to be implemented were properly executed. This is not to say, however, that all management-induced organizational changes lead to better results for the organization because there are surely other organizational change management plans that go awry. This is why there are indicators that can be used to access the effectiveness of a leader, regardless of the industry and one of such indicators is his ability to overcome the hindrances to meeting the organizational goals and objectives.

The idea of continuous innovation is not only used in the field of technology. It may also be considered important in other fields such as in the field of nursing in this case. Any nursing organization which has failed to continuously innovate either the delivery of its product and services or the quality of its products and services themselves would surely suffer from the negative consequences of being left out by its competitors who have managed to do the opposite — to continuously introduce innovations despite the often high price that organizations have to pay for it. Introducing innovation is not a one-night thing. It is rather a continuous process and most of the time, the leader of the organization plays a major role on whether an organization would be highly innovative or otherwise (Stanley, 2011). Also, the process of introducing innovation is often coupled with the process of introducing changes. Innovation is something that would not be made possible without introducing changes. This actually brings us back to the main question about the validity of the idea that suggests that leadership is all about introducing changes and challenging people’s vision of the future. An effective leader would surely be able to find a workaround on how to introduce innovations without having to make dramatic changes or even go to as far as challenge the people’s vision of the future (Howieson & Thiagarajah, 2011), unless the aspect of the organization that the leader would like to change is the vision of the organization itself.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

In a nursing organization, the role of the leader is often geared at improving the quality of healthcare delivered by the entire nursing team or department or if its quality is already at par with the organizational performance, maintaining it (Marquis & Huston, 2014). Other goals that the nursing leader may participate may have something to do with increasing the affordability and the accessibility of health and patient care. An effective leader often exhibits a set of personal qualities that would help him surpass the hurdles involved in achieving the goals and objective of the organization, some of which include but may not be limited to persistence, initiative, integrity, courage, and his ability to handle stress. The leader’s ability to think critically, set goals and execute the necessary actions to meet those goals, communicate skillfully with other members of the team, be it a subordinate or someone who has a higher position, and collaborate with other people when it comes to nursing-related works and responsibilities are often the ones that would determine whether the organization’s vision and mission would be realized or not (Davidson, Becoming a nurse leader, 2010).

Nurses are often forced to be creative and innovative in their work. This is because they are the ones who usually have the first-hand experience in interacting with patients. They are often the ones who become compelled to make last minute decisions with regards to patient and healthcare (Marquis & Huston, Classical Views of Leadership and Management, 2012; Davidson, Elliott, & Daly, 2006). Nurses function as the front liners when it comes to patient care. At times, they often become required to do administrative works such as documenting the patients’ progressions and regressions. The same is, in fact, true for nurse leaders, except for the fact that they have the added responsibility of managing and leading people. Also, their co-nurses look up to their nurse leaders and often, an ineffective and highly inefficient nurse leader creates an equally ineffective and highly inefficient set of new nurse leaders as well. In the end, the purpose of the nursing leader would always have something to do with the ultimate goal of meeting the expectations of the entire department in meeting department and organizational goals and objectives.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

In conclusion, the role of the nursing leader in a clinical leadership and management in the nursing industry is more concerned with the fundamental goal of effectively and efficiently executing the conceptualized plan of actions in order to reach the set organizational goals and objectives than changing and or challenging the people’s vision of the future. At some point this is true but there is more to being a leader than just introducing changes to the organization and stimulating changes among one’s subordinates. The idea is to see the bigger picture of being a leader and just by doing so, one would be able to determine that being a nursing leader is not just about changing or challenging the people’s vision of the future. In this case, being a nursing leader is more concerned with being a role model to the people, exhibiting the signs of being a leader such as having integrity and excellent communication skills, among other traits of being an effective nursing leader.

When about 500,000 registered nurses retire in the coming decade, they won’t just leave a void in much-needed clinical care positions. Their departures will deplete the pool of nurse managers – the experienced professionals who bridge the gap between bedside care and administrative roles.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for some 1.1 million new registered nurses to meet the new demand and replace retirees, many in management positions. Nurses who plan to transition from management roles require skills that combine clinical expertise and leadership. Nurse managers are responsible for supervising nursing staff in a hospital or clinical setting. They oversee patient care, make management and budgetary decisions, set work schedules, coordinate meetings and make decisions about personnel.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

Nurse manager smiling

“The nurse manager is responsible for creating safe, healthy environments that support the work of the health care team and contribute to patient engagement. The role is influential in creating a professional environment and fostering a culture where interdisciplinary team members are able to contribute to optimal patient outcomes and grow professionally,” the American Organization of Nurse Executives said.

Duquesne University’s online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program provides registered nurses with the skills to advance in their careers and an opportunity to play a role in furthering healthcare for future generations. The MSN program builds on baccalaureate-level practices to prepare graduates for advanced practice and management positions. Duquesne’s three areas of MSN specialization — Family (Individual Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner, Forensic Nursing and Nursing Education and Faculty Role – allow registered nurses to choose their path.

Duties as a Nurse Manager and Leader
Nurses who serve in management positions are expected to not only make vital decisions to assist in patient care but are also expected to carry out defined duties that include the following:Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

Staff management
Case management
Treatment planning
Recruitment
Budgeting
Scheduling
Discharge planning
Mentoring
Developing educational plans
Records management
Nurse managers need strong communication and leadership skills. They should be adept at coordinating resources and personnel and meeting goals and objectives. They must be effective leaders who can strike a balance between working with the nursing staff and the healthcare facility administrators.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said nurse managers are change agents. They work with staff to find and implement useful changes to improve patient wellness and safety outcomes. Nurse managers also implement regulatory guidelines for patient safety set by state and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Joint Commission, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They have to make sure the staff is educated on care standards and can implement them as needed.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

Nurse managers work in a number of clinical settings including hospitals, doctor’s offices, schools, and psychiatric institutions.

“Nurse managers lead their unit staff in preventing patient harm in their unit, empowering nurses to be the first line of defense against patient harm,” the agency reported.

Traits of a Successful Nurse Manager
Working as a nurse manager requires skills beyond clinical care. The job requires management skills, budgeting and business acumen and leadership qualities. Communications and interpersonal skills are also vital. The following characteristics are common among successful nurse managers:
Effective Communication Skills – Part of being an effective leader is listening to staff and patient concerns and communicating needs. Nurse managers must be able to build solid rapports with all staff members, from the janitorial staff to head administrators, as well as patients to create cohesiveness.

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Advocacy – In some cases, nurse leaders might have to advocate for staff to ensure a safe and reasonable practice environment. In other cases, they might have to advocate for patient safety and access to quality healthcare. Nurse managers should not be afraid of using their voice and position.
Participation – With so many administrative demands, it is important that nurse managers balance business with patient care. Nurse managers must have superior clinical skills to ensure patient safety and wellbeing.
Mentoring – Successful nurse leaders do not micromanage their staff. They encourage, empower, mentor, and find strengths. They boost creativity and mindfulness.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay
Maturity – Nurse managers do not immediately take sides in squabbles or assess blame before knowing all the facts. They don’t let simmering emotions boil over. Instead, they meet conflict and work through it.
Professionalism – Nurse managers follow their moral compass to ensure all aspects of the profession are met with honesty and integrity. They address people with respect and do not bully.
Supportive – They don’t set the bar for expectations unreasonably high. Instead, they use supportive encouragement to challenge employees to success. They coach and mentor.
The Future of Nurse Managers
As the current nursing workforce ages and retires, the anticipated shortage of nurses will create opportunities for newly minted nurse managers. Researchers have found that nurse managers are vital to overall nurse retention because they influence the quality of work and the stability of a work environment.

“Strong leadership qualities in the nursing unit manager have been associated with greater job satisfaction, reduced turnover intention among nursing staff, and improved patient outcomes. Nurse leaders need to be supported in an effort to retain nurses given ongoing workforce issues and to ensure high-quality patient care,” researchers said in the 2014 “Leadership skills for nursing unit managers to decrease intention to leave” study.

Researchers found there must be cohesive relationships among staff members and better communications with staff for nurse managers to do a better job in the future. Continual changes in healthcare and a focus on costs are among the many things that make the role of nurse manager challenging.Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay

Nursing professionals at Florida Atlantic University encouraged leaders to “challenge their thinking and practices to recognize that the crux of leadership is in the power of relationships.”

“Growing future nurse leaders is a long-term quest that requires both planning and action,” authors of the “Growing Nurse Leaders: Their Perspectives on Nursing Leadership and Today’s Practice Environment” study found. “Our emerging leaders will ultimately replace our current leaders and continue the very important work being done to improve nursing practice environments, and most importantly, patient outcomes. Yet succession planning is challenging today in a healthcare environment that is fast paced and constantly changing.”

Students working toward an online MSN degree at Duquesne University are trained for the role of nursing leader. The program provides a broad-based nursing education that allows students to assume managerial roles and effectuate future changes in the profession. The online MSN program allows students to take nursing classes remotely and learn from leaders in the field while continuing their careers as registered nurses. Significance of Critical Leadership In The Nursing Field Essay