Research Paper on:
Effective Nursing Leadership, Management

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
same thing. Management skills can be easily described as they relate to job descriptions and established processes. Leadership, however, is more ambiguous, as this refers to behaviors that are derived  from an individuals philosophical beliefs about how to effectively manage and lead nursing staff members. Power is defined as "The potential ability to influence in order to achieve goals"  (Sullivan and Decker, 2005). There are different bases from which power is derived, such as a managers ability to reward, punish, share knowledge, command respect, provide information, etc. (Sullivan and  Decker, 2005). A successful nursing manager uses the appropriate base of power at appropriate times. For example, when making a request from a non-nursing department employee, a nursing manager draws  on legitimate power as a member of the organizations hierarchy to make requests based on that authority (Sullivan and Decker, 2005). On the other hand, in interactions with a physician,  a nurse will address different aspects of power. In such interchanges, a nurse will draw on the power inherent in nursing expertise, that is, "power based on the managers possession  of unique skills, knowledge and competence," and on specific informational knowledge in regards to patients (Sullivan and Decker, 2005). Kramer and Schmalenberg (2003), in their study concerning nursing and  power, found that where nurses report that power when is shared, there are corresponding improvements in the nursing/physician relationship and this aids in improving the quality of care. For example,  one of their respondent nurses reported that doctors at her hospital acknowledge that nurses are better situated to notice subtle changes in their patients conditions, as they are with the  patients for longer periods of time than are the doctors. Due to this acknowledged factor, the physicians at this hospitals subsequently esteem nursing knowledge, seek it out and thereby share