For my interview I decided to interview my father since he is a Clinical Leader on an Orthopedic floor and thought he would give some great insight being a leader in and out of the workplace. I am so glad I did this interview because it taught me a lot about my father as a person and as a leader. When asked about leadership in nursing he stated “There are opportunities all around us constantly to improve, but it is being able to take initiative by joining groups and continuing education even if it is just certificates and further training. Gradually being able to move up and take on those responsibilities as a leader is something that never goes unnoticed to others.” It was great to get insight from someone who has had so much experience and hearing it from someone my age who hasn’t even started their career was amazing. He also started off in the Army and found that he was able to get a lot of leadership training in Germany by doing leadership development classes and having such a structures routine really helped when going into the hospital. Something that surprised me was the topic about ethical dilemmas. When I asked how to deal with ethical dilemmas in his workplace he stated “There is an ethics committee that tries to get a consensus and involve different areas of expertise that can help you solve problems that not many nurses deal with on a day to day basis.” This was something that was really great for me to hear that goes on because it is comforting as a new graduate nurse to know that your not always expected to know everything, even as a highly experienced nurse, there are always resources and managers and leaders that has knowledge in certain spots that help the team dynamic to improve patient care. Something that really reinforced my prior knowledge was the topic of managing conflict. When asked about managing conflict he stated “Conflict always needs open communication and being objective. You have to deal with the objective information and not emotions about the situation to be able to maintain a proper work environment.” I thought my fathers insight on being a leader was extremely helpful to hear and also made me feel not as intimidated by the term, leader. Leaders are seen as the final destination when a problem happens but in reality, it is teamwork that makes the workplace running smoothly and having a proper leader that is able to stay organized and objective can make all the difference when dealing with conflicts. One thing I am going to take away with me from this interview is being sure to always look over my strengths and weaknesses as a nurse so I can constantly improve. It is really important to be aware that you will have weaknesses, every nurse does, but the first step to becoming stronger in that area is by realizing you need help and to not put too much pressure on yourself to rush the process because you learn something new everyday and knowledge is the key to continuing education in nursing.
One Reply to “Post Interview Reflection”
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Julia, very nice reflection! Sounds like your Dad provided some great insights, especially on hard he has worked to attain his current leadership skill set. Nursing is a profession that does require a commitment to life-long learning….there is always more to know! The more we learn, the more confidence we have in our ability to help others, whether it is colleagues or patients. Knowledge is meant to be shared, and many leaders excel in exactly that…providing new opportunities and new learning for others. You simply must be patient with yourself, as this will be a life-long process, but well worth the time and energy!