Health Care Leader Interview
NUR/492
June 17, 2013

Healthcare changes occurring today along with shrinking budgets and reimbursement rates for hospitals has forced institution CEOs to do more with less. Changes and restructuring of various health facilities require nursing leaders with flexibility and adaptability. Nurse leaders must also consider budgetary constraints, cost effectiveness, patient safety, and quality care while maintaining focus on improved patient outcome. The responsibility of ensuring patients receive safe and high quality care belongs to every employee in the hospital, including support staff such as IV therapy. In this hospital, this led to the development of a nurse director position to oversee the
During this time she obtained her Master’s in Nursing degree, expanding her knowledge base. Participating in projects to broaden her experiences, such as quality improvement projects, also contributed to leadership development.
How do you see leadership evolving in nursing today? Healthcare focus is moving toward outcomes. Nurse leaders must recognize the importance of patient satisfaction scores, emphasizing the need to focus on providing quality care to achieve optimal outcomes. Influencing positive attitudes and promoting processes that increase employee satisfaction will impact patient satisfaction in a positive manner. Patient satisfaction scores are influenced by the work environment of the nurse. According to a study relating patient satisfaction to nursing care by Kutney-Lee, Sloane, Cimiotti,… Aiken 2012, “Patients’ reports of satisfaction are higher in hospitals where nurses practice in better work environments or with more favorable patient-to-nurse ratios” (p. 669). This study also reported a relationship between the quality of the nurse work environment associated with every one of the patient satisfaction measures on the Health Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey, also known as HCAHPS patient satisfaction surveys (Kutney-Lee, et. al. 2012). Nurse leaders will need to be imaginative and innovative to maintain a balance of motivated, knowledgeable staff, good morale, and providing quality