Choose a nurse leader who holds a leadership nursing position in their organization and who has direct reports (they supervise other employees). Examples of this include the Director of Nursing, the director, and the Unit Manager. *You may not be employed in the same facility as your interviewee or shadow during personal work hours* (If special accommodations need to be made, approval by your instructor is required first). *** You May Use Bryce Martin, Unit Manager

Interview with a Nurse Leader

I interviewed Bryce Martin, a registered nurse in the medical surgical unit manager position at Medical City Fort Worth. This healthcare facility is located in Fort Worth, Texas. It has various departments that offer a range of healthcare services. This interview analyzes Bryce Martin’s role at the healthcare facility and explores other issues of concern regarding the facility.

Nursing and Inter-Professional Teams

According to the interviewee, the hospital has various nursing and interdisciplinary teams. Nurses are distributed across nine departments at the healthcare facility. The departments include pediatric, oncology, surgical, geriatric, emergency, critical care unit, obstetrics and gynecology, and cardiology. Every department has a unit manager who monitors daily activities and reports directly to the director of nursing services. The other team of interdisciplinary members comprises physicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, laboratory technologists, case managers, and administrators. Physicians are distributed across the nine nursing departments based on their specialty. For instance, oncologists are found in the oncology department, whereas cardiologists are found in the cardiology department. Pharmacists are in charge of the facility’s pharmacy. Laboratory technologists ensure that timely laboratory tests and imaging results are delivered promptly. According to the interviewee, the interdisciplinary team collaborates to improve the quality of patient care. For example, nurses work in concert with physicians and pharmacists in the medical-surgical unit to improve healthcare services.

A Nursing Practice that Has Changed

Bryce Martin reported that nurses in the medical-surgical unit and other departments had adopted various practices over the past year to reduce the incidence of medication administration errors. Firstly, they have embraced barcoding. This entails using barcodes to identify patients, medications, and their records. Barcoding ensures that the pertinent dose is administered to the right patient as prescribed (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Secondly, they have embraced double-checking. This requires an independent assessment by another nurse before medication administration (Koyama et al., 2020). Thirdly, they have started to embrace smart infusion pumps (SIPs). SIPs have software that alerts nurses about dosage errors to minimize the incidence of medication administration errors (Tsegaye et al., 2020).

The Impact of Change within the Organization

The interviewee reported that the change in nursing practice regarding medication administration has impacted the healthcare facility positively. Barcoding, double-checking, and the use of SIPs have reduced the incidence and prevalence of medication administration errors in healthcare facilities. Furthermore, Martin reported that these changes have improved the quality of care, as evidenced by high recovery rates and reduced hospitalizations. According to Martin, this has improved patient safety and patient satisfaction. By so doing, the facility has gained a positive reputation and a better competitive advantage. The interviewee reported that he plays a significant role in this change process. As a leader, he embraces open communication to motivate other nurses to remain committed to the departmental goals. He delegates duties effectively to ensure care coordination and promote accountability among members of his team. Furthermore, he performs performance evaluations and provides timely feedback.

Strategies Used for Fiscal and Human Resources

According to the interviewee, the healthcare facility uses four strategies to manage fiscal and human resources. These strategies have benefitted the facility by improving the quality of services, reducing treatment costs, and achieving patient-centeredness. Firstly, it focuses on human capital that fosters achieving its goals and objectives. In this context, the facility ensures that recruitment and hiring are competency-based. Members of the interdisciplinary team are recruited based on their knowledge and skills. This ensures that the best human capital is embraced. Secondly, the organization has adopted an open communication policy between leaders and employees. This strategy increases the likelihood of employee buy-in and ensures that they remain committed to organizational goals. Thirdly, the facility conducts adequate planning via the human resource department. Planning promotes the effective distribution of financial and human resources to promote a smooth flow of activities in various departments. Fourthly, the facility has elaborate performance metrics. These metrics evaluate the quality of service delivery as evidenced by the performance of