Conversations about leadership tend to revolve around entrepreneurship or the military, but in fact leadership is important in almost every sector. In healthcare, it has a vital role to play. Leadership is important to patient care, to staff care, to efficiency and to morale. It helps staff members to give their very best and provides them with the support they need to take on the challenges inherent in the job.
This article explores the ways that leadership works in a healthcare environment and the value that it adds to the services provided.
There’s no room for arguments in care
One of the reasons why healthcare is such an interesting field to work in is the overlap between the academic, continually expanding human knowledge and the practical. The exchange of ideas is important, and sometimes personal experience or closeness to a particular patient will provide insights that have been missed at the top. Patients, however, need to be confident that they’re getting the best care, which means that it’s never appropriate to question decisions in front of them. Good leaders know how to listen and facilitate healthy discussion, whether it’s about individual cases or wider aspects of the way that a ward or a clinic is run. They invite ideas, but they also know when to make firm decisions and give the staff working under them confidence in their approach.
Hierarchy keeps everyone safe
Having a clear leadership structure in healthcare not only reassures patients and clarifies who is responsible at each stage of the decision-making process, but also ensures consistency of care, with no mixed messages about how treatment should be administered or how specific protocols should be followed. This reduces the risk of error, making patients safer, and also ensures that staff who follow the rules don’t risk being held liable if mistakes are made and they are not at fault. It means that wherever you are in the system, you always know who to go to for support – and even if you feel that a leader is letting you down, it’s clear who you should talk to about the problem. You also know exactly who you’re responsible for and what they’re likely to need from you.
Strong teams boost efficiency
Even within a formal hierarchical structure, really good healthcare work depends on the relationships between leaders and those working under them. Good leaders understand the importance of looking after their teams, getting to know every individual and dealing appropriately with their specific needs. They identify individual strengths and weaknesses and find ways for people to work together so that these are balanced out. They find ways of working around personality clashes and ensure that problems such as bullying are firmly dealt with so that everyone is able to focus on the job. They also work to create a positive environment in which everybody feels supported by everybody else, making it much easier to cope when the work becomes difficult. Studying an MSN program in leadership helps to boost these skills and identify ways of overcoming specific types of challenge.
In tough times, everything depends on morale
The challenge of getting through a difficult time is something that has never been more apparent in healthcare, with workers feeling exhausted all around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than anything else, what makes the difference between those healthcare teams that are still managing to thrive and those that keep losing people is good leadership. Simply put, it’s always easier to cope with pressure, of any kind, if you feel that your boss has got your back.
Leaders can be there to listen to rants, help people through breakdowns, and remind them just how much their efforts matter. Even in more ordinary times, the stress of losing patients or getting overloaded with work can become impossible for individuals to manage alone. However, a leader who can make them feel that they are part of something bigger can give them the energy and confidence they need to return to the fray, where in time they will enjoy those special moments that make this such an amazing profession to be part of.
Some people are born with a natural talent for leadership, but anyone can develop their leadership skills. Doing so is a great way to boost your career prospects and the contribution you can make to the healthcare facilities in which you work. The better the leaders, the better the whole healthcare team, and the better the patient outcomes – so everybody wins.
