Head Nurse Management and Roles

Head Nurse: Outlines and Objectives

• Outlines: Introduction, Definition, Management position of the head nurse, Criteria for selection, Qualities and characteristics, Functions (patient care management, staff management, unit management)
• Objectives: Define head nurse, Identify selection criteria and qualifications, Illustrate head nurse's management position in organization chart, Differentiate head nurse from supervisor, Discuss traditional and changing role of head nurse, Discuss nursing rounds and medical rounds, Demonstrate application of development appropriate head nurse report in hospital units.

Head Nurse: Introduction and Definition

• Introduction: Head nurse is a critical first-line management role in nursing administration, linking nursing management to care. Crucial for coordinating and integrating nursing practices to attain high-level patient care in each unit.
• Definition: A professional nurse responsible for an organized hospital unit (e.g., medical or surgical unit) encompassing direct and indirect nursing care provision.

Head Nurse: Management Position

• Management Position: Head nurse fills a first line management position within the hospital nursing management levels. (Top management [Director of Nursing], Middle management [Nurse Supervisors], First management [Head Nurse])

Head Nurse: Selection Criteria

• Educational Qualifications: Completion of baccalaureate program, advanced preparation in ward/unit management, supervision and teaching, continuing education in nursing management and administration.
• Professional Qualifications: Current professional nursing license, 2-5 years experience in clinical nursing, including at least one year as a nurse in charge of a nursing unit. Possess qualities essential for leadership (good judgment, sound decision-making, communication skills).

Head Nurse: Qualities and Characteristics

• Compassionate Approach: Maintains composure during stressful situations.
• Coordination: Facilitates high-quality nursing care while managing the environment, coordinating with other nurses.
• Analytical Skills: Quickly grasps situations and analyzes to appropriately place nurses for patient care and handle patient families, doctors and their demands.
• Negotiation and Conflict Resolution: Conducts initial evaluation, negotiates, monitors and disciplines non-compliant staff. Escalates only issues not resolved at the head nurse level.
• Humanistic Management: Fosters staff morale and performance through effective approach for any situation.

Head Nurse: Ability to Multi-Task

• Multi-tasking: Supervising patient treatments, progress monitoring, reporting to doctors, managing nurse schedules, changing routines.

Head Nurse: Responsibility and Leadership

• Responsibility and Leadership: Inherent leadership skills are important. Possessing strong self-esteem and a sense of responsibility. Head nurse must be able to inspire others to follow her.

Head Nurse: Functions of the Head Nurse

• Patient Care Management: Ensuring patient needs are met, using the nursing process steps.
• Staff Management: Utilizing staff effectively (utilization, supervision, development, evaluation) to help foster effective care.
• Unit Management: Managing administrative duties daily, (delegated or not), such as patient admission, discharge administration, doctor round administration, and any relations with other departments.

Head Nurse: Patient Care Management - Assessment

• Assessment: Continuous process of collecting, validating, analyzing, and interpreting patient information to identify problems and needs. This involves physiological, psychological, and social data.

Head Nurse: Patient Care Management - Methods of Collecting Information

• Patient Health Record: Includes past and present medical history, diagnostic examination reports, and observations regarding patient response to illnesses and treatment.
• Patient Interview: Collecting information from the patient and/or family regarding medical and social history, occupation, knowledge level, daily routines, relationships with others, and coping mechanisms.
• Observation: Using the senses (vision, smell, touch, and hearing) to gather information about facial expressions, postures and other observable cues..

Head Nurse: Identifying Nursing Diagnoses

• Nursing Diagnoses: Categorizing collected information to identify patient needs, problems, and nursing problems leading to nursing diagnoses.
• Patient Needs: Identifying patient needs (e.g., hygiene, rest, diet, exercise, elimination, communication, environmental safety, sleep)

Head Nurse: Planning Nursing Intervention

• Nursing Care Plan: Communicating the formulated patient care plan to all staff for consistent care. The plan should be reviewed and updated regularly.

Head Nurse: Implementing the Patient Care Plan

• Implementation: Supervising staff in using the patient care plan, promoting staff cooperation and providing reports about patients’ condition. Important to ensure continuity and adhere to protocols throughout 24 hours of care.

Head Nurse: Staff Management

• Staff Management: Understanding staffing differences (registered nurses, practical nurses, nursing students, and nurse aids) in regards to education, experience, and personality. Must know how to handle the differences.
• Staff Utilization: Responsibility for all nursing functions, delegating appropriate tasks and levels of responsibility. Ensuring that staff has the authority and accountability necessary. Providing adequate staff satisfaction.
• Staff Supervision: Establishing harmonious relationships by recognizing efforts and achievements, encouraging open communication, and using appropriate methods for staff guidance and motivation.

Head Nurse: Staff Development

• Staff Development: Influencing staff development through actions and attitudes. Setting high standards for patient care and involving staff members in setting these standards and objectives. Providing opportunities for staff learning and professional development.

Head Nurse: Staff Evaluation

• Staff Evaluation: Objective and impartial evaluation method to track staff performance and ensure the attainment of predetermined objectives. Implementing methods to encourage staff self-evaluation, and finding and addressing issues related to cooperation between workers.

Head Nurse: Unit Management - Patient Admittance and Discharge

• Patient Admission/Discharge: Acts as a hostess, greets patients and families, and ensures comfortable environment and introductions to appropriate staff members. Provides discharge instructions, and arranging follow-up care. Ensuring appropriate handling of patients transfer to other departments.

Head Nurse: Unit Management - Doctor Rounds

• Doctor Rounds: Supervising the availability of reports, ensuring that all patient charts are complete, organizing charts in a usable order, and educating staff regarding round procedures. The staff should be on high-level preparedness for the rounds.

Head Nurse: Drug Administration

• Drug Administration: Managing medications, checking the stock of drugs against records, maintaining accurate records, and returning expired drugs to the pharmacy as needed (following proper procedures).

Head Nurse: Operating Room (OR) Administration

• Operating Room (OR) Administration: Checking and verifying lists of patients, informing the patient of the procedure, ensuring pre-operative preparation is completed by the appropriate staff. Checking patient consent where appropriate

Head Nurse: Para-Medical Administration

• Para-Medical Administration: Coordinate the work and efforts between staff, and medical professionals in order to maintain high patient care standards.

Head Nurse: Medical Department

• Medical Department: Fostering good relationships to increase staff cooperation, explaining procedures/details to patients and their relatives.

Head Nurse: Pharmacy

• Pharmacy: Monitoring and ordering stock of medications, to maintain adequate stock levels considering emergencies (avoid over-stocking), following procedures for requisition forms.

Head Nurse: Maintenance, Laundry, Housekeeping

• Maintenance, Laundry, Housekeeping: Ensuring proper functioning of these departments, addressing any problems, ensuring compliance with standards of cleanliness/maintenance.

Head Nurse: Administrative Responsibilities

• Administrative responsibilities towards staff: including staff utilization, supervision, development, evaluation. Providing adequate staff support.

Key Points

• Head nurse is a critical first-line management role in nursing, linking nursing management to direct patient care.
• Criteria for selecting a head nurse include qualifications, education, professional experience, professional qualities, and personal attributes.
• Implementing effective management and administrative skills, like those concerning unit and patient activities, is important.