Nurse administration is a vital leadership role within healthcare settings with a primary focus on managing a team of nurses. Nurse administrators can be nurse supervisors, nurse managers, vice presidents of nursing, and directors of nursing. While nurse administrators have minimal day-to-day patient care interactions, they wear the hat of many. Nurse administrators aid in managing patients, staff, and facilities by implementing policies. Nurse administrators have many responsibilities, such as establishing and maintaining budgets, assisting with scheduling, overseeing, providing support, managing conflict among nursing staff, writing reports, and ensuring overall high-quality and satisfactory patient care (Kodama & Fukahori, 2017). According to the American nurse association, an efficient and effective nursing administration will significantly increase the performance and quality of the nursing practice and its facility (Smith et al., 2018).
To answer case study three, as a healthcare professional, if I suspected a patient had financial concerns about being able to afford their health care, I would advocate for the patient on many levels. First, I would find a private area to ask further questions and allow the patient to express any questions or concerns. I would aid in finding their areas of need and provide them with the necessary resources and assistance needed to establish financial coverage and support. If applicable, I would offer a payment plan, allowing the patient to pay a portion of their fees now and then make payments over a suitable time for their income and ability. Additionally, I would refer them to local community clinics or hospitals that offer low-cost or no-cost care to patients with financial needs. I would do my best to provide the patient with all options and available information to allow for informed healthcare decision-making and, ultimately, help achieve the desired health care services.
Becoming a nurse practitioner (NP) will be very rewarding yet challenging. In fulfilling the roles of an NP, I anticipate facing many challenges such as restrictive practice settings, conflicting nurse-physician relations, the pressure of being expected to know as much as a physician with less schooling, high-stress levels, not being able to help everyone, etc. To improve my weaknesses, I will enhance my strengths. My strengths include the ability to communicate opening and efficiently. I am compassionate, self-motivated, a fast learner, and I do my best to remain calm and positive when faced with difficult situations. In improving the weaknesses and challenges, I will encounter, I will strive to build resilient nurse-doctor relationships and relations with other health care professionals that will allow for open communication and enhanced productivity. As I transition to an NP, the demands and stress levels will rise. Also, coming to terms with the reality that I will not be able to help everyone will be a weakness. However, I will overcome this by practicing self-awareness, being proactive in my stress management, utilizing the knowledge and expertise of my colleagues, and ensuring to communicate openly and collaboratively with all patients and health care staff.
Healthy people 2020 defines health disparities as differences in health that are closely related to socioeconomic and environmental disadvantages (Berge et al., 2018). Health care disparities remain obstacles to the accessibility, affordability, and quality of health care received. Age, sex, race or ethnicity, geographical location, and socioeconomic status impact an individual’s ability to achieve good health. The patient population most susceptible to experiencing these health disparities are low-income individuals, minorities, the geriatric population, and those with disabilities, living in a rural area, female gender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals, etc. (Berge et al., 2018). Low-income people are more likely to have increased comorbidities and exist among ethnic and racial minorities. Being low-income, they may be less likely to obtain or have coverage and less likely to seek healthcare. Disabled individuals may have difficulty accessing care. Those living in rural areas tend to experience geographic isolation, limited employment opportunities, and lower socioeconomic status. The senior population is more vulnerable to health issues due to increased health risks and lower immunities. Those of the LGBT community often face discrimination in accessing care and a decrease in the quality of care due to a lack of knowledge and cultural competence among health care providers (Berge et al., 2018). It is vital to direct efforts to reduce and eliminate these healthcare disparities to achieve optimal and quality health care for all.
References
Berge, J. M., Fertig, A., Tate, A., Trofholz, A., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2018). Who meets the healthy people 2020 objectives: Comparisons between racially/ethnically diverse and immigrant children and adults. Families, Systems & Health: The Journal of Collaborative Family Healthcare, 36(4), 451–470. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000376
Kodama, Y., & Fukahori, H. (2017). Nurse managers attributes to promote change in their wards: A qualitative study. Nursing Open, 4(4), 209–217.https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.87
Smith, J. G., Morin, K. H., & Lake, E.T. (2018). Association of the nurse work environment with nurse incivility in hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 26, 219-226. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12537
