Running head: EMPIRICAL OUTCOMES 1

Leadership in a Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit

Stefany A. Ramirez

James Madison University

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Leadership in a Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit

. Being a leader is very important in the medical field. It is not a quality that

everyone is born with, but it is a quality that someone can learn by the example of others.

The medical field is full of nurses that are leaders and nurses that are learning to be

leaders. “Leadership skills are not innate in most people, but are learned and mastered

over time,” (Hallock, 2019). I work at Winchester Medical Center who has Magnet

certification. “The Magnet Recognition Program designates organizations worldwide

where nursing leaders successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the

organization’s patient outcomes,” (Magnet Model 2020). This certification ensures that

the hospital has staff that are the best they can be. “Magnet hospitals are those that have

been designated as such by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) because

they have met specific criteria indicating they provide an excellent nursing work

environment and the best care for patients,” (McCaughey, McGhan, Rathert, Williams, &

Hearld, 2020).

I currently work in a neuro/trauma intensive care unit (ICU). I have been working

in ICU for more than a year. When I first started working there, I did not have a lot of

leadership skills. I looked up to the older nurses who were more experienced and were

more confident in their work. When I was still on orientation, I took care of an older male

patient who had fallen and broken 4 ribs, had a chest tube, and had multiple scrapes on

his body. Due to his age and risk factors, he was admitted into our ICU. This patient had

a wife who was in hospice and was unable to visit him at the hospital. The whole time I

took care of the patient, he kept telling me stories of his wife and how they met. He also

told me how he vowed to take care of her until her very last day and was upset at himself
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for falling. The patient was anxious to go home so he could spend some time with his

wife since he was unsure of how much time she had left in the world. After being in our

ICU for 2 days, the patients niece notified the patient that his wife wasn’t doing well. The

patient got very upset and was going to sign himself out against medical leave. The nurse

who had him that day was able to advocate for the patient. The nurse talked to the doctors

who were taking care of the patient and explained the situation. The doctors were hesitant

to let the patient be discharged because of the risk factors. However, the nurse was able to

advocate for the patient and come up with a plan with the doctors. The nurse helped the

patient walk around the unit and clamped his chest tube for a 1-hour trial. The patient did

great and the nurse was able to set up transportation with Valley Medical Transport. The

doctors signed paperwork that allowed the patient to leave the hospital premises under

the supervision of the nurse and the Valley Medical Transport healthcare workers. The

patient was able to go home to where his wife was, be with her, and hold her hand. The

patient’s wife passed away that night.

This exemplar shows how a nurse became a great leader and advocate for her

patient. What is important about leadership is that is not done alone. “Grand visions and

dreams do not become reality through the actions of a single person; greatness requires a

team,” (Hallock, 2019). The nurse was nominated 3 times for a daisy award and won the

award. Leaders are a great asset in a Magnet hospital and healthcare workers should

strive to be leaders every day. “As an exemplary leader of the future, you will not be

sitting back waiting for change to happen to you, you will be creating it and bringing

more enjoyment to the workplace, (Hallock, 2019).

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References

Hallock, A. B. (2019) A Case for Leadership Development in Nursing Practice.

Nephrology Nursing Journal, 46(3), 325-328.

Magnet Model. (2020). American Nurses Credentialing Center. Retrieved February 29,

2020 from https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-

programs/magnet/magnet-model/

McCaughey, D., McGhan, G. E., Rathert, C., Williams, J. H., & Hearld, K. R. (2020).

Magnetic work environmentsL Patients experience outcomes in Magnet versus

non-Magnet hospitals. Healthcare Management Review, 45(1), 21-31. doi:

10.1097/hmr.0000000000000198