NURS 489 Week 4 Discussion Board Forum 3 Example

Discussion Board Forum 3: Preparing Frontline Leaders

NURS 489 Leadership in Nursing, Discussion Board Forum 3

Thread by [Student Name]

The unit, the writer's experience and the classmates are composites; the textbooks, Scripture and journal articles cited are real.

Eight months ago, my manager asked if I would take charge on nights. After one shift shadowing the regular charge nurse, I was on my own. I knew how to make assignments, call the house supervisor and run a rapid response. What I did not know was how to tell a senior nurse that her assignment was not fair to others, how to calm two nurses arguing over a float or how to keep a new graduate from quitting after a terrible night. I had been prepared for the tasks of charge, not for leading people.

Finkelman (2016) distinguishes leadership from management and describes leadership competencies, including communication, decision-making, delegation and conflict resolution, that every nurse needs and that frontline leaders use constantly. De Pree (2008) argues that leaders owe their people clarity: a voice that tells them what matters and a presence they can count on. On my first nights, I had neither the confidence to speak clearly nor the skills to resolve conflict, and the staff noticed. Two nurses told the manager they did not feel supported at night, and one new graduate transferred to another unit after a shift when I was too busy with admissions to check on her. None of that was because I did not care. I simply had no framework for what a charge nurse owes the people on her shift beyond a fair assignment and a quick answer to questions, and no one had ever asked me to think about it.

Preparation can change that. Oscar and Best (2026) describe a six-month Clinical Charge Nurse Leadership Development Program at a large academic hospital, grounded in the American Organization for Nursing Leadership competencies. New and aspiring charge nurses completed self-assessments, case-based learning, scenario practice and mentorship, with content on emotional intelligence, conflict and change management, professional practice models, human resources and basic finance. Participants reported greater confidence, better communication and conflict resolution and a clearer understanding of operational responsibilities, and several took on additional leadership roles afterward. The authors note that preparing charge nurses before they take on the role supports retention and team effectiveness. What struck me most was the mentorship: each participant had an experienced leader to call after a hard shift, which is exactly what I lacked.

My proposal for our unit is modest. Before anyone takes charge alone, they should complete at least four shadow shifts with different charge nurses, a short course on conflict and difficult conversations and a monthly debrief with the manager for the first six months. A charge nurse is the leader most staff see most often, and we prepare them the least.

Reply to Jasmine

Jasmine, your unit's move from a primary nursing model to a team model sounds challenging, especially your worry that nurses would lose their sense of ownership. Polancich et al. (2025) described a medical-surgical neurology and spinal unit that adopted a care-based delivery model supported by brief education using in situ simulations focused on teamwork and delegation; during the pilot, job satisfaction improved 23% and six missed care elements and seven teamwork elements improved significantly. That suggests that a model change can work when staff are trained in the teamwork it requires, not only told about it. Scripture describes a team in which every member matters: "the body does not consist of one member but of many" (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, 1 Corinthians 12:14). A team model might honor that if every member knows their part. I would add one caution from my own experience: the nurses most attached to the old model are often the ones who cared most about their patients, so their concerns deserve a hearing rather than dismissal. Including them in the simulations might turn critics into teachers. Is your unit offering simulation or training for the new model, or only a policy?

Reply to Brandon

Brandon, you were frank about your frustration that nursing assistants on your unit do not report vital signs promptly. Wong et al. (2025) reviewed 38 studies of teamwork between registered nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel and identified role clarity, delegation, communication, ward culture and interpersonal relationships as the key factors, noting that excluding assistive staff from shift handover undermined shared goals for patient care. I wonder whether your assistants are included in handover on your unit. If they hear which patients the nurses are worried about, they may understand why a set of vital signs matters. Paul encouraged believers to "outdo one another in showing honor" (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Romans 12:10), which might apply to how licensed and unlicensed staff treat each other. It may also help to tell assistants plainly which values must be reported right away and to thank them when they catch a change early, because people repeat what is noticed and appreciated. Could you try inviting the assistants to your next handover huddle?

References

De Pree, M. (2008). Leadership jazz: The essential elements of a great leader (Rev. ed.). Doubleday.

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Finkelman, A. (2016). Leadership and management for nurses: Core competencies for quality care (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Oscar, N., & Best, R. (2026). Leadership at the point of care: Developing charge nurses for complex healthcare environments. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 50(3), 147-151. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000760

Polancich, S., Dick, T., Ledlow, J., White-Williams, C., Chambers, A., Thomas, K., Poe, T., & Miltner, R. (2025). Implementing a care-based nursing workforce model: Implications for missed care, teamwork, and satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 40(1), 32-38. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000815

Wong, K. L., Chua, W. L., Griffiths, P., Goh, Q. L. P., Low, K. W. C., Tan, J. Q. A., & Liaw, S. Y. (2025). Teamwork between registered nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel in acute care settings: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 8, 100293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2025.100293