Nursing:

Journal Entry

(Author’s name)

(Institutional Affiliation)

Abstract

This paper presents a journal entry for the weekly journal illustrating the roles, knowledge, skills, and competencies assumed in five years. Accordingly, the paper explains the roles and responsibilities of the nursing directors, as well as, the relevant skills, knowledge and competencies required for the successful execution of these responsibilities.

Key Words: Director of Nursing, Acute Care, Knowledge, Skills, Competencies

Director of Nursing in Acute Care Hospital

My role in five years will be as a director of nursing in an acute care hospital. As a director of nursing, I will be responsible for ensuring top-notch performance by the nursing staff in the hospital where I will be employed. Additionally, as a director of nursing in an acute care hospital, I will be required to create and implement standards to be followed in patient care services (Sacks, 2003). In most healthcare facilities, the director of nursing has supervisory duties where he or she oversees the activities of the nursing staff in the healthcare facility. In essence, the director of nursing informs the nursing staff of all healthcare policies and regulations to ensure proper administration of healthcare services for patients. The director of nursing is also responsible for recruiting, retaining, and training of subordinate nurses. Relatively, a job as a director of nursing requires that the director ensure that all legal measures, nursing legislations, and organizational standards are met in the acute care hospital. For that reason, as a director of nursing, I need to maintain both authoritative and sympathetic attitudes towards patients, as well as, the nurses at the chosen facility. Being a director of nursing is a very lucrative job, which sequentially is characterized by high standards and demand for skill and competencies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

The position as director of nursing demands extensive educational skill and competencies, as well as, nursing experiences. Applicably, I have attained various academic achievements ranging from nurse executives certifications, to memberships a nursing organization. Becoming a director of nursing requires that I attain both a bachelors and a masters degree in nursing, requirements that I have already met today. However, a job as a director of nursing in acute care hospitals requires as much nursing experience as educational certification. At the outset, the director of nursing needs to demonstrate capabilities in employee direction and motivation. This is because the role of the director of nursing gives the candidate supervisory duties over other nurses in the healthcare facility. The director of nursing is tasked with the responsibility of managing the entire healthcare facility, thus needs to take on administrative responsibilities. Irrefutably, the director of nursing needs to have technological knowledge and skills, so as to keep up with the changing technologies. Observably, the healthcare industry is rapidly adapting technological innovations and keeping up with the latest technological advancement is essential for the business. Conclusively, the director of nursing needs to have relevant knowledge regarding current innovations in the medical field. This, in turn, facilitates proper management in the healthcare facility, which is one of the principal duties of the director of nursing. Conclusively, the greatest competency that a director of nursing can have is the knowledge on medical affairs. Knowledge on current medical affairs will assist the director of nursing in implementing medical legislations and policies in the healthcare facility.

References

Dossey, B. M. et al. (2008). Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice. Jones & Bartlett

Learning.

Sacks, T. J. (2003). Careers in Nursing. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.