Michelle Lowell: A Nursing Case Study

Society requires leadership, as leaders supply guidance to others, sanctioning individuals to strive for his or her greatest potential. In the health care environment, a nurse serves as a leader not only for his or her patient, but also for colleagues. As the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses declared, "Strong nursing leadership at all levels of the organization, but especially at the unit level where most frontline staff work and patient care is delivered, is required to establish healthy work environments" (Satusky, 2012, p. 1). A nursing leader that greatly impacted my decision to enter the nursing profession stood as my aunt - Michelle Lowell. Lowell currently works at Park Nicollet Health Services as a DNP, with a focus in Nephrology. As a child, I spent my afternoons at Lowell 's house and became captivated by her dedication to her education and her commitment to patient care. I always retained a vision of working in the nursing field, and with her encouragement, I decided to take a leap of faith by following in her footsteps. With the complexity of the medical field and concerns about quality of patient care, a nurse 's success in the clinical setting stems from his or her educational background. In the past, a nurse with an associate degree met the desired standards, but today, nurses discover themselves requiring a minimum of a bachelors degree, if not a masters or doctorate degree. Employment benefits and decreased student debt transpire with an advanced college degree. According to AllNursingSchools, "DNP curricula build on traditional master 's programs by providing education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership, among other key areas" (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2016). With a foundation in a traditional master’s program, a DNP degree sanctions an RN to utilize his or her current knowledge and implement it in multifaceted situations. Conscious that the health care field demands educational excellence, Lowell knew that a DNP degree would further her success and secure her job future. Lowell initially studied at the College of Saint Benedict and Augsburg College for a Bachelors of Science in Nursing, located in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Subsequent to acquiring clinical experience, she revisited college to study at the University of Minnesota for a DNP degree, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Michelle Lowell, personal communication, October 17, 2016). Upon communicating with Michelle, I discovered that "The DNP is the preferred degree for nursing executives and courses in a DNP program will emphasize clinical practice-oriented leadership. The focus is largely on extending your clinical knowledge to further your research skills and analytical thought process" (AllNursingSchools, n.d.). A DNP builds strictly off an RN degree, with a concentration in expanding a nurse 's knowledge and leadership abilities. The distinction between an RN …show more content…
Of the skills performed on a daily basis, the four most imperative skills for her nursing practice involve: decision-making, critical thinking, communication, and leadership. As discussed by the Baltic Journal of Management, "Management of ethical dilemmas requires the head nurse to respect the dignity of each individual, endeavoring to generate the greatest benefit for the patients, employees, stakeholders, health care institution and nursing profession" (Zydziunaite, Lepaite, Åstedt-Kurki, & Suominen, 2015, p. 168). Decision-making entails constructing a well-educated selection, through the use of resources and past experiences to narrow down the possible options. Nursing leaders do not blindly construct a decision, but rather they take every individual 's wellbeing into consideration. When constructing a critical decision, a nurse leader heavily relies on critical thinking. In fact, "Critical thinking can have a powerful influence on the decision making and problem solving that nurse managers are faced with on a daily basis. The skills that typify critical thinking include analysis, evaluation, inference, and deductive and inductive reasoning" (Zori & Morrison, 2009, p. 78). Clinical thinking reflects a deep interpretation of the nursing process, seeking to enhance patient safety and the quality of care. The critical thinking act merges an individual 's skill and his or her inherent qualities. Although critical thinking stands as an independent, internal act, a nurse leader must use his or her communication skills to voice concerns and thoughts with others. According to the International Journal of Healthcare Improvement, "Effective leaders flatten the hierarchy, create familiarity and make it feel safe to speak up and participate" (Leonard, Graham, & Bonacum, 2004, p. i86). Communication entails more than merely