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The experience of being a shift‐leader in a hospital ward
Author(s) -
Goldblatt Hadass,
Granot Michal,
Admi Hanna,
DrachZahavy Anat
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04650.x
Subject(s) - paradigm shift , psychological intervention , focus group , psychology , nursing , medicine , public relations , sociology , political science , philosophy , epistemology , anthropology
Title. The experience of being a shift‐leader in a hospital ward.Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore the experience of being a shift‐leader, and how these nurses view the management of their shift. Background. Professional demands on skilled and capable shift‐leaders, who competently handle multi‐disciplinary staff and patients, as well as operations and information, call for the development of efficient nursing leadership roles. Nevertheless, knowledge of shift‐leaders’ perspectives concerning their task management and leadership styles is relatively limited. Method. Twenty‐eight Registered Nurses working in an Israeli medical centre participated in this qualitative study. Data were gathered through in‐depth interviews conducted in two phases between February and October 2005: three focus group interviews (phase 1) followed by seven individual interviews (phase 2). Findings. Content analysis revealed two major themes which constitute the essence of being a shift‐leader: (1) a burden of responsibility, where the shift‐leader moves between positions of maximum control and delegating some responsibility to other nurses; (2) the role’s temporal dimension, expressed as a strong desire to reach the end of the shift safely, and taking managerial perspectives beyond the boundaries of the specific shift. The core of the shift‐leader’s position is an immense sense of responsibility. However, this managerial role is transient and therefore lacks an established authority. Conclusion. A two‐dimensional taxonomy of these themes reveals four types of potential and actual coping among shift‐leaders, indicating the need to train them in leadership skills and systemic thinking. Interventions to limit the potential stress hazards should be focused simultaneously on shift‐leaders themselves and on job restructuring.