One of the most fundamentally respected careers within the entirety of all professional industries is that of people who work in the field of medicine and healthcare.

Since the outbreak of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and subsequent turmoil experienced both across the length and breadth of this country and beyond, nurses are now even more respected and revered than ever before.

With this in mind, whether you are currently working as a professional nurse and are looking to move into another area, or else are currently considering your career pathway options, here is a comprehensive guide to the top career pathways into nursing with more of a leadership focus.

Unit Manager

Unit managers within the field of nursing are one of the major leadership roles and are qualified healthcare professionals who direct and supervise patients, staff, and other nurses within their assigned floor, unit, or wing of the hospital.

Typical duties of a nursing unit manager include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The restoration and maintenance of patients’ health
• The enforcement of all regulations surrounding health and safety in the unit
• Adjusting and evaluating treatment plans entirely based on the individual patient
• The completion and organization of discharge and admission patient forms
• The communication of issues to the director of nursing
• The managing of the inventory of all hospital equipment

Clinical Site Manager

When it comes to the arrangement and monitoring of clinical trials, a clinical site manager is responsible for the entire overseeing of all daily operations and ensuring consistently and constantly that all procedures and protocols are entirely adhered to at all times.

Clinical site leaders are responsible for a wide range of different departments and duties, including:

• Making sure all staff are safe and all actions are legally compliant
• Negiotating with medical staff, such as physicians and other nurses and discussing the individual needs of the patient
• Always ensuring that every patient is receiving effective and thorough treatment and care
• Maintaining and building positive relationships with both the patient themselves, their family members, and ensuring all are comfortable
• The provision of endless support to all staff working under them
• Overseeing data collection, data analysis, and the recruitment of appropriate patients and participants

Director of Nursing

The most responsible and indeed most centered around leadership role within the field of nursing of them all is that of the director of nursing.

Essentially, the director of nursing oversees and organizes every nursing operation across the entirety of the facility, and part of the role is to strive to create an efficient and collaborative workplace which is always health, safety, and legal compliance conscious.

It would be incredibly difficult to summarize succinctly every role which comes under the term ‘director of nursing’, but the main duties and responsibilities include:

• Guiding staff policies and procedures
• The coordination and organization of nursing procedures, admission procedures, and patient care procedures
• The controlling of budgets and the monitoring of the expenditures
• The management of record-keeping policies
• Reporting to senior management executives and hospital board directors as and when necessary
• The evaluation and direction of each staff nurse, including LPNs, under their jurisdiction
• Resolving deficiencies and issues as and when needed

Charge Nurse

The role of the charge nurse, also known as the sister nurse, concerns itself with overseeing a specific ward within a healthcare facility or hospital and can be as rewarding as it is wholly challenging and sometimes more than a little stressful and emotionally draining.

Typical roles and responsibilities of a professional charge nurse include:

• The delegation of each nursing task, both usual, daily tasks and emergency or unexpected additional jobs, to the right nurses within the unit
• The coordination of staff management with the surgeons and physicians should either need assistance
• Informing doctors and physicians of any relevant changes to the needs of the patient and changes in the progress and condition of individual patients too
• The supervising of nursing aides with certain tasks and helping them to complete them to the highest standard
• Monitoring and the early detection of any potential issues and problems on the ward which could cause difficulty or even injury to either a staff member or a patient
• The overall management of all nursing care and treatment to each patient on the ward during their shift

The 4 Major Leadership Styles Within Nursing

If you are currently a professional and practicing nurse who is looking to further your skills and indeed career prospects within nursing with a view to a leadership role, then it would be incredibly helpful to learn about the four recognized leadership styles within the nursing profession.

Additionally, one of the most effective ways of strengthening your skills in leadership is to look into one of the most prestigious dnp nursing leadership courses and look at studying online around your current professional and personal responsibilities.

1.  Democratic Leader

Essentially, a democratic leader in the field of nursing is someone who actively involves the people on their team and encourages communication and feedback from everybody and operates on a collaborative basis.

2. Servant Leader

Nurses who focus on building personal connections and form a smaller, yet altogether more tightly knit and even loyal team. They are described as being a servant leader and usually work outside of the traditional hospital setting.

3. Transactional Leader

Transactional leaders could be described as a more standard boss in a nursing setting and work to a reward and punishment basic system, focusing on performance, supervision, and organization.

4. Transformational Leader

A transformational nurse leader is fantastic at mentoring trainee and newly-qualified nurses and is usually innovative and even somewhat visionary, encouraging nurses to both work collaboratively and independently to further their knowledge and career prospects.

Becoming a nurse leader is one of the most rewarding and both personally and professionally beneficial undertakings you could embark upon and there is no better time than right now to take your nursing career to the next level by moving up the ranks.