NR 103 Week 3 Assignment: Care for Self

Week 3 Discussion: Leading and Caring for Oneself

MSN-prepared nurses serve as leaders across a wide array of healthcare and organizational contexts, influencing individuals, teams, organizations, and communities. Recognizing this far-reaching impact of the MSN-prepared nurse as leader in shaping healthcare and the profession, respond to the following questions comprehensively and scholarly.

Why are self-care and self-leadership important, and how do they relate to one’s competency as a leader? How is self-care related to self-leadership?

Self-care and self-leadership are critical for ensuring a leader’s overall well-being and effectiveness. Self-care involves activities and practices that individuals engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and maintain and enhance their short- and long-term health and well-being. Self-leadership, on the other hand, refers to the process of influencing oneself to achieve the self-direction and self-motivation necessary to perform (Neck & Houghton, 2006). These concepts are interconnected; effective self-leadership requires a foundation of self-care to ensure that leaders have the physical and mental capacity to lead effectively. Leaders who practice self-care are more likely to be resilient, focused, and capable of making sound decisions, which directly impacts their competency as leaders.

Based upon the Chamberlain Care Model, what are the implications when adequate self-care is present? What are the implications when self-care is lacking or absent?

The Chamberlain Care Model emphasizes the importance of caring for oneself to provide optimal care for others. When adequate self-care is present, MSN-prepared nurses are more likely to exhibit high levels of empathy, patience, and professional satisfaction, which enhances their ability to provide quality care to patients and support to their colleagues. Conversely, when self-care is lacking, nurses may experience burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and impaired cognitive function, leading to increased errors, lower quality of care, and negative outcomes for both patients and the healthcare team (Chamberlain University, n.d.).

How are self-care and self-leadership reflected in the principles of authentic leadership?

Authentic leadership is characterized by self-awareness, transparency, ethical/moral behavior, and balanced processing (Walumbwa et al., 2008). Self-care and self-leadership are integral to authentic leadership as they help leaders maintain the physical and mental health necessary for self-awareness and balanced processing. Leaders who prioritize self-care are better equipped to reflect on their values, emotions, and behaviors, which enhances their transparency and ethical decision-making. Thus, self-care and self-leadership are foundational to the development and practice of authentic leadership.

What are the implications of effective self-leadership and self-care in your future MSN role? Provide two recommendations to further cultivate self-care and self-leadership. Include current, peer-reviewed scholarly support (outside of class resources) to validate your work.

Effective self-leadership and self-care have significant implications for an MSN-prepared nurse’s future role. They enable the nurse to model positive behaviors, maintain high levels of professional performance, and contribute to a healthy work environment. To further cultivate self-care and self-leadership, I recommend:

1. Implementing Mindfulness Practices: Regular mindfulness practices, such as meditation or yoga, can reduce stress and enhance emotional regulation, which is essential for effective leadership (Schwind et al., 2017).
2. Engaging in Continuous Professional Development: Ongoing education and professional development activities help leaders stay current with best practices and develop new skills, which supports self-leadership by promoting continuous personal and professional growth (Cummings et al., 2018).

References

Chamberlain University. (n.d.). Chamberlain Care Model. Retrieved from https://www.chamberlain.edu/about/chamberlain-care

Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S. P., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 85, 19-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.05.004

Neck, C. P., & Houghton, J. D. (2006). Two decades of self-leadership theory and research: Past developments, present trends, and future possibilities. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(4), 270-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610663097

Schwind, J. K., McCay, E., Beanlands, H., Martin, L. S., Martin, J., & Binder, M. (2017). Mindfulness practice as a teaching-learning strategy in higher education: A qualitative exploratory pilot study. Nurse Education Today, 50, 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.12.017

Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307308913