Imagine your nursing team in a high-stress situation: A patient in critical condition who is in your care. Treatment plans not going as anticipated. Poor communication between departments, resulting in fragmented information. Managing the emotions connected to a risky procedure. Let’s face it— if you’re a nurse, these situations don’t sound like an exception to your everyday… they are your everyday.

In fact, according to the American Nurses Association Health Risk Appraisal, 82 percent of nurses agree that they are at a “significant level of risk for workplace stress.” This study also found that 68 percent of nurses put their patients’ health, safety, and wellness before their own.

If patient care is important, then care for our nurses is equally so. How can we improve the daily working experience of our nurses? Good leadership in nursing is key. There is no way to take all the stress points out of the job, as health is simply too connected to emotions and risk. However, effective leadership in nursing can have an incredible impact on both the lives of patients and nurses alike.

Great nurse leaders see the bigger picture. They distribute work appropriately, and most importantly, they make their team feel empowered and heard. They staff their unit accordingly, delegate based on expertise, allocate budget funds, and communicate regularly and clearly with their team, with patients, and with others. All these measures reduce workplace stress, which trickles down to patient satisfaction.

Given all these factors, there’s no arguing that nurse leaders have a big job. To become a nurse leader, not only do you need to understand how to care for patients, operate cutting-edge technologies, and accomplish complicated technical tasks – you also need to learn leadership skills in nursing! A combination of these is what makes for a successful nurse manager, nurse administrator, or nurse educator. Earning your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Goodwin College would be a ticket to leadership titles like these.

While earning your MSN degree, you’ll learn valuable nursing skills that strike the right balance between technical and leadership. For instance, Goodwin College’s MSN program includes courses such as “Healthcare Quality: Communication and Informatics,” which explores data management, analytics, and point-of-care technology in relation to providing positive health outcomes for diverse populations. “Leadership Practices in Organizational Communications” dives into case studies, ethics, and communication strategies that better prepare nurses for leadership in their industry. “Policy, Politics, and Organization of Healthcare,” similarly, educates nurses on the change-making possibilities of policy development, advocacy, and political engagement. These powerful courses help aspiring nurse leaders (like you!) find a place in management and leadership in the nursing field.

There are so many opportunities for nurse leaders in today’s evolving healthcare industry. Partnership building and merging community and healthcare organizations are the way of the future. Health systems are becoming more consolidated in order to streamline and centralize operations. As our population ages and continues to grow, and as managed care becomes prolific, organizations must evolve to meet the demand. Nurse leaders, administrators, and educators are the ones being asked to lead this change. With the right education, such as the MSN nursing program at Goodwin College, you can gain the credentials needed to get on board with making big organizational decisions.

Now, re-imagine your nursing team in a stressful situation. Where do you picture yourself? Seamlessly managing a shift in a patient’s treatment plan? Facilitating clear communication channels between units, using your leadership skills to maintain control even during high-risk moments? As a nurse manager or administrator with your MSN degree, you can take on that responsibility with confidence. Learn more about the career outcomes that are possible with a Goodwin College education today. Or, contact us at 800-889-3282 to learn more about our leadership in nursing programs.