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Valda V Upenieks

Publications and source records attributed to Valda V Upenieks.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

What constitutes effective leadership? Perceptions of magnet and nonmagnet nurse leaders.

Magnet hospitals, so named because of their ability to attract and retain nurses, have been operating for nearly 20 years. Although research on their success, particularly related to job satisfaction and retention of nurses, is available, research on magnet nurse leader effectiveness has been limited to the pivotal role the nurse leader plays in supporting a magnet culture. To enhance the research groundwork in magnet hospitals and nursing leadership, 16 nurse leaders from magnet and nonmagnet hospitals were interviewed. They were asked to identify leadership qualities they considered valuable in today's healthcare setting. The author contrasts the opinions of magnet and nonmagnet leaders relating to their leadership traits, organizational structures they discern as being supportive of professional nursing practice, and their perceptions of how a successful organization is created.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Assessing differences in job satisfaction of nurses in magnet and nonmagnet hospitals.

Is there a difference in the level of job satisfaction among clinical nurses employed at magnet versus nonmagnet hospitals, and is it linked to nurse executive leadership? To answer these questions, 305 clinical nurses employed at magnet and nonmagnet hospitals rated their perceptions of job satisfaction while 16 leaders from the same hospitals were interviewed for their perception of their role in healthcare. The author discusses that differences in job satisfaction scores were linked to greater visibility and responsiveness by magnet nurse leaders; better support of clinical nurse autonomous decision-making by magnet nurse leaders; and greater support of a professional nursing climate at magnet hospitals as evidenced by adequate staffing in the workforce.

Adult↗

What constitutes successful nurse leadership?: A qualitative approach utilizing Kanter's theory of organizational behavior.

What constitutes successful leadership in today's healthcare environment and what are the principal components of an organization that supports the role of the nurse leader? To answer these questions, 16 nurse leaders from four acute care hospitals were interviewed for their perception of leadership traits that are effective in the inpatient hospital setting and types of organizational infrastructures that create conditions for job effectiveness. Kanter's theory of organizational behavior provided the conceptual framework for this study. Leadership effectiveness is linked to having access to opportunity, resources, information, and formal and informal power in the work setting. Nurse leaders with access to these structures are empowered and successful, which leads to enhanced worth and overall organizational achievement. Also, strong central beliefs and business astuteness are considered vital attributes in today's economically oriented environment.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

The interrelationship of organizational characteristics of magnet hospitals, nursing leadership, and nursing job satisfaction.

This study examined whether magnet hospitals continue to provide higher levels of job satisfaction and empowerment among nurses when compared with non-magnet hospitals. Also studied at both types of hospitals was whether job satisfaction discrepancy was interlinked with leadership effectiveness and support of professional nursing practice. Nurses employed at magnet hospitals experienced higher levels of empowerment and job satisfaction due to greater access to work empowerment structures. The elements accounting for differences in empowerment and job satisfaction scores included: (1) greater accessibility of magnet nurse leaders, (2) better support of clinical nurse autonomous decision making by magnet nurse leaders, and (3) greater access to work empowerment structures such as opportunity, information, and resources at magnet hospitals.

Adult↗

The magnet designation process: a qualitative approach using Donabedian's conceptual framework.

Twelve nurse leaders and 12 registered nurses from 2 hospitals were interviewed to gain an understanding on the process for preparing for magnet designation. These leaders and nurses provided insight into whether a cultural shift within the organization was occurring while striving for magnet designation and the level of staff nurses' engagement during the process. Donabedian's framework provided the conceptual context for this study. According to Donabedian, stable organizational structures will influence professional nursing processes and result in better outcomes as measured by magnet status. The authors discuss how a magnet culture is achieved when structural factors such as adequate staffing and pay are present before building the processes, as well as the ways certain ingredients such as professional governance councils need to be primed to achieve the desired magnet outcome. However, transforming the culture into a "valued-practice" magnet organization entails a paradigm shift marked by the willingness to share information and the depth and breadth of commitment toward staff engagement in fulfilling the mission of a culture that truly values nursing expertise.

Credentialing↗