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Foreword
Kudos to Professors Kelly Vana and Tazbir for publishing the 4th edition of the book Kelly Vana's Nursing leadership and management! This book is a valuable educational resource not only for undergraduate nursing students but also for bedside nurses, managers, educators, and clinical specialists. Nursing students and nurses will benefit from the content of the book that includes perspectives from bedside nurses, faculty, educators, directors of nursing, nursing historians, lawyers, psychologists, and others. The book provides the content needed to lead at every level of nursing, emphasizing leadership from the bedside to the boardroom. The “call to action” is for every nurse, as a leader, to value that “everyone in healthcare really has two jobs when they come to work every day: to do their work and to improve it” (Batalden & Davidoff, 2007). Leadership is required to meet this “call to action” and transform health care to ensure that every patient receives high‐quality, safe care every time.
The book includes chapters on the Quality and Safety for Nurses (QSEN) competencies: patient‐centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence‐based practice, quality improvement, safety and informatics (Cronenwett et al., 2007). These competencies provide the guide for the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are needed to ensure the delivery of high‐quality and safe care. The essential ingredient in integrating and implementing the QSEN competencies is leadership. Leadership to stand up and deliver nursing care that aligns with high‐quality standards. This takes courage and strength as often the status quo is to “get through the shift,” missing the opportunity to be an authentic leader. Being an authentic leader requires time to pause and be reflective in order to understand the values and strengths of yourself and others and the context of our work environments (Cooper, Scandura, & Schriesheim, 2005).
We can look to our country's great leaders to inspire us. Abraham Lincoln rises to the top of my list. I have always been impressed with President Lincoln and his ability to overcome failure and persist. Among the many leadership principles that President Lincoln lived by, the one that resonates the most with me is to “preach a vision and continually reaffirm it” (Phillips, 1992). It is our call in nursing to preach the vision of high‐quality and safe care and continually reaffirm it. Thanks to Professors Kelly Vana and Tazbir for providing this book that helps us on the leadership journey to get us there.
Mary A. Dolansky, PhD, RN, FAAN
Sarah C. Hirsh Professorship in Nursing
Associate Professor
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Associate Professor, School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
Associate Director
Nurse Advisor, National VA Quality Scholars Program (VAQS)
Senior Nurse Fellow VAQS
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA
Director, QSEN Institute
REFERENCES
1 Batalden, P. B., & Davidoff, F. (2007). What is “quality improvement” and how can it transform healthcare? BMJ Quality Safe Health Care, 16(1), 2–3. doi:10.1136/gshc.2006.022046
2 Cooper, C. D., Scandura, T. A., & Schriesheim, C. A. (2005). Looking forward but learning from our past: Potential challenges to developing authentic leadership theory and authentic leaders. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 475–493. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.008
3 Cronenwett, L., Sherwood, G., Barnsteiner, J., et al. (2007). Quality and safety education for nurses. Nursing Outlook, 55(3), 122–131.
4 Phillips, D. T. (1992). Lincoln on leadership: Executive strategies for tough times. Illinois: DTP/Companion Book.
Chapter Features
Several standard chapter features are utilized throughout the text, which provide the reader with a consistent format for learning and an assortment of resources for understanding and applying the knowledge presented. Chapter features include the following:
Health care or nursing quotes related to chapter content.
Objectives that state the chapter's learning goals.
Opening scenario: a mini entry‐level nursing case study that relates to the chapter, with critical thinking questions, which are discussed at the end of each chapter.
Photos, Figures, and Tables to clarify chapter content.
Key Concepts: a listing of the primary understandings the reader is to take from the chapter.
Key Terms: a listing of important new terms defined in the chapter.
NCLEX‐RN style Review Questions at the end of each chapter. Answers are available to students at the end of the chapter‐no more flipping back and forth for answers!
Review Activities: a reflection of chapter content applied to entry‐level real‐world nursing situations.
Discussion Points: critical thinking elements for discussion in student groups and/or the classroom.
Exploring the Web: websites related to the chapter content.
Informatics: website exercises to develop the informatics skill of student, including one website exercise that takes the student to the Quality and Safety in Nursing (QSEN) website, www.qsen.org
Lean Back: questions related to the chapter that encourage reflective thinking.
References for the chapter.
Suggested Readings for further development of thinking related to the chapter.
Special elements are sprinkled throughout the chapters to enhance student learning and encourage critical thinking. These include:
Evidence from the Literature: with synopsis of key findings from nursing and health care literature.
Real World Interviews: with health care leaders and managers, including nursing staff, clinicians, administrators, quality improvement staff, faculty, nursing and medical practitioners, patients, nursing assistive personnel (NAP), librarians, and lawyers.
Critical Thinking: exercises regarding an ethical, legal, cultural, spiritual, delegation, or quality improvement nursing or health care topic.
Case Studies: to provide the entry‐level nurse with a clinical nursing leadership/management situation calling for critical thinking to solve a health care problem.
About The Editors
Patricia