Nurse Leader Interview

NURS 490W

Old Dominion University

The person I chose to interview for this assignment is Danielle Gauthier who is my current nurse manager at Boxwood Recovery Center. There are several reasons why I chose Danielle for this interview. The first is obvious, she is my current nurse manager and at this time the only nurse manager within the agency. I’ve also known and worked with Danielle as a colleague for several years while I was in another role at this agency and have great respect for her nursing knowledge. She has an extensive forty year background working in addiction treatment and mental health psychiatric units. She began her nursing career later in life, just like I did, in her forties. She is a French Canadian transplant to the U.S. through marriage. She shared some stories with me regarding her initial communication barriers as charge nurse on the medical-surgical unit when she first started her career. As a colleague she has always been willing to give of time and share her nursing knowledge whenever asked. She is a woman of integrity and deep caring for others which is reflected in her work as a nurse. I am grateful to have her as my nurse manager because she is a genuinely good person.

Leadership Analysist

Danielle and I sat down for some lunch and her thoughts on her leadership style. Danielle sees herself as a natural born leader. She shared some stories about childhood and leading the group without even thinking about it. Some people just seem to have leadership abilities and she is one of those people. We discussed how her leadership has changed over the years, throughout her career and in different clinical environments. She has retired once already from nursing, and this position is her encore performance. I shared some of the main points of each of the leadership theories from our textbook with Danielle. We touched on quantum, transactional, transformational, shared, servant, and emotional leadership then concluded her leadership style at this time is more transactional democratic (Sullivan, pp. 46, 2017).

Sullivan defines a transactional leadership as a give and take relationship between a manager and their suburbanites (pp. 46, 2017). This definition describes Danielle’s leadership style very well. If she asks a staff nurse to work overtime, she will offer to help that nurse out in other ways so that everyone feels like it’s a win-win situation. It’s important to her to send time getting to know her staff and developing a connections individually. G. Cummings, K. Tate, S. Lee, C. Wong, T. Paananen, S. Micaroni, and G. Chatterjee, did a systemic study on leadership styles and there outcomes, which concluded that managers who develop respectful professional relationships with their staff can positively impact the well-being of patients and improve outcomes (2018). Danielle knows when the nursing staff is content, they show up for their shifts, and do their best. For the detox environment this style of management works well, its low stress and low key. She allows full time and part time nursing staff to self-schedule which promotes positive interpersonal relationships. Everyone is able to have the schedule they like which goes a long way toward job satisfaction. The democratic side of her management style is the consideration for others opinions. She wants input into the policies and producers effecting the detox unit prior to making any final decisions. The nursing staff feels heard and validates our nursing knowledge. It is important to Danielle to promote a positive, cooperative, and respectful work place with a sense of harmony. At this time the majority of the current nursing staff are mature nurses which does allow her a more laissez-faire style also. (Sellgren, S., Ekvall, G., and Tomson, G., 2006). Ultimately Danielle Gauthier is a combination of several management styles, transactional, democratic and laissez-faire.

Organizational Description

Boxwood Recovery Center is part of the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board (RRCSB) and is governed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). The state of Virginia delivers supports to individuals in the community with special needs through the service boards. More information about community service boards can be found on the DBHDS web site at www.dbhds.virginia.gov. The RRCSB provides services to individuals in the community with intellectual disabilities, mental health diagnoses, the aging population, and substances abuse issues. The Boxwood Recovery Center is their substance abuse residential and detox program. It is a 32 bed facility. Six beds on the detox side and 26 on the residential side. Detox admissions consist of males and non-pregnant females ranging in age from 18 to 70 years. The majority of clients are young adults in their late to mid-twenties. The typical client’s stay is seven days in detox, then 14 to 28 days in residential. Detox services provide medically assessed withdrawal and detoxification from abused substances. Once detox is complete and symptoms of withdrawal have been addressed clients transfer to the residential side for a nonmedical recovery program.

Healthcare Challenge

The biggest challenge Danielle shared with me is managing violence in the workplace (Sullivan, pp. 8, 2017). Some of the clients coming into Boxwood are directly from jail or prison. Many are on probation with jail over their heads if they don’t complete the program. They have underlying emotional and/or mental health problems with complicated histories. The recovery process can bring up old wounds, leaving them raw and angry. Danielle makes sure all staff, nurses and techs, have the required training to handle aggressive and/or violate situations. I have seen Danielle deescalate a violent situation by quietly removing others from harm’s way, then listening intently to a client’s concerns by staying calm and validating their concerns. It can be a daily occurrence in this healthcare environment.

References

Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S. P. M., and Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inrstu.2018.04.016

Scully, N. J. (2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of recognizing inherent values and attributes to secure a positive future for the profession. Collegian. (Ed. 22) (pp. 439—

444). School of Health, University of New England, Australia. Retrieved from https://www.collegianjournal.com/article/S1322-7696(14)00086-9/pdf.

Sellgren, S., Ekvall, G., and Tomson, G. (2006). Leadership styles in nursing management: preferred and perceived. Journal of Nursing Management. (Ed. 14) (pp. 348–355). Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1365-2934.2006.00624.x.

Sullivan, E.J. (2017). Chapter 4: Leading, Managing, Following. Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing. (Ed.9th) (pp.1 – 10). Pearson. Boston.