PROFESSIONAL ROLES OF

A NURSE
Prepared by:
Shaier Khan
Sr. Nursing Instructor
SWCON
 Objectives
At the end of this session, learners will be able to:
 Define the role of a professional nurse as a caregiver.
 Compare the role of a professional nurse as a patient’s
advocate.
 State the role of a professional nurse as a counselor.
 Explain nurse’s role as a leader
 Relate the role of a professional nurse as a manager
 List the characteristics of effective leaders
 Explain the role of a nurse as a coordinator
 Compare leadership & management
 PROFESSIONAL NURSE’S ROLES
The nurses’ roles are ways of describing the nurse’s
activities in practice.
However, roles are not in actuality exclusive of one
another. In practice, several roles often happen together.
1) As CAREGIVER
2) As PATIENT’S ADVOCATE
3) As COUNSELOR
4) As LEADER
5) As MANAGER
6) As TEACHER
7) As COORDINATOR
 As Caregiver
 Nurses’ role as a caregiver is the role of human
relations.
 The chief goal of a nurse in this role is to convey
understanding about what is important for a patient
and to provide support in this regard.
 The nurse supports the client by attitudes and actions
that show concern for client’s welfare &
acceptance of the client as a person, not merely a
mechanical being.
 Caring is central to most nursing interventions and an
essential attribute of the expert nurse.
 As Patient’s Advocate
 A patient advocate is an advocate of client’s rights.
 According to Disparti (1988), advocacy involves
promoting what is best for the client, ensuring that
the client’s needs are met & protected.
 Social advocacy entails advocating on behalf of a
population or a community to effect positive change.
 Nurses engaged in this form of advocacy, can create
healthy environments through political action,
community education & involvement in professional
organizations.
 As Patient’s Advocate Cont…

 According to Kohnke (1982), the actions of an advocate

are to inform and support.

 An advocate informs the clients about their rights in a
situation, and provides them with the information they

need to make an informed decision.

 The first step in informing is to make sure the client
agrees to receiving the information.
 As Patient’s Advocate Cont…

 An advocate must;
(a) either have the necessary information or know
how to get it,
(b) want the client to have the information,
(c) present information in a way that is meaningful

to the client, and

(d) deal with the fact that there may be others who
do not wish the client to be informed.
 As a Counselor
 Nurse as a counselor focuses on helping the person
develop new attitudes, feelings and behaviors rather
than on promoting intellectual growth.
 The nurse encourages the client to look at alternative
behaviors, recognize the choices and develop a sense
of control.
 Counseling can be provided on one-to-one basis or in
groups. Often nurses lead group counseling sessions.
 The nurse may be a leader, member, or resource
person in any self-help group, structuring activities
and fostering a climate conducive to group interaction
and productive work.
 As a Counselor Cont…
o Counseling requires therapeutic communication
skills.
o The nurse must be a skilled leader, able to analyze a
situation, synthesize information and experiences and
evaluate the progress & productivity of the
individual or group.
o The nurse must also be willing to model and teach
desired behaviors, to be sincere when caring in the
welfare of the others.
 As a Leader
Leadership
o At a client level, nursing leadership is defined as a
mutual process of interpersonal influence through
which the nurse helps a client make decisions in
establishing and achieving goals to improve the client’s
well-being.
Leadership style
o It refers to the “individual pattern of relating to
others or how to gets along with members of the
work group”.
 Purpose Of Leadership
o The purposes of leadership vary according to the level
of application and include;
a) Improving the health status and potentials of
individuals or families.

b) Increasing the effectiveness & satisfaction level

among professional colleagues providing care.

c) Raising (changing positively) citizens’ and

legislators’ attitudes towards nursing profession.
 Leadership Styles
(1) Charismatic Leadership
o It is characterized by an emotional relationship
between the leader and the group members.
o The leader “inspires others by obtaining an
emotional commitment from followers and by
arousing strong feelings of loyalty & enthusiasm”.
o A charismatic relationship exists when a leader
communicates a plan for change & the followers
adhere to the plan because of their faith & belief
in the abilities of the leader.
 Leadership Styles
(2) Authoritarian or Directive Leadership
o The leader makes decision for the group. He determines
policies and gives orders & directions to the
members.
o It generally has negative connotations & often makes
group members dissatisfied. However, there are times
that this kind of leadership is most effective.
o When decisions are necessary in an urgent situation,
one person must assume the responsibility to make
decisions without being challenged by other team
members.
 Leadership Styles

(3) Democratic/Participative/Consultative Leadership

o The leader participates as a facilitator, encouraging
group discussion & decision making.
o The leader focuses on the human aspects of the
work relationship and tries to build effective work
groups.
o Group members participate in decision making
through collaboration & cooperation.
o This style increases productivity and satisfaction.
 Leadership Styles
 Democratic leadership is based on the following
principles (Tappen, 1989):
o Every group member should participate in decision
making.
o Freedom of belief & action is allowed within realistic
boundaries that are set by society and by the
group.
o Each individual is responsible for himself or herself
and for the welfare of the group.
o There should be concern and consideration for each
group member as a unique individual.
 Leadership Styles
(4) Laissez Faire or Nondirective Leadership
o The leader participates minimally and often only
on the request of the members.
o This leadership style is also termed as permissive
style and “hands-off” approach. The leader acts as
a resource person.
o It is most effective for groups whose members
have both personal & professional maturity.
o The group members have commitment & expertise
to implement the decision made by the group.
 Leadership Styles
(5) Situational Leadership
o It encourages managers to consider the environment
or context in which management decisions are made.
o Douglass (1992) states that successful situational
leadership occurs when the leader’s style matches the
situation.
o Factor influencing situational leadership are;
o Personal & professional maturity of the group members.
o Value given to the accomplishment of tasks.
o The concern given to interpersonal relationships between
leader & the group members & among group members.
 Leadership Styles
(6) Transformational Leadership
o In this leadership style, the leader motivates others
through values, vision, and empowerment.
o The leader envisions a clear, attractive & attainable
goal & enlists others to participate in attaining that
goal.
o Through shared values, honesty, trust & continuous
learning, the leader empowers the group to
contribute in goal attainment.
Characteristics of Effective Leaders
o Use a leadership style that is natural to them.
o Use a leadership style appropriate to the task & the
members.
o Assess the effects of their behavior on others & the
effects of others’ behavior on themselves.
o Are sensitive to forces acting for & against change.
o Express an optimistic view about human nature.
o Are open & encourage openness, so that real issues
are confronted.
 Cont…

o Are energetic who plan and organize activities of the

group.
o Are consistent in behavior towards group members.
o Delegate tasks & responsibilities to develop members’
abilities, not merely to get tasks performed.
o Involve members in all decisions.
o Value and use group members’ contributions.
o Encourage creativity.
o Encourage feedback about their leadership style.
 As a Manager
o Management is often mixed up with leadership, because
in much of the literature, leadership is associated with
group interaction within an organizational setting.
o Tappen (1989) defines management as “planning, giving
direction, developing staff, monitoring operations, giving
rewards fairly and representing both staff members &
administration as needed”.
o Management, therefore, occurs within an organizational
environment. Leadership, by contrast, may or may not
require delegated authority within a formal
organization.
 Comparison of Leader and Manager Roles

Leaders Managers

May or may not have official appointment to the Are appointed officially to the position.
position.
Have power & authority to enforce decisions only Have power and authority to enforce decisions.
so long as followers are willing to be led.

Influence others toward goal setting, either Carry out predetermined policies, rules, and
formally or informally. regulations.

Interested in risk taking & exploring new ideas. Maintain an orderly, controlled, rational, and
equitable structure.
Relate to people personally in a natural and Relate to people according to their roles.
emphatic manner.

Feel rewarded by personal achievements. Feel rewarded when fulfilling organizational

mission or goals.
May or may not be successful as managers. Are managers as long as the appointment holds.
 As a Manager
 As a manager, nurse manages the nursing care of
individuals, groups, families, and communities.
 The nurse-manager also delegates nursing activities to
auxiliary workers and other nurses and supervises and
evaluates their performance.
 Nurse uses principles of leadership & management while
functioning as a case manager.
 Case management involves coordination among
disciplines and with auxiliary personnel to deliver the
most efficient care to patients with chronic or
complicated medical conditions.
 As a Coordinator
o Nurse as coordinator helps shape relationships
between nurses and clients, nurses and support
persons & nurses and colleagues.
o In this role, communication is important that
facilitates all nursing actions.
o The nurse communicates to other health care
personnel, the nursing interventions planned and
implemented for each client.
 References

1. Tappen RM. Nursing leadership and management:

concepts and practice. 2nd ed. Philadelphia (PA): F. A.
Davis; 1989.

2. Massie JL and Douglas J. Managing: a contemporary

introduction, 5th ed. New Jersey: Simon & Schuster
Company; (1992).