Ask the expert: Changing your unit's culture
Nurse Leader Weekly, March 8, 2010
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This week, Laura Cook Harrington, RC, RN, MHA, CPHQ, CHCQM, discusses how to improve the nursing culture on hospital units.
Q: How can I improve the nursing culture on my unit?
A: Nursing culture is shaped by many internal factors, including barriers such as poor communication between leaders and frontline nurses or a lack of respect from medical staff. If nurses are not well respected by their colleagues on the medical staff, then how do you think you can create a culture of excellence?
Leadership plays a critical role in affecting culture throughout the organization. For example, imagine what happens if you have a manager who practices nothing but a punitive style of management, thus creating an environment in which the staff is scared to accept accountability and fears punishment. This would affect the unit's culture in many ways—none of them positive.
To read more on how to improve the nursing culture on your unit, click here.
Editor’s note: Do you have a question for our experts? E-mail your queries to Editorial Assistant Sarah Kearns at skearns@hcpro.com and see your name in print next week! In the meantime, head over to our Web site and view a growing collection of advice from our experts.
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